Rocking Chairs
2010s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Teak
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cord, Pine
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
1970s Thai Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
1950s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Beech
1970s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Teak
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
20th Century Austrian French Provincial Rocking Chairs
Beech
Early 2000s German Rocking Chairs
Leather
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Iron
1850s Italian Early Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Fruitwood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
20th Century English Victorian Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1960s Czech Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Rocking Chairs
Beech, Rattan, Bentwood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rush
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Brazilian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
Late 20th Century Spanish Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1930s Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Pine
1920s Art Deco Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Cherry
19th Century British George III Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Oak
Mid-20th Century Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century American Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak, Fabric
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome, Metal, Steel
1960s Italian Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Beech
Late 20th Century Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
2010s Brazilian Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Brass
1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Chestnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Bamboo
2010s Tibetan Tibetan Rocking Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Birch
1630s Albanian Art Nouveau Antique Rocking Chairs
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.
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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.