Vintage Bentwood Rocker
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood
1970s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Rosewood, Leather
1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood
1970s Italian Bohemian Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
1970s Canadian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Metal, Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Victorian Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
Late 20th Century American Hollywood Regency Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Paper
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Spanish Art Nouveau Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Upholstery, Bentwood
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Beech
Late 20th Century Unknown Bauhaus Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Chrome
Late 20th Century Adirondack Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Fabric, Bentwood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood, Birch, Bentwood, Plywood
Late 20th Century North American Rustic Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Ash
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood, Velvet
People Also Browsed
1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Canvas
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Fabric, Wood
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cord, Beech
Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Earthenware
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Hide, Alpaca, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Iron, Wrought Iron
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Birch, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Vienna Secession Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
1980s Italian Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
1940s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Metal
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Walnut
1950s British Chippendale Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Upholstery, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Leather, Teak
Recent Sales
20th Century American Folk Art Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Leather, Bentwood, Plywood
1970s French Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Chrome
20th Century European Vintage Bentwood Rocker
1970s American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
20th Century American Folk Art Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood
Mid-20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Fabric, Wood
1970s Unknown Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Chrome
1970s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Mahogany, Oak
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Chrome
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Enamel, Metal
Late 20th Century American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Late 20th Century American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Beech
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane
1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Metal
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Upholstery, Oak, Bentwood
20th Century American Adirondack Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood
1930s French Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bamboo, Rattan, Bentwood
1930s American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Twig, Oak
Mid-20th Century Spanish Art Nouveau Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
1930s American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Hickory, Wood
1990s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Leather, Upholstery, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Fabric, Teak
1970s Organic Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Rattan
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Fabric, Bentwood
1950s Swedish Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood, Upholstery
20th Century American Country Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood, Bentwood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Iron
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Chrome
1980s Vintage Bentwood Rocker
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood, Bentwood
20th Century Czech Bauhaus Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Bentwood
Late 20th Century American Vienna Secession Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Cane, Beech
20th Century American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood
1970s Mexican Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood, Wood
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood, Oak
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Fabric, Wood
1960s Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood, Teak
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Leather, Bentwood
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Iron
20th Century English Art Deco Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Linen, Upholstery, Wood
1990s American Adirondack Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Hickory
Mid-20th Century Federal Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Walnut
20th Century Italian Vintage Bentwood Rocker
20th Century American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Oak, Willow
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Bentwood, Leather
1950s Austrian Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Beech, Cane
1930s Italian Streamlined Moderne Vintage Bentwood Rocker
1960s Norwegian Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood, Canvas
1940s American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Twig
1950s American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
1970s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bentwood Rocker
1940s American Vintage Bentwood Rocker
Wood
Vintage Bentwood Rocker For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Vintage Bentwood Rocker?
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 31, 2023Bentwood rockers are made out of wood that gets heated to a high temperature with steam and then bent. Ash and beech are two popular wood species for bentwood chair production. However, other woods are also suitable for use. On 1stDibs, find a range of bentwood rockers.
- How old are bentwood rockers?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022A bentwood rocking chair was introduced in the mid-1800s by Michael Thonet. Bentwood furniture is a signature of the furniture manufacturer Thonet — Michael produced chairs out of steam-bent wood, and starting in the middle of the 19th century, he produced a series of rockers. Shop a range of bentwood rocking chairs and furniture on 1stDibs.
- Who made bentwood rockers?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Michael Thonet was the original maker of bentwood chairs. He invented the process of bending wood by using vapor to heat and then bend it into shape. You can shop a collection of bentwood chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
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