Rocking Chairs
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Teak
1980s Canadian Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
2010s Danish Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Faux Leather, Oak
1920s Italian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Maple, Velvet
1920s Art Deco Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Cherry
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Rattan, Rush
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
Early 20th Century Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak
1960s Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
19th Century British George III Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak, Walnut
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Iron
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Pine
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Birch
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Early 20th Century Unknown Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Oak
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Bouclé, Upholstery
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Rocking Chairs
Beech, Rattan, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Czech Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood, Beech, Lacquer
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1960s Russian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Oak
1930s Danish Folk Art Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
1970s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cord, Pine
Mid-20th Century Swedish Rustic Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Sycamore
Mid-20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Birch
Early 20th Century Unknown Victorian Rocking Chairs
Brass
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood
2010s Belgian Organic Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1980s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Walnut
Early 19th Century Hungarian Art Nouveau Antique Rocking Chairs
Straw, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bronze
1940s Italian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Straw, Beech
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Early 20th Century Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Oak
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.