Selden's Home Furnishings

Swivel & Rocking (95)

A swivel or revolving chair is a chair with a single central leg that allows the seat to spin around.

They can have wheels on the base allowing the user to move the chair around their work area without getting up. This type is common in modern offices and are often also referred to as office chairs.

A draughtsman's chair is a swivel chair without wheels that is usually taller than an 'office chair' for use in front of a drawing board. They also have a foot-ring to support the legs when it is not possible to reach the ground.

The swivel chair was introduced to the United States by former U.S. President Tomas Jefferson.

In Systems Integration, the term swivel chair is frequently used to describe a manual interface, where a human user re-keys information from one computer system to another.

A rocking chair or rocker is a type of chair with two curved bands of wood (also known as rockers) attached to the bottom of the legs (one on the left two legs and one on the right two legs). The chair contacts with the floor at only two points, giving the occupant the ability to rock back and forth by shifting his/her weight or pushing lightly with his/her feet. Many find rocking chairs soothing because of the gentle motion. Rocking chairs are also comfortable because, when a user sits in one without rocking, the chair automatically rocks backwards until the sitter's center of gravity is met, thus granting an ergonomic benefit with the occupant kept at a very unstressed position and angle. Varieties of rockers include those mounted on a spring base (or platform) called "platform rockers" and those with swinging braces commonly known as gliders.

According to an American legend, the rocking chair was purportedly invented by Benjamin Franklin by simply taking a standard chair and adding rockers to it. Cabinetmakers began producing rocking chairs in the early nineteenth century, and many examples from that era still survive today. Their popularity has only increased, and antique rockers of many varieties are highly collectible today.

Rocking chairs are sometimes associated with seniority and grandparents. They are also often associated with parenting, as the gentle rocking motion often soothes and quiets a fussy infant.