The idea for the Godspeed Rocking Chair came from a mix of speed and travel–but also, stillness and introspection. Designer Jean-Baptiste Anotin began working on the project almost two years ago.
“I was staying in a house by the sea, sitting on a Thonet rocking chair, gently balancing, looking at the horizon,” he says. “There was something incredibly peaceful in that moment—almost like being on a journey to the moon, floating in space. That feeling of weightlessness, quiet movement, and escape stayed with me.”
From that moment on, designer Jean-Baptiste knew he wanted to create his version of a rocking chair that would translate that sensation through a completely different language—one rooted in precision, engineering, and velocity.
With sharp lines and a forward-leaning silhouette, the design evokes speed and motion even when stationary. “It feels like it’s about to take off, like it’s paused mid-motion ready for a journey,” he says. The choice of aluminum was essential, offering strength and elegance, and enabling the precise lines central to the chair’s form. “It gives the piece a kind of cold elegance, a refined brutality that aligns perfectly with the chair’s scriptural language,” he says. “My dream is to one day create a version in carbon fiber to push the technical expression of the form even further.”
Designing the rocker itself presented challenges. “Rocking chairs are complex to design, because the rocker itself isn’t something you can fully anticipate in 3D or through 1/5 scale modelling. It’s all about subtle balance, angles, and the rhythm of motion.” After two full-scale prototypes, the perfect combination of geometry and motion was achieved, blending sharp lines with smooth rocking action.
For Jean-Baptiste, the Godspeed Rocking Chair is a meditative experience. “There’s something almost instinctive and intimate about that movement,” he says. “I think it taps into a childhood memory.
“In my opinion, rocking chairs are underrated today. They invite slowness and presence, motion in stillness. The physical sensation becomes part of the emotional experience.”
A version of this article originally appeared in “Nice Chairs” in Sixtysix Issue 14.
