Vanities
1920s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Crystal
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1920s English Vintage Vanities
Vermeil, Silver
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Glass, Sycamore
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass, Chrome
Early 20th Century American Sheraton Vanities
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany, Parchment Paper
1970s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Wood, Parchment Paper
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Plastic
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Maple, Parchment Paper
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Nutwood
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Bronze, Steel
1940s French Vintage Vanities
Wood
1930s French Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Cut Glass, Mirror, Walnut
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Indonesian Vanities
Glass, Wood
1920s English Other Vintage Vanities
Metal
1930s French Vintage Vanities
Wood
Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Steel
1940s European Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Upholstery, Sycamore
Early 20th Century Italian Art Nouveau Vanities
Cherry
1960s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century European Vanities
Crystal, Marble
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass, Nickel
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mahogany
1940s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Satinwood, Giltwood
20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Vanities
Mirror
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
1920s French Vintage Vanities
Nickel
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Aluminum
Early 1900s American Antique Vanities
Oak
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Maple, Mirror
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Burl, Mirror, Walnut
Early 20th Century Vanities
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Cherry, Velvet, Mirror
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Walnut
1920s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
Early 20th Century French Vanities
Ebony, Macassar
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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