Rocking Chairs
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Oak
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Wicker
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
Late 19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Walnut
Late 20th Century Campaign Rocking Chairs
Leather
1920s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Straw
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Rocking Chairs
Pine, Paint
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Polyester, Oak
19th Century Unknown Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Brutalist Rocking Chairs
Oak
2010s Finnish Modern Rocking Chairs
Stainless Steel
1990s Danish Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Bentwood
1930s American American Colonial Vintage Rocking Chairs
Maple
Mid-19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak, Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Teak
1960s Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
1980s Norwegian Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1950s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Birch
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fiberglass
20th Century Swiss Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
2010s Israeli Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Polyester, Teak, Acrylic
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Cotton, Oak
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1880s American Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
1950s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bouclé
1980s American Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Walnut
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1890s Czech Vienna Secession Antique Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Rattan, Beech
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Pine
2010s Israeli Modern Rocking Chairs
Polyester, Teak, Acrylic
Mid-19th Century American Folk Art Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Teak
2010s Australian Rocking Chairs
Lambskin, Oak
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
1910s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Velvet, Beech
20th Century American Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Hickory
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s Finnish Modern Rocking Chairs
Stainless Steel
2010s Israeli Modern Rocking Chairs
Polyester, Teak, Acrylic
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel, Chrome
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1980s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cane, Beech
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Upholstery, Wood
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
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.





