Rocking Chairs
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Walnut, Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
2010s Guatemalan Organic Modern Rocking Chairs
Plywood
Late 19th Century Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Mid-20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Teak
Early 19th Century Virgin Islands Regency Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Teak
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
Early 20th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Mohair, Teak
1940s American Victorian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Maple
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Faux Fur, Wood, Oak
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Fiberglass, Birch
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Iron
Early 1900s Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Walnut
1980s Japanese Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Rocking Chairs
Mahogany, Teak, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Walnut
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Rocking Chairs
Pine, Paint
20th Century American Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Hickory
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Birch
Early 2000s Belgian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Beech, Rattan
Early 20th Century Rustic Rocking Chairs
Pine
1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Birch
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Unknown Bauhaus Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1850s Italian Early Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Fruitwood
1990s Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric
1970s German Brutalist Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Pine
2010s Mexican Modern Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Hardwood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
2010s Israeli Rocking Chairs
Cotton, Polyester, Oak
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Hickory
1950s French Art Deco Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Walnut
1910s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Victorian Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Pine
1930s Danish Victorian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Teak
Early 19th Century Unknown Shaker Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Rattan, Rush
1970s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
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.