Vanities
21st Century and Contemporary American Vanities
Stone
1930s American Louis XVI Vintage Vanities
Brass
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror
Early 20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Goatskin, Wood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Velvet, Mirror
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Bronze
1960s American Neoclassical Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Vanities
Silver
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
2010s Italian Vanities
Wood
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Marble, Wrought Iron
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather, Mahogany, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1960s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Vanities
Bamboo
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood, Lacquer, Upholstery, Mirror
20th Century British Art Deco Vanities
Wood, Paint
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
20th Century Hollywood Regency Vanities
Mirror
1780s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Kingwood, Walnut
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Marble
20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
19th Century American Antique Vanities
Oak
20th Century English Victorian Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mahogany
20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1850s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Walnut
20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Brass
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Mahogany
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Vanities
Brass
1940s Vintage Vanities
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Leather, Oak
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Leather, Fabric
1980s American Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Rococo Antique Vanities
Wood, Paint
2010s Emirian Post-Modern Vanities
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Vanities
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Vanities
Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century British Antique Vanities
Softwood, Mahogany
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Oak
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
1850s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Mirror, Ash, Maple
1950s American Vintage Vanities
Rattan
Vintage, New and Antique Vanities
Vintage, new and antique vanity tables have forever felt like personal, intimate sanctuaries of sorts, designed to introduce a level of serenity that feels rare and welcome in our otherwise frenetic days. They’ve been variously known as dressing tables or makeup tables over the years, but no matter what we call them — and whether it's a sophisticated contemporary piece or an iconic vintage Luigi Massoni vanity — vanities have offered a special place for us to get ready for work, an early-morning appointment or lunch date or whatever lies ahead.
“Beauty routines, taking the time to protect what you have, a moment to accessorize, a moment to pause and slow down — these are all so important now as an antidote to our fast and hectic lives,” says Oona Bannon, creative director of Pinch Design in Clapham, South London. “Just thinking about a dressing table makes me feel calm.”
When decorative boxes would no longer suffice as repositories for cosmetics, fragrant oils and perfumes, dressing tables originated in France and England during the 17th century. Men who called the latter home used “shaving tables” — a proto-dressing table — for their grooming routines while women found in dressing tables an oasis for applying makeup, particularly as improvements upon vanity tables equipped them with mirrors and lighting. In the United States, as vanity tables became a seamless component of bedroom furniture, furniture makers working in Chippendale, Rococo and other styles were regularly commissioned to produce these popular items.
Vanity tables have evolved over the years, and while there is lots to love about the ornate carving and pronounced curvilinear forms of Victorian vanities, the clean lines that characterize mid-century modern vanities and the decorative flourishes associated with Art Deco vanities, the main elements of this furnishing are the same. All vanities are about as tall as a standard table with room for seating furniture, which tends to be a small bench, a stool or an armless chair. Many also have special organization features for makeup. Without a chair and a mirror, a vanity would resemble a dresser.
Nowadays, vanities are more than a place to do hair and makeup. They’re a platform to display beauty products and store makeup collections. Vanities are standard in bedrooms, particularly if you’re not lucky enough to have a spacious dressing room or walk-in closet for your dressing table. The better the lighting is in your bedroom or wherever you’ve positioned your vanity table — even if you’ve opted for a moody setting versus a bright one — the more you will benefit from having this personal place of respite to prepare for the day ahead.
Find your antique, new or vintage vanity table today on 1stDibs.
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