A New Old Rocking Chair

Over the past several months we have been replacing some of our living room furniture.  As we envisioned what we needed to keep and what to replace, we decided that we should try to find something to replace our rocking chair.

This chair has been with us for over 40 years.  We bought it at an auction and it was in pretty nasty shape.  We refinished it and it has been in our various houses ever since.  Before we moved to NC 10 years ago, a friend replaced the seat with caning.  Though it fit nicely in the corner of our living room, it really didn't provide very comfortable seating for guests, and we knew it would be happier in a bedroom.  So we began to look for a replacement... hopefully we would find a smallish rocking chair that would provide the occasional seating and compliment the rather eclectic furnishings we have in that room.

So in early May, I saw this Eastlake style platform rocker in a vintage/antique store and it appealed to me.  My original thought was that the upholstery was rather simple and that I could tackle reupholstering it myself.

 As you can see, the back and the seat are rather caved in and the ugly upholstery fabric doesn't even have the vertical patterns matched up.  But the wood was in pretty good shape and it had some nice carved details, yet it was of small enough scale to fit in the corner by our TV, and the warm oak wood would fit in with the other oak pieces in the living room.

 I immediately removed the tacks and peeled back some of the upholstery and could tell that even though it would be easy for me to replace the fabric, the deteriorated under support and padding needed a more professional touch.

Eastlake platform rockers get their name from Charles Locke Eastlake (1846-1906) who wasn't a manufacturer, but rather a dictator of style.  He apparently reeled from the ornate over-the-top Victorian styles and popularized a simplified style that eventually evolved into the English and then American craftsman styles.  So these types of chairs, which are supposedly quite common, are bridges between the 19th C Victorian "gingerbready" pieces and the early 20th C simpler craftsman styles.  Earlier pieces were walnut, but the fact that this chair is oak probably dates it to 1895 or slightly later.  The rocker operates on two large springs.  When I washed the piece, I could not find any indiction of a manufacturer.  It is surprisingly comfortable.

So here is the refurbished chair in place in the corner of the living room!

I chose a rather contemporary fabric to show off the rich brown wood.

 Here is a close up of the chair back so that you can see the carved details that appealed to me, and below, I am tilting the chair forward so that you can see the upholstery on the back.

I'm pleased with my new old rocking chair!

The upholstery and some restoration of the wood was done by Adam Justen.  We dropped off the chair on a Monday and we had it back by Wednesday!  I think he did an excellent job and his price was very reasonable.
Justen Upholstery
Adam Justen
828-242-4648
justenupholstery@gmail.com
Asheville, NC