Vanities
2010s Italian Vanities
Glass, Wood
1920s French Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Mirror
2010s Portuguese Modern Vanities
Stainless Steel
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Rosewood
Late 19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Carrara Marble
1950s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Metal, Brass
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Bakelite, Maple, Walnut, Burl
1830s French Charles X Antique Vanities
Burl
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
Late 20th Century American Queen Anne Vanities
Cherry
2010s Italian Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Art Deco Vanities
Wood
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wrought Iron
Early 1900s English Victorian Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Vanities
Mirror, Fiberglass, Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Vanities
Stainless Steel
2010s European Modern Vanities
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal, Brass
1950s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Marble
20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
1930s North American Vintage Vanities
Macassar
2010s Italian Vanities
Metal
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Satinwood
Mid-20th Century French Vanities
Iron
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
1970s American Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Lucite
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Vanities
Paint
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
1960s Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
2010s American Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Early 1900s American Mission Antique Vanities
Metal
20th Century British Vanities
Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s Czech Bauhaus Vintage Vanities
Chrome
2010s Italian Vanities
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Steel
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Glass, Birdseye Maple, Walnut
1960s Vintage Vanities
Metal
19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Vanities
Glass, Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Silver Leaf
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Elm
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Maple
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
20th Century British Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Marble, Chrome
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Chestnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Nickel
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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