Vanities
1920s Swedish Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Marble
1940s Hungarian Vintage Vanities
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Cut Glass, Mirror, Maple
1930s Dutch Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Beech
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather
1930s Czech Bauhaus Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1950s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Chippendale Vanities
Brass
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Vanities
Beech
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Vanities
Walnut
1940s Vintage Vanities
Wood
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Ceramic, Fabric, Mirror, Oak
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Rosewood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Chestnut
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Glass, Hardwood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Chestnut
20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
1920s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Goatskin, Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Vanities
Paint
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Elm
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Travertine, Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vanities
Mirror, Burl, Walnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Oak
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Maple
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Glass, Birdseye Maple, Walnut
1930s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Cherry
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
20th Century British Vanities
Walnut
1960s Vintage Vanities
Metal
20th Century Vanities
Walnut
1950s Brazilian Vintage Vanities
Iron
1910s English Vintage Vanities
Sterling Silver
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Metal
20th Century Vanities
Wicker
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Bakelite, Maple, Walnut, Burl
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
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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