Vanities
21st Century and Contemporary American Arts and Crafts Vanities
Brass
2010s Italian Vanities
Metal
20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Bronze
Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Vanities
Paper
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
19th Century Louis XIII Antique Vanities
Walnut
Early 1900s Austrian Edwardian Antique Vanities
Tortoise Shell, Mahogany
Late 20th Century French Provincial Vanities
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Maple, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary European Futurist Vanities
Metal
2010s Italian Baroque Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Vanities
Wood
19th Century Austrian Country Antique Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
1970s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-19th Century American Empire Antique Vanities
Mahogany
19th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Brass
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1920s Dutch Modern Vintage Vanities
Belgian Black Marble
1850s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Mirror, Ash, Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Italian Other Vanities
Wood
1780s German Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Indonesian Vanities
Glass, Wood
1960s French Louis XIII Vintage Vanities
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Kingwood
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Vanities
Mirror, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Vanities
Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Regency Antique Vanities
Glass, Walnut
2010s Italian Victorian Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century English Antique Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Glass, Wood
1940s Italian Rustic Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Chestnut
Late 19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
1950s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Satinwood
1940s Vintage Vanities
Wood
1950s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mahogany
2010s British Futurist Vanities
Aluminum, Metal
1830s American Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Brass
1820s French Antique Vanities
Bronze
1920s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Crystal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Formica
2010s American Modern Vanities
Steel
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
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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