Vanities
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Vanities
Mirror, Bentwood
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Zebra Wood
1950s Italian Other Vintage Vanities
Brass
20th Century Vanities
Wood
1920s English Vintage Vanities
Vermeil, Silver
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Rosewood
1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Vintage Vanities
Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Early 20th Century Late Victorian Vanities
Marble, Iron
1920s Swedish Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Walnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1960s North American Vintage Vanities
Mirror
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass, Chrome
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Ash
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Oak, Plywood
1960s Swedish Gustavian Vintage Vanities
Elm, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
1950s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
1910s European Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Stone, Brass
1940s French Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Vanities
Bentwood
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Wood, Parchment Paper
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s European Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Vanities
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Precious Stone
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass, Stainless Steel
Early 1900s English Late Victorian Antique Vanities
Hardwood
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Glass, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Revival Vanities
Gold
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Pine
1940s French Empire Vintage Vanities
Ormolu
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Vanities
Bronze
Early 1900s Italian Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Walnut
20th Century Italian Directoire Vanities
Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Driftwood
Early 20th Century Swedish Gustavian Vanities
Pine
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Marble, Brass
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Metal
Early 20th Century American Sheraton Vanities
Steel
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Ash
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Nickel
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Stainless 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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