Rocking Chairs
2010s Danish Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Foam, Rubber, Wood, Oak
2010s Danish Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Cane, Foam, Rubber, Wood, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery
2010s Danish Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Foam, Rubber, Wood, Oak, Teak
1980s Unknown Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Birch
Late 20th Century American American Classical Rocking Chairs
Hardwood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
Early 20th Century Finnish Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal, Nickel
2010s Mexican Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak, Leather, Fabric, Wood
20th Century Rocking Chairs
Wicker
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rope, Oak, Walnut
Mid-18th Century English Rustic Antique Rocking Chairs
Brass
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
2010s Asian Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fiberglass, Polyester
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
20th Century Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak, Beech
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak, Walnut
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak, Beech
Mid-20th Century Anglo-Indian Rocking Chairs
Teak
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech, Teak
1960s Italian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Hide, Lucite
1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Stone, Cement, Marble, Iron
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass, Iron
2010s American Rocking Chairs
Steel
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal, Nickel
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Foam, Teak
2010s South African Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Bamboo
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Oak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech, Wicker
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
1960s Czech Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Early 20th Century American Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 2000s Belgian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
Mid-20th Century Peruvian Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1960s Costa Rican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1950s Danish Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak
1990s Swedish Organic Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Wool, Teak
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
1950s North American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage, New and Antique Rocking Chairs
The phrase “rocking chair” didn’t find its way into the dictionary until the mid-18th century. While most of the sitting furniture that we use in our homes originated in either England or France, the iconic rocking chair is a quintessentially American piece of furniture.
A Philadelphia cabinetmaker’s bill for a proto-rocking chair issued in 1742, which identified the seat as a “Nurse Chair with rockers,” is the earliest surviving evidence of this design’s humble beginnings. The nurse chair was a low side chair intended for nursing women, so giving it a soothing rocking motion made sense. Rocking chairs, which saw a curved slat affixed to the chairs’ feet so that they could be literally rocked, quickly gained popularity across the United States, garnering a reputation as a seat that everyone could love. They offered casual comfort without the expensive fabrics and upholstery that put armchairs out of many families’ budgets.
Rocking chairs are unique in that they don’t just offer a place to rest — they offer an opportunity to reminisce. The presence of one of these classic pieces stirs up our penchant for nostalgia and has the power to transform a space. They easily introduce a simple country feel to the city or bring the peaceful rhythm of a porch swing into a sheltered sunroom. Although craftsmen took to painting and stenciling varieties of the chairs that emerged in New England during the 19th century, the most traditional rocking chairs are generally unadorned seats constructed with time-tested materials like wood and metal. As such, a minimalist vintage rocking chair can be ushered into any corner of your home without significantly disrupting your existing decor scheme or the room’s color palette.
In the decades since the first rocker, top designers have made the piece their own. Viennese chair maker Michael Thonet produced a series of rockers in the middle of the 19th century in which the different curved steam-bent wood parts were integrated into fluid, sinuous wholes. Mid-century modernists Charles and Ray Eames added wooden rockers to their famous plastic shell armchair, while Danish designer Frank Reenskaug opted for teak and polished beech, introducing pops of color with small cushions (a precursor to the bold works that would follow in the 1970s and 1980s).
No matter your personal style, let 1stDibs pair you with your perfect seat. Deck out your porch, patio or parlor — browse the vintage, new and antique rocking chairs in our vast collection today.
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The 'King of Slovenian Design' is getting discovered anew, thanks to reissues of his sleek and inventive postwar designs.
How One Chair Rocked Its Way Into Hearts and History
The noted design historian explores the origins of the rocking chair, a quintessentially American piece of furniture that is still going strong after 300 years.