Vanities
Late 19th Century Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
1780s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Kingwood, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Vanities
Bronze
19th Century Italian Baroque Antique Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1980s Vintage Vanities
Leather
Late 20th Century French Provincial Vanities
Brass
18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Vanities
Walnut
1850s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Kingwood, Tulipwood
1960s Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Wood
19th Century Louis XIII Antique Vanities
Walnut
1960s North American Vintage Vanities
Mirror
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
Late 20th Century English Post-Modern Vanities
Wood, Shagreen Stingray, Mirror
1940s Italian Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Vanities
Beech
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
20th Century Vanities
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Scottish Antique Vanities
Satinwood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Mahogany, Satinwood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Rattan, Mirror
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Vanities
Marble
2010s Peruvian Modern Vanities
Marble
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Marble
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Upholstery, Rosewood, Satinwood
20th Century British Vanities
Oak
1990s Philippine Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Wicker, Wood, Bamboo
Early 20th Century Vanities
Kingwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Vanities
Wood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Sycamore
2010s Peruvian Modern Vanities
Stone
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
2010s German Modern Vanities
Steel, Other
2010s Peruvian Modern Vanities
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary European Futurist Vanities
Metal
1810s French Restauration Antique Vanities
Carrara Marble
20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
1930s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
Mid-19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1870s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Vanities
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Vanities
Paper
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Ormolu
2010s Italian Art Deco Vanities
Wood, Plywood
2010s Italian Vanities
Glass, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
18th Century Austrian Baroque Antique Vanities
Fruitwood, Walnut, Pine
Mid-19th Century French Antique Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
1880s Danish Other Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
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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