Rocking Chairs
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
2010s American Rocking Chairs
Steel
2010s Slovenian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
2010s Italian Rocking Chairs
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1880s American Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century American Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 20th Century American Classical Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Twig, Cherry, Bentwood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Teak
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
1980s French Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Fruitwood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century American Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1950s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Iron
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Teak
2010s Italian Baroque Rocking Chairs
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Bouclé, Birch
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Polyester, Teak
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Hide, Alpaca, Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Bentwood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rope, Oak, Walnut
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Polyester, Teak
2010s Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Polyester, Teak
1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century American American Craftsman Rocking Chairs
Cane, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak, Leather
Early 20th Century American Late Victorian Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Mahogany
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Pine
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century Rocking Chairs
Cane, Oak
1960s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak
1930s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
19th Century Antique Rocking Chairs
Ash, Elm
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Walnut, Faux Leather
2010s Canadian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Sheepskin, Upholstery, Wood, Ash
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Hardwood
1850s English Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Steel
20th Century English Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century Industrial Rocking Chairs
Metal, Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
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.