Vanities
Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Vanities
Birdseye Maple
Late 20th Century Italian Edwardian Vanities
Brass
1920s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Iron
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Vanities
Bentwood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Chestnut
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian British Colonial Vanities
Mirror, Oak, Porcelain
1850s English Victorian Antique Vanities
Walnut
2010s European Modern Vanities
Wood, Lacquer
19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Other
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
1940s Hungarian Vintage Vanities
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Rattan, Mirror
Mid-19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Marble
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Wood
2010s European Modern Vanities
Wood, Lacquer
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Rosewood
Early 1900s Late Victorian Antique Vanities
Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Walnut
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Marble
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Brass
19th Century Austrian Country Antique Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Upholstery, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Vanities
Stainless Steel
1940s Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Cut Glass, Mirror, Maple
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Rosewood
1890s English Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Oak
1950s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
1920s Swedish Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Maple
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Walnut
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Upholstery, Mirror, Formica
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Romantic Vanities
Velvet, Mirror, Plastic, Wood
1930s British Queen Anne Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1930s Czech Bauhaus Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
20th Century Vanities
Wicker
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Marble
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1830s French Charles X Antique Vanities
Burl
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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