Vanities
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
19th Century British George III Antique Vanities
Mahogany
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
1860s French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Bronze
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Beech, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Vanities
Giltwood
1950s French Vintage Vanities
Metal
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1940s Czech Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Wood
Early 20th Century North American Adam Style Vanities
Satinwood
1860s Danish Mid-Century Modern Antique Vanities
Mirror, Teak
Early 20th Century American George III Vanities
Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s American Hepplewhite Vintage Vanities
Brass
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Country Vanities
Mirror, Pine
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
1880s Swedish Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Satin
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Hollywood Regency Vanities
Glass, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century American Queen Anne Vanities
Brass
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis Philippe Vanities
Marble
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Vanities
Mirror, Bentwood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
2010s Polish Bauhaus Vanities
Chrome
2010s American Minimalist Vanities
Lucite
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
2010s American Modern Vanities
Lucite
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1860s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Mahogany
2010s American Vanities
Steel
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Hardwood
Early 19th Century French Charles X Antique Vanities
Bronze
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
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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