Vanities
1920s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Maple
1870s Scottish Victorian Antique Vanities
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Wood
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Vanities
Marble, Brass
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Teak, Wenge, Plywood
Late 19th Century British Antique Vanities
Softwood, Mahogany
Late 19th Century European Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Teak
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Vanities
Wood
2010s Turkish Arts and Crafts Vanities
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Edwardian Vanities
Brass
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Vanities
Wicker, Rattan
1950s Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Country Antique Vanities
Metal
Late 19th Century Unknown Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Walnut
1930s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1970s European Bohemian Vintage Vanities
Bamboo, Rattan
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Mahogany
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak, Walnut
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Marble, Chrome
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Marble
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Steel
2010s Colombian Modern Vanities
Resin, Wood
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Brass
1930s English Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century Vanities
Stone
1960s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Upholstery, Mirror, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Mirror, Cherry
1940s Vintage Vanities
Wood
1960s American Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Vanities
Marble, Brass, Steel
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Teak
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1840s Spanish Empire Antique Vanities
Walnut
1950s French Vintage Vanities
Leather
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
Early 20th Century British Art Deco Vanities
Enamel, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
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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