Vanities
1950s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
1820s English Georgian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany, Satinwood
2010s Portuguese Vanities
Canvas, Velvet
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Aluminum, Copper, Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Vanities
Ormolu
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1930s American Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
1930s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Wood
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
1780s English George III Antique Vanities
Crystal
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Bronze
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Metal, Nickel
20th Century Hollywood Regency Vanities
Mirror
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Swedish Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
Early 19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Mahogany
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Steel
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Rosewood
1860s English Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1880s Italian Victorian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Satinwood
20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Carrara Marble, Bronze, Iron
2010s American Vanities
Glass
1930s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass, Chrome
Early 1900s American Antique Vanities
Wood
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Plastic
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Marble
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vanities
Brass
2010s Italian Post-Modern Vanities
Brass
2010s Italian Baroque Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
1820s Italian Charles X Antique Vanities
Walnut
20th Century American Chinese Chippendale Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Nickel
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Teak
20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Silver, Enamel, Ormolu
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
1950s Vintage Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Parchment Paper, Walnut
2010s French Modern Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Tulipwood
1880s American Regency Revival Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Vanities
Iron
Mid-19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Marble
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Pine
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Vanities
Brass
2010s Italian 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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