Vanities
1920s English Other Vintage Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Vanities
Metal
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Walnut
2010s French Other Vanities
Copper, Iron
Early 20th Century Spanish Biedermeier Vanities
Early 1900s American Antique Vanities
Oak
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Burl, Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
1920s French Vintage Vanities
Nickel
Early 20th Century Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Early 20th Century Spanish Biedermeier Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Aluminum
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vanities
Mirror, Burl, Walnut
Early 20th Century European Vanities
Rosewood
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
1920s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Brass
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Bronze, Steel
Early 2000s German Art Deco Vanities
Wool
Early 20th Century Italian Country Vanities
Mahogany
1920s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Crystal
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Ebony, Macassar
Early 20th Century Belgian Vanities
Early 20th Century North American Adam Style Vanities
Satinwood
Early 20th Century American George III Vanities
Walnut
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Country Vanities
Mirror, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Hollywood Regency Vanities
Glass, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century French Louis Philippe Vanities
Marble
2010s Polish Bauhaus Vanities
Chrome
2010s American Minimalist Vanities
Lucite
2010s American Modern Vanities
Lucite
2010s American Vanities
Steel
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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