Vanities
Late 19th Century Belgian Louis XV Antique Vanities
Marble
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
1930s Italian Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Burl, Wood, Walnut
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Rosewood
1920s American Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Brass
Late 20th Century Louis XV Vanities
Mahogany
2010s British Louis XV Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Vanities
Oak
Early 20th Century Louis XV Vanities
Wood, Paint
1890s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Vanities
Kingwood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Louis XV Antique Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Vanities
Iron
1850s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Walnut
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Steel, Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Vanities
Wood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
1980s American Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Vanities
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Vanities
Brass
20th Century Louis XV Vanities
Stone, Bronze
Late 19th Century Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu, Bronze
1850s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Kingwood, Tulipwood
2010s British Louis XV Vanities
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
1940s French Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Vanities
Patent Leather, Wood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Brass, Bronze, Steel
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Kingwood
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Brass, Steel
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Metal, Pewter
2010s Ukrainian Industrial Vanities
Metal
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Rosewood
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Tulipwood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Hardwood, Walnut
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Brass
1860s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Kingwood, Rosewood
1760s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Tulipwood
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Wood
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Brass
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Wood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
1860s English Louis XV Antique Vanities
Ormolu
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.