Vanities
2010s American Vanities
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Rosewood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
2010s Italian Baroque Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1920s French Empire Vintage Vanities
Onyx
2010s Italian Vanities
Metal
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Ormolu, Brass
2010s Italian Vanities
Lapis Lazuli, Stone, Quartz, Stainless Steel, Iron
1920s Chinese Chinoiserie Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
2010s Italian Neoclassical Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
1890s European Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century Belgian Vanities
1930s European Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Brass
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
1920s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
1920s English Other Vintage Vanities
Metal
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Lacquer, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century British Regency Antique Vanities
Pine
2010s European Modern Vanities
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Ebony, Macassar
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Glass, Mahogany, Nutwood
1990s Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
2010s Italian Baroque Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
20th Century British Vanities
Oak
1950s Brazilian Vintage Vanities
Iron
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Revival Vanities
Gold
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wrought Iron
2010s Greek Modern Vanities
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Philippine Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Bamboo, Wood
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
2010s French Other Vanities
Copper, Iron
2010s Italian Empire Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
Early 20th Century American Vanities
Maple
2010s Italian Baroque Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
1840s English Victorian Antique Vanities
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Wood
1940s Belgian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Maple, Oak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Hardwood
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1850s Italian Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Charles X Vanities
Wood
2010s Italian Vanities
Brass, Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century Sicilian Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Fir
Early 20th Century European Vanities
Crystal, Marble
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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