Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
19th Century Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Wood
Early 20th Century Swedish Folk Art Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Pine, Sheepskin
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21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Textile
2010s Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Iron
2010s French Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Wood, Elm
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Cord, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Organic Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Copper, Brass
Mid-20th Century Belgian Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Textile, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Hardwood, Beech
2010s British Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Sheepskin, Oak
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Travertine
2010s British Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Mohair, Velvet, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Sheepskin, Wool, Oak
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Fabric, Oak
1960s Mid-Century Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Wood
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Bentwood, Wood, Willow
Early 20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Wood, Willow, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Swedish Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Bentwood
1840s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Birch
Early 20th Century Swedish Folk Art Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Beech, Fabric
Late 19th Century North American Scandinavian Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Cane, Wood
Early 20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Bamboo, Rattan
Early 20th Century Swedish Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Early 20th Century Swedish Brutalist Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Hardwood
Early 20th Century Unknown Jacobean Antique Scandinavian Rocking Chair
Oak
Finding the Right rocking-chairs for You
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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