Vanities
1910s French Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Marble, Brass
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Vanities
Marble
1930s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Wood
1940s Vintage Vanities
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
20th Century Vanities
Mahogany
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Formica, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1850s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Walnut
Late 20th Century French Modern Vanities
Laminate
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Leather, Fabric
1850s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Mirror, Ash, Maple
19th Century Antique Vanities
Satin
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Vanities
Marble
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
19th Century Antique Vanities
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Vanities
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Vanities
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood, Resin
19th Century French Antique Vanities
Tortoise Shell
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Bamboo
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Leather, Oak
19th Century American Antique Vanities
Oak
1940s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century Vanities
Kingwood
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Goatskin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Brass
1920s French Arts and Crafts Vintage Vanities
Carrara Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century English George III Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Bone
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Vanities
Beech
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Vanities
Wood
2010s Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Walnut
2010s British Louis XV Vanities
Bronze
2010s Portuguese Modern Vanities
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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