Rocking Chairs
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Polyester, Teak, Acrylic
19th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Rocking Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Beech
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century American American Craftsman Rocking Chairs
Maple
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Rush, Hickory
Late 19th Century American American Craftsman Antique Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
20th Century American Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood
1950s American Country Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Beech
Mid-20th Century Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Mid-19th Century American Country Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown American Colonial Rocking Chairs
Textile, Rush, Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
20th Century American Rocking Chairs
Wood
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Polyester, Teak
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Teak, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel, Chrome
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
19th Century English George III Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
1960s Ecuadorean Brutalist Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Teak
19th Century Indian Rustic Antique Rocking Chairs
Metal
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Walnut
19th Century American Country Antique Rocking Chairs
Pine
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Oak
1980s Dutch Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Plywood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Walnut
20th Century Italian Other Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
19th Century Italian Antique Rocking Chairs
Fruitwood, Upholstery
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Late 19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Hickory
1920s American Neoclassical Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Lucite
Early 2000s Balkan Organic Modern Rocking Chairs
Ash, Plywood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Raffia
19th Century British Colonial Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Early 19th Century Unknown Shaker Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak, Walnut
1880s American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Romanian Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Beech
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Oak
1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Bentwood
20th Century American Rustic Rocking Chairs
Iron
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s Asian Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
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
This Niko Kralj Mid-Century Rocking Chair Can Be Folded and Tucked Away
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.