Thonet Rock
Vintage 1920s Czech Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Vintage 1920s Czech Art Deco Footstools
Rattan, Bentwood
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Beech, Bentwood, Rattan
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Beech, Rattan
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Vintage 1930s Slovak Vienna Secession Children's Furniture
Rattan, Bentwood
Antique 1880s English Victorian Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Vintage 1910s Italian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Leather, Beech
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Beech
20th Century English Victorian Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1920s Austrian Victorian Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Bamboo
Vintage 1980s Italian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Antique Mid-19th Century German Belle Époque Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Cane, Beech
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Belle Époque Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome, Metal, Steel
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Mid-20th Century Victorian Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Cane, Bentwood
Late 20th Century Unknown Bauhaus Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Victorian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Bentwood
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Cane
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Beech
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Antique 1860s Austrian Baroque Rocking Chairs
Velvet, Wood
Antique Early 1900s European Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Beech
Late 20th Century European Space Age Rocking Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Spanish Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Romanian Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Beech
Antique 19th Century Austrian Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Leather
20th Century Austrian French Provincial Rocking Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Antique Early 19th Century Hungarian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Straw, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Korean Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Cane
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
Early 20th Century Rocking Chairs
Leather, Bentwood
Vintage 1910s Austrian Jugendstil Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Beech
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s Czech Bauhaus Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Bentwood, Oak
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Bentwood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Plywood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Leather
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Beech
Vintage 1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Plywood
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Beech
Vintage 1970s Italian Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Oak
- 1
Thonet Rock For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Thonet Rock?
Finding the Right rocking-chairs for You
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.
- 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.
Read More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Fred Rigby’s Modular Seating Can Be Configured in So Many Handy Ways
The plush Cove Slipper 2.5 Seater sofa is just one of many convenient combinations from the London-based maker.
This Chubby-Chic Quilted Stool Stands on Its Own Two Feet
Sam Klemick's cool stool is edgy, cozy and environmentally sustainable all at once.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.
Rock Your Cares Away on This Sunny Hand-Crocheted Swing
The boho-chic Enchanted Forest Swing, handmade by marginalized women from Turkey and Syria, is uplifting in every way.
Learn Why Designer Maarten Baas Set This Charles Rennie Mackintosh Chair on Fire
What happens when you do something to a piece of furniture that you shouldn’t? It becomes an entirely new object.
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.
Light and Dwell Brings Elegance and Ease to an Oregon Wine Country Estate
Molly Kidd lets her affection for France shine through in a new-build home that has the character of a centuries-old villa but still feels light and fresh.