Rocking Chairs
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech, Ash
19th Century British Country Antique Rocking Chairs
Velvet, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown British Colonial Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s Italian Baroque Rocking Chairs
Gold Leaf
2010s Israeli Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Polyester, Teak, Acrylic
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Walnut
19th Century Indian Rustic Antique Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s Czech Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-19th Century American Country Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel, Brass, Chrome
2010s American Modern Rocking Chairs
Cut Steel
1980s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Walnut
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Pine
Late 20th Century American Organic Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Maple
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Fiberglass, Wood
1970s American American Craftsman Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Walnut
1880s English Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Beech
2010s Italian Rocking Chairs
Wood, Lacquer, Beech
2010s Brazilian International Style Rocking Chairs
Leather
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Walnut, Upholstery
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Oak
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
2010s New Zealand Modern Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Polyester, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Ash
1950s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane, Rattan
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Canvas, Beech
19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Walnut
1890s American Antique Rocking Chairs
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 1900s European Vienna Secession Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1890s American Antique Rocking Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century Spanish Rocking Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 20th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Brass
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.
Read More
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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.