Vanities
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Marble
19th Century European Antique Vanities
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1920s Dutch Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Oak
Late 19th Century Spanish Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Marble
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Charles X Vanities
Wood
19th Century Sheraton Antique Vanities
Mahogany
1920s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Goatskin, Wood
1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Iron
19th Century English Georgian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Bronze
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century Italian Regency Antique Vanities
Marble
19th Century British Antique Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century Scandinavian Late Victorian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Pine
1880s Italian Victorian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Satinwood
1830s French Charles X Antique Vanities
Burl
Late 19th Century American Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
Early 1900s Italian Country Antique Vanities
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Kingwood
Late 19th Century British Antique Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Satinwood
1870s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1860s French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century European Late Victorian Antique Vanities
Marble, Brass
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Bamboo, Rattan, Mirror
1830s American Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Brass
1860s French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Copper
1920s English Vintage Vanities
Vermeil, Silver
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Vanities
Mirror, Bentwood
1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Vintage Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century English Regency Antique Vanities
Mahogany
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Ash
Early 20th Century Late Victorian Vanities
Marble, Iron
1920s Swedish Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Rococo Revival Antique Vanities
Lapis Lazuli, Marble, Bronze, Enamel
1820s Georgian Antique Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Brass
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Glass, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
19th Century North American Federal Antique Vanities
Marble
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Vanities
Walnut
1880s English Late Victorian Antique Vanities
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Vanities
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Italian Regency Antique Vanities
Metal
1910s European Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Stone, Brass
Early 19th Century American Empire Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Late 19th Century English Adam Style Antique Vanities
Metal
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Vanities
Bentwood
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.
Read More
19 Dreamy Feminine Bathrooms
To make a bathroom feel warm, serene and composed, adding feminine elements is the way to go. Featuring furry furniture, pops of pink and curated antiques, these sumptuous spaces are idyllic retreats in which to while away a few hours.
How the Vanity Table Became This Year’s Must-Have Item
Once seen as fussy furniture relics from the past, vanities have made a big comeback. Here's why.