Vanities
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Copper
1950s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Wood
20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Carrara Marble, Bronze, Iron
Late 20th Century Philippine Vanities
Rattan, Reed, Mirror
Late 20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Silver Leaf
20th Century Louis XV Vanities
Stone, Bronze
1960s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
20th Century Vanities
Sterling Silver
20th Century Vanities
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Antique Vanities
Leather, Mahogany
1960s French Louis XIII Vintage Vanities
Bronze
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Edwardian Vanities
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Vanities
Metal
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rattan
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror
1940s American American Craftsman Vintage Vanities
Cane, Mirror, Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Sycamore
1910s Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1940s Vintage Vanities
Wood
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak, Glass
1950s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Satinwood
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass, Chrome
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
1920s British Biedermeier Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Aluminum
20th Century Vanities
Sterling Silver
20th Century British Vanities
Oak
1940s Belgian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Maple, Oak
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Marble
1950s Vintage Vanities
Metal
1960s Dutch Minimalist Vintage Vanities
Formica, Teak, Plywood
Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Vanities
Bronze
1930s Vintage Vanities
Chrome
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Bronze
20th Century American Biedermeier Vanities
Walnut, Burl
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Plastic
20th Century Vanities
Wood
Late 20th Century English Post-Modern Vanities
Wood, Shagreen Stingray, Mirror
20th Century European Modern Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Formica, Hardwood
1920s French French Provincial Vintage Vanities
Walnut
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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