7 Tips For Choosing A Rocking Chair
Do you sometimes find yourself wishing that your favorite TV
chair can also be a rocking chair? Is there a new baby in the
family that you wish you can sing to sleep in your arms while
sitting comfortably yourself? Does your idea of unwinding after
a long day's work include reading a book by the fire in the
winter or just contemplating the outside scenery in the summer?
American fondness for rocking chairs
If you answer yes to any one of these questions, then you are
not alone. A growing number of Americans either own a rocking
chair which has become a member of the family or think of buying
one.
Rocking chairs began to appear in the late 1700s when someone
ingeniously thought of adding skates or rockers to the bottoms
of adult furniture, similar to a child's rocking cradle or
rocking horse.
Since then, owning a rocking chair has become a distinctly
American proccupation, with most Americans, including some of
America's famous presidents, showing great fondness for their
rocking chairs - whether they be the elegant American designer
Sam Maloof creations with the elongated curved runners or the
homely white wicker rocking chair that usually has been with the
family for more than 30 years.
But how do you choose a good rocking chair. Below are some tips
on how to choose a rocking chair that is right for you.
Tips on how to choose a rocking chair
1. The first thing to ask yourself is where are you going to put
your rocking chair? If indoors by the fireplace or the family
room, you can choose a cushioned or timber rocking chair made of
light maple or yellowish oak. Or if outdoors in your garden or
front porch, you can choose a sweetly-scented cedar, a painted
brazilian cherry wood or teakwood durable enough to withstand
the elements.
2. A very important priority in rocking chairs is comfort.
Rocking chairs have been used for therapeutic purposes - John F
Kennedy's rocking chair being a famous example. It is said that
President Kennedy found hours and hours of relief for his bad
back from this Appalachian oak rocker which has a steam-bent
curved backrest and woven seat made of Malaysian rattan.
Answering the following questions may help you to judge whether
the rocking chair you are choosing will give you the level of
comfort that you need.
- Does the rocking chair provide seating comfort and support? -
Is the chair set low enough for comfortable elbow support? - Are
the armrests wide enough to rest your arms and provide the right
balance? - Do the seat and back offer both firmness and
flexibility? - Do the seats slant downward to fit the whole back
while supporting the lower back?
3. Is the rocker pitched correctly? In layman's terms, does the
rocking chair provide a smooth and even rocking motion without
tipping, even when you are in the reclining position? Or does it
feel like you are about to flip backwards when you are rocking?
Does a single push keep the rocking chair rocking for a few
minutes or does it stop after onlya few seconds?
4. Was the rocking chair constucted using techniques that have
been proven to result in stronger and more durable rocking
chairs that can withstand everyday use? Some of these techniques
include construction without glue, interlocking joinery and the
famous Maloof technique of using seven laminated strips of wood
to strengthen each of the long, elegant skis that are used in
his rocking chair designs.
5. What style of rocking chair will fit your decor? Do you want
an upholstered rocking chair or do you want to see the timber's
natural woodgrain enlivened by an oil finish? Do you want
charming white wicker chair or casual rattan? How do you want
your the back of your rocking chair - traditional ladder back
horizontal slats, vertical slats or woven cane? Do you want it
stained, oiled, varnished or painted?
6. How much do you want to spend for your rocking chair?
Whatever your budget, there seems to be a rocking chair for
everyone's fancy - whether its the $20,000 Sam Maloof with a
two-year waitng list for the ultimate in rocking chair
experience or the vintage white wicker rocking chair you've just
bid successfully on ebay for $20, or somewhere in between.
7. And last but not least, do you want your rocking chair
shipped to you assembled or are you handy with tools and don't
mind assembling it yourself if you can save some money?
I hope these tips will make it easier to find the rocking chair
that's just right for you - whether you're the couch potato
looking for a more comfortable seat in front of your favorite TV
sitcom, the delighted parent of a newly-born baby or the urban
worker trying to relax in the evening after dinner with a book
or the quietness of the night by the front porch.
About The Author
Flor Buenaventura is a writer who has a great interest in
furnishings for the home and garden. To see a fantastic
collection of resources related to rocking chairs, please visit
her Rocking Chairs
and Rocking Horses website.