Rocking Chairs
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s Italian Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1980s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal, Chrome
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Rustic Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
Late 20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Early 1900s Antique Rocking Chairs
Beech
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo
1870s British Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
2010s Spanish Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Wood
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Fiberglass
Early 1900s British Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Ash, Elm
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Rocking Chairs
Resin
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1980s French Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Rush, Oak
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bronze
20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Iron
2010s Brazilian Minimalist Rocking Chairs
Stainless Steel
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Teak
1970s German Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Late 20th Century American Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Plastic, Bamboo
1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather
2010s South African Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
20th Century Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Iron
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Rocking Chairs
Beech
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech, Ash
1890s American Antique Rocking Chairs
Iron
1970s Italian Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Walnut
19th Century English Country Antique Rocking Chairs
Velvet, Pine
20th Century English Victorian Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Pine
1920s Italian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1960s Industrial Vintage Rocking Chairs
Iron
19th Century French Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Upholstery
Early 2000s American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Cherry
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Teak
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
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.





