Rocking Chairs
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Upholstery
Early 20th Century British Rustic Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
1960s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Italian Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Rosewood
20th Century English Victorian Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Late 20th Century European Rocking Chairs
Wicker
1960s Italian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century American Organic Modern Rocking Chairs
Maple, Leather
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Beech
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Pine
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Spanish Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood, Bentwood
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1970s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cord, Pine
2010s Brazilian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
1960s Mexican Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
2010s Brazilian Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Faux Leather, Oak
20th Century American Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Rocking Chairs
Resin
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal, Chrome
1850s Italian Early Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Fruitwood
1920s Italian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
1970s Scandinavian Arts and Crafts Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Pine
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
1910s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Hardwood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Pine
1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Ash, Beech
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Oak
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Rocking Chairs
Beech, Rattan, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery
Late 20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1890s British Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Beech
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Bentwood
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.





