Vanities
2010s Italian Vanities
Brass, Metallic Thread
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Ceramic, Fabric, Mirror, Oak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Louis XVI Vanities
Mirror, Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Late 19th Century Belgian Louis XV Antique Vanities
Marble
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Travertine, Brass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Silver Leaf
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Bronze
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
19th Century British Antique Vanities
Oak
1910s English Vintage Vanities
Sterling Silver
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Cherry
20th Century Vanities
Walnut
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Metal, Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
19th Century British Antique Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Cherry
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco Vanities
Wood
1970s Dutch Space Age Vintage Vanities
Brass
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Plastic, Acrylic, Wood
1930s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
19th Century British Antique Vanities
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Maple
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Mirror
Mid-19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Marble
1960s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Vanities
Wood
20th Century Vanities
Wicker
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Leather, Glass, Walnut
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Metal, Other
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Naugahyde, Laminate, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
Early 1900s Late Victorian Antique Vanities
Oak
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vanities
Mirror, Burl, Walnut
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Naugahyde, Laminate, Mahogany
1720s French Louis XIV Antique Vanities
Metal, Bronze
1930s American American Classical Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Bronze
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
19th Century American Antique Vanities
Wicker
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Acrylic, Wood
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Rosewood
2010s Portuguese Modern Vanities
Wood, Lacquer
1920s Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror
1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch
Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Vanities
Mirror, Fiberglass, Wood, Lacquer
1850s English Victorian Antique Vanities
Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Maple
1920s Charles II Vintage Vanities
Elm, Oak
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Wood
19th Century Antique Vanities
Glass, Wood
1920s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Goatskin, 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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