Vanities
Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Mahogany, Satinwood
1970s American Regency Vintage Vanities
Horn, Canvas, Mirror
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Vanities
Carrara Marble, Metal
18th Century European Gothic Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Chrome
20th Century English Victorian Vanities
Mirror, Hardwood
Late 20th Century British Vanities
Wood, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Vanities
Wood
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Lucite
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Bamboo, Rattan, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century French Louis Philippe Vanities
Marble, Brass
2010s Portuguese Vanities
Metal
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Teak
1880s European Victorian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Bentwood
1950s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Silver Plate
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1780s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Kingwood, Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Metal, Iron
20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
1940s French Vintage Vanities
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Wood, Plastic
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Ormolu
20th Century British Vanities
Hardwood
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Bronze
Late 19th Century Spanish Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Marble
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century North American Art Deco Vanities
Leather, Mahogany, Glass
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Palisander
19th Century American Antique Vanities
Brass
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
Early 19th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Vanities
Iron
19th Century British George III Antique Vanities
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
1930s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Marble, Iron
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
Early 20th Century Spanish Biedermeier Vanities
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Lacquer
2010s European Space Age Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Regency Vanities
Marble
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Nutwood
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Vanities
Stone
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
2010s Panamanian Modern Vanities
Metal
2010s British Modern Vanities
Metal
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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