Vanities
1930s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Maple
Early 20th Century European Vanities
Crystal, Marble
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Oak
Early 20th Century Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
20th Century Arts and Crafts Vanities
Wood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Lacquer, Birch
1960s French Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood, Teak
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Glass, Mahogany, Nutwood
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wrought Iron
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Country Vanities
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American American Colonial Vanities
Hardwood, Birdseye Maple
1980s Vintage Vanities
Leather
1940s American Vintage Vanities
Brass
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1950s Italian Other Vintage Vanities
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Driftwood
Early 20th Century Vanities
Brass
1950s German Bauhaus Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Ash
1910s Polish Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Stone, Brass
Mid-20th Century Australian Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century European Victorian Vanities
Mahogany, Mirror, Wood
1970s Vintage Vanities
Teak, Walnut
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Early 1900s Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Cherry
1930s European Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
Early 20th Century American Victorian Vanities
Marble, Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
20th Century Italian Vanities
Maple, Faux Leather
1940s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Maple, Parchment Paper
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Sycamore, Parchment Paper
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass, Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century European Vanities
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Vanities
Patent Leather, Wood
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Leather, Fabric
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Crystal, Brass
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Leather, Fabric
1960s Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
1960s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Precious Stone
1940s French Vintage Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1930s French Modern Vintage Vanities
Marble
20th Century French Vanities
Oak, Mirror
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Vanities
Metal
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Satinwood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Plywood
20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Vanities
Mirror
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Wood
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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