Vanities
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Marble
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Metal
2010s Italian Baroque Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century French Rococo Revival Antique Vanities
Lapis Lazuli, Marble, Bronze, Enamel
2010s Italian Vanities
Brass, Metallic Thread
18th Century European Gothic Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Vanities
Brass, Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1950s Indian Vintage Vanities
Teak, Glass, Mirror
20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Leather, Elm
20th Century Swedish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Mid-19th Century French Charles X Antique Vanities
Maple, Rosewood
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Bronze
1980s North American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Chinese Vanities
Brass
20th Century British Vanities
Oak
1880s Italian Victorian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Satinwood
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Upholstery, Rosewood, Satinwood
2010s British Modern Vanities
Metal
2010s British Louis XV Vanities
Bronze
Late 20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
1890s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Plastic
1950s Vintage Vanities
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Acrylic, Wood
Mid-19th Century Italian Regency Antique Vanities
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
20th Century Swedish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Mid-18th Century English Queen Anne Antique Vanities
Walnut
2010s Turkish Arts and Crafts Vanities
Wood
1950s German Bauhaus Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Marble, Ormolu
2010s American Modern Vanities
Wood
1930s American Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
Late 19th Century English Adam Style Antique Vanities
Mirror, Satinwood
21st Century and Contemporary European Futurist Vanities
Metal
1960s Dutch Minimalist Vintage Vanities
Formica, Teak, Plywood
19th Century British Antique Vanities
Wood
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Palisander
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Travertine, Brass
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
2010s Turkish Arts and Crafts Vanities
Wood
1850s Swedish Empire Antique Vanities
Wood
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Wood
2010s Turkish Arts and Crafts Vanities
Wood
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Marble, Iron
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Brass, Bronze, Steel
Early 20th Century European Victorian Vanities
Mahogany, Mirror, Wood
1760s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Tulipwood
20th Century French Art Nouveau Vanities
Metal, 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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