Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 233

Section 11 (Diicago (Tribune Sunday, January 27, 1974 sLisure Living fl 4 t. i 4 I J. I Rocking chairs Snce introduction in 1820, the curvy bentwood rocker has been adapted enough to suit all kinds of tastes. Raggedy Ann's version, left, is from Thonet, originators of the design. Chrome, cane and light wood are combined in the Otto Gerdau Co.

's bentwood-look chair that drops some of the curlicues. More shiny chrome, this time with soft vinyl seat and back, is used for Selig's latter-day rocker. SI I Gentle, soothing, friendly. Just about everyone has, or has had, one in his life. It's still a favorite home and hearth warmer, old and stenciled or new and chrome.

A 1 Al I 1 By Nancy Adams COMEDIENNE Lily Tomlin dresses up like a little girl and climbs into a rocking chair to stick her tongue out at the world, she's on pretty safe ground. No matter how saucy she gets, the image of a young child sitting in a big rocker is what sticks. A rocking chair is a friendly piece of furniture that really brings out the gentle in both rooms and people. Perhaps it's because rockers bring out memories in most of us. mahogany, rockers were made of other woods after stencil decorations featuring nature motifs and landscapes were introduced.

Striping and gold bands were also used. Experimental rockers were even produced. One had iron runners. Another was really a settee for mother and baby, with a companion version that could accommodate mother and twins, if necessary. There were also armless rockers and rockers with a single enlarged arm to be used as a writing surface.

THE BOSTON rocker with its rolled seat and 7-spindIe back is probably the most well-known rocker design of the 19th (jontury. There were others, tho. The Windsor rocker featured flower garlands and leaf spray decorations and came in The overstuffed rocker on grandfather's porch was always a good place to find yourself lapbound. Or maybe your memories are of a spindly chair in a kitchen corner where you could listen to firewood and food hiss and spit. More likely, you can't even remember that first rocker ride because you slept in your mother's arms during the whole thing.

It really doesn't take a great Freudian analysis to figure out why most people feel warm around rockers. They are really just copycats of cradles. Indeed, the first rocking chairs were made by merely attaching rockers to regular chairs. CONSlDEKEDBY.many, including the late President John F. Kennedy, as a cure-all for ailments like bad backs, bad nerves and bad insomnia, the rocking chair is generally thought of as an American institution.

Popularized in the 1770s, rocking chairs may have been the brainstorm of Ben Franklin, according to some chair historians but nobody seems to know for sure who should get the credit. Early rocking chairs were made with short, stubby rockers that sometimes left things entirely to the sitter's sense of balance. Later designs, in the 1820s, had longer runners that provided a safer, more efficient rock. Slat backs, comb backs, banister backs, splat backs, backs, fiddle backs and fan backs were common rocker looks. Usually built of several different colors.

The upholstered, fringed and tasseled Lincoln rocker, so-called because President Lincoln was sitting in one when he was shot, was actually a version of the less plush Grecian rocker with scrolled arms and cane seat and back. There were also rush-seated slat-back Shaker rockers without any superfluous detail whatsoever, the "Golden Oak" platform or glider rockers with spindle backs, and the oak Brumby porch rockers with flat arms, ladder backs, and wicker seats. More recent rockers that have proved popular include the steamed beechwood Thonet rocker, now simply referred to as' "the bentwood," and Hans Wegner's post-war light wood rocker with woven fiber seat and spindle back. Up-to-date versions are made with chrome and vinyl. FOR STORES, rocking chairs are items that always sell sell.

"We carry just about every kind of rocker imaginable, says Bob Zierk, merchandise manager, for John M. Smyth. "We have American traditional ones mostly maples and pine as well as modern Continued on next page girls like Sheila 1 Bauer-take comfort in rocking chairs. This one, from Nichols and Stone is called theSugarbush. store settings can give you ideas for your own room plan, and a look at store merchandise is essential, too.

Especially if you have not bought furniture in many years, first discover what is available today. 4. True. If you are going to an oversize bed from a double or a twin, you must consider the added cost of all new linens and spread. More importantly, you must determine if an oversize bed will even fit in your bedroom There should be at least 30 inches of free space around the bed, 36 inches if dresser drawers open toward it.

5. False. Do not consider a waterbed unless it has a thermostatically-controlled heat unit sealed into its frame. Unheated waterbeds are actually unhealthy for sleeping, and one without a frame just a big bag on the floor is inclined to leak. True.

Mattresses andbedspringsare a team. They are sold in sets because they are designed both inside and out to match in performance and appearance. If possible, never put a new mattress on an old foundation. If the mattress springs are pooped, chances are the foundation has had it, too. 7.

True. A sofa or chair with loose cushions will give you more mileage. Look for cushions that are reversible and interchangeable; the same size and shape, front and back. Avoid T-shaped cushions on a sofa if more than two cushions are used as they must be used on the ends, and never can be rotated. 8.

False. Altho an easily recognized brand name can be a clue to quality, there are many small, lesser-known, con" anies producing furniture of excellent quality and value. You will be better protected, overall, by knowing as much as you can about what goes into the making of furniture. 'By. Ellen Eshbach Quizzer You know furniture.

True or false Whether you are shopping for the basics for a first apartment or for the entire contents of a large house, your furniture I. Q. may determine how happy you will be with the pieces you select. TEST VOL knowledge with a true or quiz, adapted from information in Jan Brown's "Buy It Right; A Shoppers Guide to Home Furnishings." Only those who score 100 are excused from reading the review on the next page. True or false 1.

If the upholstery fabric is of good quality, you can bet the sofa or chair is, too. 2. New carpeting should be allowed to settle and should not be vacuumed sooner than a week after installation. 3. The first step in buying furniture'is draw up room and budget plans.

4. Buying a king or queen size bed calls; for more thought than buying a double bed. 5. A salesclerk who insists your waterbed needs a heater and frame probably is just trying to make an additional sale. 6.

A new mattress should not be used with an old box spring. 7. A sofa or chair that has loose cushions is apt to wear longer than one with an upholstered (tight) seat or back. 8. As a consumer, you can best protect yourself when buying furniture by purchasing only name brands.

Answers 1. False The fabric may hold up, but if the construction is poor, the fabric can camouflage it only so long. 2. False It is an old wives' tale that new carpeting should not be vacuumed for a while. "Buy It Right" advises to begin vacuuming before the installer leaves to locate any loose or frayed edges that might need professional attention.

3. False. By all means, make a room plan and draw up a budget, but first acquire a working knowledge of what is on the market today and of current prices. Newspapers and magazines and.