Vanities
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Leather
1760s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Kingwood, Mahogany, Yew
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1860s Antique Vanities
Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Lacquer
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Vanities
Fruitwood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather
1920s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Mirror, Sycamore
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Silk, Mirror, Sycamore, Walnut
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Aluminum, Copper, Wrought Iron
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Bronze
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Elm
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Hardwood, Mahogany
1910s English Vintage Vanities
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1960s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood, Teak
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 19th Century Belgian Louis XV Antique Vanities
Marble
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Maple
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
2010s Italian Vanities
Wood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Metal
2010s British Louis XV Vanities
Wood
20th Century Danish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Vanities
Oak
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Mahogany
1850s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Walnut
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Satinwood
2010s Peruvian Modern Vanities
Stone
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
2010s British Louis XV Vanities
Bronze
2010s Italian Vanities
Glass, Wood
1920s French French Provincial Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1910s French French Provincial Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
2010s Portuguese Vanities
Lacquer
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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