Midcentury Rocking Chair
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Bentwood
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Brass
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Foam, Teak
Vintage 1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Pine
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Naugahyde, Wood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Beech
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1970s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Sheepskin, Pine
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Maple
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rush, Pine
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rattan
20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Colonial Rocking Chairs
Maple
Vintage 1980s German Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome, Metal, Steel
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Elm
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Mohair, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Beech
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Rattan
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Iron
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Brass
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Linen, Wood, Teak
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel, Brass, Chrome
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
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Midcentury Rocking Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Midcentury Rocking Chair?
A Close Look at Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
Finding the Right Seating for You
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022A platform rocking chair is a rocking chair constructed to have the rockers on a fixed platform rather than the floor. You’ll find a collection of vintage and contemporary platform rocking chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2024What a rocking chair symbolizes is largely a matter of individual interpretation. Some people associate rocking chairs with comfort or relaxation. Because people often sit in the chairs to gently rock babies to sleep, the furniture may also represent parenthood or motherhood. On 1stDibs, explore a diverse assortment of rocking chairs.
- What is a Boston rocking chair?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022A Boston rocking chair is a wooden rocking chair with a decorative top panel and a seat and arms that curve down towards the front. Find an assortment of rocking chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- What is a Windsor rocking chair?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertOctober 26, 2021A Windsor rocking chair is built for comfort and is usually manufactured in such a way that the seat’s spindles, along with the chair-back and legs, are pushed into holes that have been drilled. This sets this type of chair apart, as the standard construction of a chair sees that the back legs are continuous. The Windsor chair originated in the early 1700s in the English town of Windsor. As mentioned, their bentwood back frames are assembled with slender wooden spindles that are plugged into drill holes in the sculpted seat, which was usually made of elm and slightly sunken or dish-shaped for the sitter’s comfort. Shop a collection of antique and vintage Windsor rocking chairs from some of the world’s top dealers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 16, 2019
A rocking chair helps soothe infants, children, and adults alike. The rocking and swaying movement helps create a meditative and lethargic state.
- How old is the rocking chair?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertFebruary 27, 2024The rocking chair is more than 275 years old. Early models date back to around 1725 and were made by outfitting Windsor chairs with skates. By 1787, rocking chairs were common enough for the word to be added to the English dictionary. On 1stDibs, shop a diverse assortment of rocking chairs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To identify a Thonet rocking chair, look for the company name. You will normally find it stamped directly onto the underside of the seat, arms or legs. You can find a collection of expertly vetted Thonet rocking chairs on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 16, 2019
A wooden rocking chair can be cleaned using a sponge, soap, and water. After, you should proceed to pat the rocking chair down with a cloth.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To identify a Windsor rocking chair, enlist the help of a licensed furniture appraiser. Many convincing distressed reproductions exist due to their popularity and value. An experienced professional can accurately determine if yours is an authentic antique or a replica. Find a range of expertly vetted Windsor rocking chairs on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 12, 2021The cost of a wooden rocking chair varies depending on the type of wood used, its finish and craftsmanship. Also, the period that the rocking chair belongs to will define the price of the chair. An antique rocking chair might cost between $500 and $1,500 while a contemporary rocking chair may cost somewhere between $150 and $400. Find a variety of antique, vintage, and contemporary wooden rocking chairs on 1stDibs.
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