Vanities
1960s French Louis XIII Vintage Vanities
Bronze
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Iron
1920s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
1930s English Vintage Vanities
Wood
20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Leather, Elm
20th Century Italian Directoire Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Metal, Iron
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1940s French Vintage Vanities
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Walnut
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Vanities
Bronze
1910s North American Vintage Vanities
Burl
Mid-20th Century Indonesian Vanities
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chippendale Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1970s American Regency Vintage Vanities
Horn, Canvas, Mirror
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Rosewood
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
1950s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
20th Century American Biedermeier Vanities
Walnut, Burl
Early 20th Century Spanish Biedermeier Vanities
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1930s American Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Silver, Enamel, Ormolu
1930s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
1920s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Crystal
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Parchment Paper, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mirror, Teak
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany, Rosewood
1940s Belgian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Maple, Oak
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Cherry, Mirror
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
Early 1900s Italian Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Vanities
Wood
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Rosewood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Plastic
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
20th Century Swedish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century North American Art Deco Vanities
Leather, Mahogany, Glass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Maple
20th Century Swedish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
20th Century British Vanities
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Nickel
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Silver Plate
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1910s French Art Nouveau 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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