Pour WoodworkingWoodworking RockingWoodworking TechniquesWooden Rocking ChairsWooden ChairsWood TablesRocking Chair PlansIndoor FurnitureFurniture ShopForwardThis free tutorial will teach you to make rocking chair plansOnce the baby arrives a vast majority of a mama’s time will be spent rocking and nursing, so having a comfortable place to do so is absolutely essential. I know that the word “rocking chair” may conjure up images of little old grannys knitting by the fire, but I’ve put together a little round up of stylish rocking chairs that will change your mind. These modern rocking chairs are perfect for rocking a little one now, and for using in other rooms of your house later. Have a look after the jump! Looking for more stylish ways to rock? Check out our favorite rockers and gliders here! #6: Eames Molded Plastic Armchair with Rocker Base #10: Urban Outfitters Mid-Century Rocker ChairUsing modern sales techniques, such as the mail-order catalog and the
showroom, the Shakers began selling their ladder-back chairs to the world in quantity in the mid- 19th century. By the 1870s, the chair business had blossomed, and the factory at Mount Lebanon was busily turning out a line of popular chairs under the direction of Robert Wagan. In 1927 one of these chairs, a #7 armed rocker with a cushion rail (below), found its way to Denmark, where it caught the eye of one of the most important figures in the Scandinavian modern movement, architect Kaare Klint (1888-1954). Klint was codirector of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Copenhagen and chairman of furniture and interior decorating at the Royal Academy of FineWhen Klint saw the American ladder-back rocking chair, he was highlyHe ordered measured drawings of the chair to be used as teachingHe also ordered a replica of the chair. At this point, no one in Denmark knew the chair was Shaker in origin; it was merely considered early American. Some time later, an identical rocker was acquired by the Danish Museum of
Decorative Arts, but again, no one identified it as Shaker. Only in 1937, when Edward Deming Andrews and Faith Andrews's influential book Shaker Furniture: The Craftsmanship of an American Communal Sect (Yale University Press,reprint, Dover Publications, 1964) became available in Denmark, did the Danes learn the origin of the rockers that had inspired them so profoundly. In the years after World War I, the doctrine of functionalism had taken hold among designers and architects in the United States and Europe. nutshell, functionalism echoed the Shaker assertion that utility should dictateIn 1939 the Danish Cooperative Wholesale Society began a movement to make well-designed, attractive, affordable furniture that could be mass-produced for everyday use. The society set up its own factory, FDB Mobler, and made Borge Mogensen (1914-1972) head of the project. cabinetmaker, Mogensen had worked for Klint and was familiar with the architect's fascination with Shaker furniture.
functional appeal of the Shaker forms and knew that the stripped-down designs were well suited to the manufacturing process. Mogensen designed many chairs based on Shaker prototypes. most famous, the J39 (below), was designed in 1947. With a single slat back, the J39 is obviously related to the low ladder backs that the Shakers designed to fit neatly under their dining tables. To complement his chairs, Mogensen designed a trestle table (below) that was clearly inspired by a Hancock, Massachusetts, table pictured inHowever, instead of featuring a single leg at each end, as the Shaker table did, Mogensen's table has two thin legs at each end. The legs give the table a lighter appearance and increase the width of the critical joints, resulting in a stronger structure and a striking design. Mogensen further emphasized the lightness of the legs by chamfering all four corners - an echo of the long, tapered chamfers found on the Hancock table.
Mobler put Mogensen's chair and trestle-table designs into production and exported them to the United States, where they were enthusiastically receivedFor many Americans, FDB Mobler's products introduced The most notable of the Scandinavian furniture designers is probably Hans Wegner, who also firmly believed that design and function went hand inWegner summed up his philosophy in a 1979 interview: "There is much confusion today about what is modern, what is functional, and my hope always is that people will not be drawn to novelty but will learn to value what is simple and pure in good design. And things should do the job they are designed for. don't think that's asking too much." Wegner made his mark by entering and winning awards in the annual competition sponsored by the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild. II, he designed a Shaker-inspired rocker for the Danish Cooperative WholesaleToday he is best known for his Peacock chair (1947) and his classic
Neither of these famous pieces is overtly Shaker inspired by any stretch, but both represent a continuation of the principles embodied in The Shaker influence also cropped up in the interior design for Thiele, an optical firm in Copenhagen. Klint and Vilhelm Wohlert designed the space in the mid- 1950s: One entire wall was paneled in wood and built with multitudes of small drawers for holding eyeglass frames. workmanship were of the highest caliber. Both Klint and Wohlert were familiar with the dwelling house at the Hancock community, and I think it's safe to say that they were influenced by the massive built-in cupboards they saw there. Scandinavia began exporting its mass- produced furniture to the United States in quantity in the 1950s. By the 1960s the style had gained enormous popularity, which continued into the next decade. included, grew up with the Scandinavian modern style, admiring its clean lines and crisp functionality, completely unaware that at least some of the