Vanities
2010s American Modern Vanities
Marble, Steel, Brass
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Pearwood
2010s Turkish Arts and Crafts Vanities
Wood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather, Mahogany
Early 1800s English Antique Vanities
Brass
1940s Vintage Vanities
Wood
1930s English Vintage Vanities
Wood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1890s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Teak
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Ormolu
1820s American Sheraton Antique Vanities
Cherry, Maple, Poplar
1820s Georgian Antique Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Vanities
Silver
1850s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Kingwood, Tulipwood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass, Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century English Antique Vanities
Ironstone, Mirror, Oak
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Wood
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Teak, Wenge, Plywood
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood, Resin
Early 20th Century French Edwardian Vanities
Mahogany
1890s English Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Walnut
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Marble, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chippendale Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
Early 1900s Italian Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Metal
2010s American Modern Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Steel, Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Vanities
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Charles X Antique Vanities
Maple, Rosewood
1910s French Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 19th Century Unknown Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Rococo Revival Vanities
20th Century English Vanities
Satinwood
1880s Danish Other Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Marble
Late 19th Century British Antique Vanities
Wood
20th Century Swedish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Teak
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Marble
Early 1900s British Edwardian Antique Vanities
Nutwood
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Vanities
Wood, Glass
1970s Spanish Rococo Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
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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