Vanities
Mid-20th Century Vanities
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Late 20th Century French Provincial Vanities
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Formica, Fruitwood
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Pearwood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Beech
Mid-20th Century American Louis XVI Vanities
Mirror, Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Oak
1960s French Louis XVI Vintage Vanities
Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Aluminum, Copper, Wrought Iron
1960s Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Teak
Late 20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Silver Leaf
1920s French Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
20th Century English Victorian Vanities
Mirror, Hardwood
Early 20th Century American William and Mary Vanities
Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
Early 1900s French Antique Vanities
Onyx, Brass
1950s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Satinwood
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Chrome
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Lucite
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 1900s American Antique Vanities
Wood
1940s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Walnut
20th Century American Chinese Chippendale Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1950s Vintage Vanities
Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Palisander
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Mahogany, Satinwood
Late 20th Century British Vanities
Wood, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1920s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Mirror, Sycamore
1930s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Marble
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Hardwood, Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Silver Plate
20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Early 20th Century Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Pine
1910s British Indian Ocean Territory Anglo Raj Vintage Vanities
Teak
20th Century British Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Charles X Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
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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