Vanities
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Chinese Vanities
Brass
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Teak
19th Century French Restauration Antique Vanities
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Bronze
19th Century American Antique Vanities
Oak
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1920s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Mirror, Sycamore
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
1970s Spanish Rococo Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Glass, Sycamore
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
2010s Turkish Arts and Crafts Vanities
Wood
1760s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Tulipwood
20th Century French Art Nouveau Vanities
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century English Post-Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood, Shagreen Stingray
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Plastic
Late 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Copper, Wrought Iron
1980s North American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Acrylic
1940s European Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Upholstery, Sycamore
1820s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Bronze, Ormolu
1930s French Vintage Vanities
Wood
1980s Vintage Vanities
Leather
Mid-19th Century French Charles X Antique Vanities
Carrara Marble
1960s American Neoclassical Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Rosewood
1960s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1910s French Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Marble, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Vanities
Walnut
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Ormolu
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
1940s Italian Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1810s French Restauration Antique Vanities
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Vanities
Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Vanities
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century British Antique Vanities
Softwood, Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mirror, Teak
Late 19th Century British Antique Vanities
Ash
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Bronze
1960s Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Wood, Mirror
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany, Rosewood
Late 19th Century English Adam Style Antique Vanities
Mirror, Satinwood
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Bamboo
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Silver, Silver Leaf
Early 20th Century Vanities
Stone
Early 2000s German Art Deco Vanities
Wool
19th Century Austrian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Bentwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Vanities
Bronze
2010s American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Satinwood
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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