Vanities
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Vanities
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Oak
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Marble
1910s French Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary English Post-Modern Vanities
Oak
1960s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
Mid-19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
2010s Italian Vanities
Wood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Velvet, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Vanities
Bamboo
20th Century English Victorian Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Bronze
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Leather, Fabric
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Silver, Enamel
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
Late 19th Century Italian Rococo Antique Vanities
Wood, Paint
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
Early 20th Century Art Deco Vanities
Quartz
1940s Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
19th Century American Antique Vanities
Oak
1850s English Victorian Antique Vanities
Walnut
19th Century English Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Sterling Silver
20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
Mid-19th Century American Colonial Antique Vanities
Mahogany
1940s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Vanities
Marble
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
1850s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Mirror, Ash, Maple
20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Carrara Marble, Bronze, Iron
1950s American Vintage Vanities
Rattan
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
Early 19th Century English George III Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Bone
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Vanities
Wood
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
2010s British Futurist Vanities
Aluminum, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood, Resin
1980s American Louis XV 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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