Vanities
Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Vanities
Chrome
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Vanities
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Aluminum, Copper, Wrought Iron
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Marble
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Marble
19th Century French Other Antique Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Nickel
1940s Hungarian Vintage Vanities
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
Early 20th Century English Victorian Vanities
Bamboo, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Chippendale Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood, Teak
1890s English Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Tulipwood
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
2010s North American Neoclassical Vanities
Mirror, Wood
2010s British Vanities
Mother-of-Pearl, Rosewood, Sycamore, Walnut
19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Bronze
2010s Italian Post-Modern Vanities
Brass
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Pearwood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
2010s Portuguese Vanities
Canvas, Velvet
1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Iron
1950s British Vintage Vanities
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Vanities
Resin
Late 20th Century French Modern Vanities
Laminate
Early 20th Century American William and Mary Vanities
Walnut
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Vanities
Metal
Early 20th Century American Sheraton Vanities
Steel
19th Century Louis XIII Antique Vanities
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Bronze
20th Century Danish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Marble
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
2010s European Space Age Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
2010s European Modern Vanities
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Mid-19th Century Sicilian Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Fir
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
1920s Charles II Vintage Vanities
Elm, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass, Chrome
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Oak
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Vanities
Stone
1930s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vanities
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Oak
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Vanities
Lucite
2010s Italian Other Vanities
Wood
Mid-19th Century American Empire Antique Vanities
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English George III Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Bone
Early 20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Marble, Brass
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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