Vanities
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Silver Leaf
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Pine
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
2010s American Modern Vanities
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Glass, Rosewood, Hardwood, Wood, Mirror
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Teak
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Resin
1990s Italian Modern Vanities
Marble, Metal
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Plywood, Lacquer
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Formica, Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Walnut
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany, Rosewood
1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
1960s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood, Lacquer, Upholstery, Mirror
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Velvet, Mirror
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Rosewood
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Chrome
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rattan
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Beech
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
Late 20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1970s American Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Lucite
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
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.