Vanities
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Brass
1840s Spanish Empire Antique Vanities
Walnut
19th Century Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Steel, Brass, Iron
Early 1800s French Empire Antique Vanities
Mirror, Wood, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Vanities
Iron
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century French Empire Vanities
Mahogany
1830s Danish Empire Antique Vanities
Bronze
Late 19th Century Scandinavian Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
1940s French Empire Vintage Vanities
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Brass, Bronze, Steel
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Brass, Steel
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Mahogany
2010s Italian Empire Vanities
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
2010s Ukrainian Industrial Vanities
Metal
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Bronze
1810s French Empire Antique Vanities
Bronze
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Ormolu, Brass
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Ormolu
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Walnut
1950s Italian Vintage Vanities
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century British Antique Vanities
Softwood, Mahogany
Late 19th Century European Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Mahogany
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Burl, Mirror, Walnut
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century French Edwardian Vanities
Mahogany
19th Century English Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Louis XV Antique Vanities
Metal
Late 19th Century Italian Regency Antique Vanities
Metal
1990s French Empire Vanities
Marble
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Metal, Ormolu
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Ormolu
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Brass
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
1960s Industrial Vintage Vanities
Metal
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
19th Century French Empire Antique Vanities
Marble
1850s French Empire Antique Vanities
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Empire Antique Vanities
1920s Industrial Vintage Vanities
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.