Vanities
Late 19th Century Unknown Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Brass, Bronze
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Italian Regency Antique Vanities
Marble
1980s French Vintage Vanities
Stone, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Nickel, Stainless Steel
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Sycamore
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Marble
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Vanities
Wood
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Marble
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
Late 20th Century American Queen Anne Vanities
Cherry
Early 19th Century American American Empire Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1820s English Georgian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany, Satinwood
Early 1900s American Mission Antique Vanities
Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
2010s American Vanities
Bronze
1930s British Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1960s Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Vanities
Marble
20th Century Swedish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Bronze
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Lucite
Early 1900s French Antique Vanities
Onyx, Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Formica, Fruitwood
2010s Portuguese Vanities
Metal
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Vanities
Paper
2010s American Modern Vanities
Steel
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Parchment Paper, Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Marble, Stainless Steel, Chrome
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Marble
Early 20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Oak
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1940s French Vintage Vanities
Silver Plate
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1920s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Crystal
19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Oak
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Vanities
Carrara Marble, Metal
2010s Italian Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Mahogany
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
19th Century Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Brass
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Travertine, Brass
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Marble
Early 1900s American Antique Vanities
Wood
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century English Adam Style Antique Vanities
Mirror, Satinwood
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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