Rocking Chairs
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Late 20th Century Campaign Rocking Chairs
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
1970s Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1960s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood
Late 19th Century Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
1960s Mexican Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Beech
1960s Macedonian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
1980s American Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Walnut
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Oak, Polyester
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Iron
2010s American Modern Rocking Chairs
Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Ash
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rope, Oak, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Victorian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak, Upholstery, Cotton
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Pine
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Teak
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Oak, Polyester
1910s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Chestnut
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 20th Century European Rocking Chairs
Wicker
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Beech
1880s American Mid-Century Modern Antique Rocking Chairs
Fruitwood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Rattan
1930s Dutch Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Hide, Lucite
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Teak
1940s American Shaker Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rush, Birch
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Lambskin, Rubber, Walnut
Mid-19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Metal
1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Papercord, Rattan, Beech
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel, Chrome
1990s American Rocking Chairs
Wood, Oak
1930s American American Colonial Vintage Rocking Chairs
Maple
1950s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Rattan
20th Century American Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Mahogany
20th Century Rocking Chairs
Oak
1980s Norwegian Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Polyester, Oak
1960s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Beech
1980s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Cord, Beech
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Alpaca, Elm
1990s Rocking Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Bauhaus Rocking Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1960s Colombian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
19th Century American Antique Rocking Chairs
Rush, Wood, Paint
1970s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cord, Pine
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Teak, Acrylic
Early 20th Century Czech Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood, Beech, Lacquer
1960s American American Craftsman Vintage Rocking Chairs
Walnut
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern 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.