Vanities
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
20th Century Italian Directoire Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Vanities
Wood, Glass
Early 19th Century English George III Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Bone
1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Elm
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Aluminum
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Vanities
Wicker, Rattan
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Mahogany
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Spanish Baroque Vanities
Wood
1930s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1940s French Empire Vintage Vanities
Ormolu
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
2010s Italian Vanities
Brass, Metallic Thread
Late 20th Century French Modern Vanities
Laminate
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Vanities
Marble
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Metal
1940s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass, Chrome
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1920s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Iron
1780s German Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Vanities
Chrome
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
20th Century British Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Vanities
Fruitwood
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Maple
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Burl, Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Hardwood, Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Tortoise Shell
1940s Scandinavian Bauhaus Vintage Vanities
Steel, Chrome
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Lacquer, Birch
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
Late 19th Century French Rococo Revival Antique Vanities
Lapis Lazuli, Marble, Bronze, Enamel
Early 20th Century American William and Mary Vanities
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
Early 20th Century American Sheraton Vanities
Steel
1950s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Late 19th Century Unknown Regency Antique Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Vanities
Marble
1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Smoked Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1820s German Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Pine
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Ormolu
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Marble, Brass
1890s English Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
19th Century French Other Antique Vanities
Wood
2010s Portuguese Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Oak
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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