
Swivel gliders often include both a rocker and recliner mechanism for maximum functionality. You can apply this type of functionality to glider or spring rockers to increase their functionality and comfort.Īs with the other types, the increased comfort and flexibility of the swivel rocker is brought about by a more complex design. Swivel rockers are those utilizing a mechanism which allows for rocking on more than one plane of motion. These types of rocking chairs are durable and at the middle of the price points of traditional rockers and glider rockers.

The mechanism is a bit of a complicated piece of engineering most designers prefer hiding it away beneath a box at the base of the chair to prevent any unwarranted contact and for aesthetic value. They rock back and forth like traditional ones, but are supported by mounted springs that cause the rocking motion. Spring rockers are a bit of a mix of the traditional arcing rocking chair and the glider rocking chair. However, due to its complex design, the glider rocker costs a little bit more than other types and is more prone to breaking. This type of chairs eats up less space and is considered to be more comfortable than other types of rockers.It often has a recliner feature that allows for rocking and reclining together.

A bit more complex than the traditional rocking chair design, glider rockers use a mechanism of levers and hinges such that the chair rocks back and forth on a flat plane, as opposed to the traditional arc. The downsides of this type include it fairly rigid and inflexible nature and its usually large amount of needed floor space to be functional. With its time-tested design, it’s also popularly the most durable out of all the types. This type of rocking chair typically has slats for the backrest and is typically the most common and most affordable style. These are characterized by curved legs that serve as the mechanism by which the chair rocks back and forth with. There’s the traditional rocker with its rustic appearance.

Below are the most popular types of rocking chair designs so you can get the one that best suits your needs. Different new functionalities and building methods have resulted in various rocking chair types. With the onset of modern-day building and material technologies, the rocking chair has come a long way. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see designer rocking chair pieces decorating the homes of most families. Folding rocking chair variants were taking root due to their convenience and functionality families could take them out on picnics or long road trips with little hassle. The 1900s saw a great number of innovations to the rocking chair. In 1725, the rocking chair craze had spread to England and soon, wicker rocking chairs had more or less cemented its place as an American and English staple in most households at the time.Ī bit more than a century later, German craftsman Michael Thonet designed the first bentwood rocking chair – a designer piece popular for its grace, beauty, and light weight. They are in fact known to have been in mainstream use when Franklin was still a child, and so the dates don’t check out. It had a bit of popularity in early 18th century North America and were basically jury-rigged chairs with rockers attached to them.Ī popular albeit historically inaccurate myth is that rocking chairs were invented by Benjamin Franklin. Rocking chairs are known to have been used as early as the 1700s.

