Vanities
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chippendale Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
20th Century British Art Deco Vanities
Wood, Paint
19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Other
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Art Deco Vanities
Leather, Mahogany, Glass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rattan
Mid-19th Century German Other Antique Vanities
Silver, Copper
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Beech
1970s Spanish Rococo Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Mahogany
20th Century English Victorian Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Late 20th Century French Provincial Vanities
Brass
Early 1900s French Antique Vanities
Marble, Chrome
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Boxwood, Rosewood
Early 20th Century French Edwardian Vanities
Mahogany
20th Century Vanities
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Art Nouveau Vanities
Metal, Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
19th Century American Antique Vanities
Wicker
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Copper
Late 19th Century Italian Rococo Antique Vanities
Wood, Paint
Early 1900s Antique Vanities
Leather, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
Late 20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1970s American Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Lucite
1920s French French Provincial Vintage Vanities
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Cane, Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Vanities
Metal
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Travertine, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Vanities
Stone
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror
1950s American Vintage Vanities
Rattan
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Lacquer
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Oak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
19th Century English Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Bronze
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather, Mahogany
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather
2010s Italian Vanities
Wood
1950s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Vanities
Silver
Late 19th Century Adam Style Antique Vanities
Mirror, Satinwood
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Faux Leather, Mahogany, Lacquer
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu, Bronze
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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