Vanities
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Early 1900s Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Cherry
20th Century English Vanities
Satinwood
Early 20th Century Vanities
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century European Vanities
Rosewood
1940s American Vintage Vanities
Brass
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Cherry
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Wood, Mirror
Early 20th Century Dutch Arts and Crafts Vanities
Brass
20th Century French Vanities
Oak, Mirror
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass, Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Spanish Biedermeier Vanities
Walnut
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s French Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
1920s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Rococo Revival Vanities
1920s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Crystal
1970s American Regency Vintage Vanities
Horn, Canvas, Mirror
1930s French Modern Vintage Vanities
Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Country Vanities
Mahogany
1930s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Fruitwood
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Crystal, Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Cherry, Velvet, Mirror
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1960s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Steel
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
20th Century French Vanities
Oak
20th Century Space Age Vanities
Bronze, Copper, Steel
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Ebony, Macassar
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century Belgian Vanities
20th Century Italian Vanities
Maple, Faux Leather
1930s French Vintage Vanities
Wood
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Sycamore, Parchment Paper
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
20th Century French Other Vanities
Marble
1930s British Queen Anne Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Teak
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Silver Leaf
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Beech, Mahogany
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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