Rocking Chairs
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Plywood
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Linen, Wood, Teak
1980s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Walnut
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s South African Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century Macedonian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Wood, Hardwood, Oak
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Bamboo
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood, Beech, Wicker
1950s French Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bronze
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane, Rattan
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1950s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Oak
Mid-20th Century Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Hickory
1970s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Pine
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Birch
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak
1950s Italian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Oak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Beech
Late 19th Century American American Craftsman Antique Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Teak, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Swedish Rustic Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Beech
1960s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo
Early 20th Century Italian Campaign Rocking Chairs
Metal
2010s Mexican Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1880s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wire
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bouclé, Bentwood
Early 1900s French Georgian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
1920s Swedish Gustavian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Wool, Alpaca, Teak, Walnut
1890s English Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Walnut
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Hickory
Early 20th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Late 20th Century European Rocking Chairs
Wicker
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Colonial Rocking Chairs
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood, Hardwood, Leather
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s Brazilian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Oak
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Fiberglass
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.