Rocking Chairs
1960s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Rattan, Rush
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Early 20th Century Unknown Victorian Rocking Chairs
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood, Hardwood
1970s Ecuadorean American Craftsman Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
1880s American Shaker Antique Rocking Chairs
Rush, Maple
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel, Chrome
Mid-18th Century English Rustic Antique Rocking Chairs
Brass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Cane, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Oak
2010s Danish Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Upholstery, Cane, Foam, Rubber, Wood, Teak
Late 20th Century European Rocking Chairs
Wicker
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Straw, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Velvet
2010s Mexican Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Birch
1950s French Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bronze
19th Century Austrian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Beech
Late 18th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
1930s Danish Victorian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood, Oak
1980s French Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Austrian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
1980s Japanese Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak
2010s Danish Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Cane, Foam, Rubber, Wood, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Early 20th Century Country Rocking Chairs
Oak
1960s Danish Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Oak
1850s American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Beech
1950s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Straw, Wood
19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Rocking Chairs
Thread, Wood
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech
20th Century Danish Rocking Chairs
Canvas, Oak
19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
1910s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Velvet, Beech
2010s Italian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Cane
Mid-19th Century American Folk Art Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Upholstery, Rosewood
Early 20th Century Unknown Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Oak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Post-Modern 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.
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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.