The Rocking Chair

The rocking chair is a timeless piece of furniture that is found in many homes around the country. You are probably most familiar with the classic wooden rocking chair that your grandfather sat in when you were a child. However, these days several different materials and styles are manufactured including those made of metal, iron and yes, even plastic. The best part about them is that they are capable of being used in any indoor setting and there are some made entirely for outdoor use.

I'd like to discuss the history of the rocking chair in this article and go over their different styles and how to go about choosing the right one for your home or outdoor use. As there are different kinds of materials used in their production you have to analyze what's best for your needs and take a decorator's approach almost in making your selection.

It is unclear when exactly the rocker was invented. The earliest records point to a will found in Philadelphia in 1708 mentioning a Windsor chair, which fit the description of the bow-spindle-backed chairs used in the gardens of the Windsor castle in England. There were no American furniture makers at the time so it's is assumed that England is its origin. The rocker did become very popular in American colonial times by the mid 1700s and was made famous by the American Windsor Rocking Chair which eventually took off through history to become the number one piece of Americana to date. Wood continues to be the best source for making them and their simplicity makes them a high demand furnishing for most homes. The two most famous wooden rocking chairs to date are the Windsor and the Boston. Other rocking chairs made of wood include the wicker rocking chair and the Adirondack rocking chair, but these are by no means exclusive.

At the same time of their popularity in America, England saw its own rise in fascination with these chairs. Largely used as outdoor rocking chairs in gardens or lawns, they were characterized by their hooped back frames and splayed pegged legs which were fixed directly to the seat. There was no set custom to the wood used and many were made from a combination of woods.

Still it was the American Windsor made in Philadelphia that gained worldwide recognition. They have been passed down generation to generation and come in many styles, such as the classic rounded hoop back and the arrow back made of flat spindles for more comfortable support.

This chair came out a century later in 1840 and was largely machine-made. More decorative and made for comfort, it was intended for indoor use as it was often finished, unlike its predecessor, the Windsor. As with the Windsor the chair is made of various woods typically using maple and pine for the seat, arms and legs and hickory for the spindles. To increase its durability it was often given several coats of paint and sometimes a single splat (a large flat board that conformed to the curve of the back) was used instead of the several support spindles normally used.

The Boston was the wooden rocking chair most often passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom.

Wicker has been used to make everything under the sun practically so it should come to no surprise that it was also used to make chairs. It was made in the mid 1800s with the booming rocker chair market in America and remains a highly fabricated item today, although today many are made from vinyl or plastic. The entire chair is woven making it a delicate chair for primarily decorative use outdoors.

Characterized by large flat armrests, low to the ground seating and bulk, these wooden rocking chairs are quite cumbersome to move around but make great outdoor rocking chairs. There is spacious seating and they are extremely comfortable and inviting. They are most often found in outdoor spaces like pools and patios. While woods like Teak, Cedar and Cypress are used to make them, this will vary from producer to producer and many are often painted.

The first thing to do in choosing your rocking chair is to decide where it will go. Once you decide on either an indoor or outdoor rocking chair, you will need to decide on size and function. You wouldn't want to put an Adirondack rocking chair in your living room. Nor would a Boston rocker be appropriate outdoors. A nice teak rocking chair would look nice outside, while a Kennedy rocking chair would be great for therapeutic use inside. Most importantly, sit in it before you buy. Make sure your rocking chair is comfortable. If not, you will be sorely disappointed when you make your purchase.