Vanities
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Steel, Brass, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Vanities
Iron
1970s Spanish Rococo Vintage Vanities
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Rococo Antique Vanities
Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Rococo Antique Vanities
Marble
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Brass, Bronze, Steel
2010s American Industrial Vanities
Brass, Steel
2010s Ukrainian Industrial Vanities
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Birch, Mahogany
2010s British Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1970s Spanish Space Age Vintage Vanities
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Vanities
Mirror, Fiberglass, Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Cut Glass, Mirror, Maple
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Walnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rattan
1950s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1920s French Rococo Vintage Vanities
Cane, Glass, Beech
18th Century Dutch Rococo Antique Vanities
Mahogany
18th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Vanities
Wood
1740s Italian Rococo Antique Vanities
Walnut
1960s Industrial Vintage Vanities
Metal
19th Century German Rococo Antique Vanities
Mirror, Porcelain
1920s Industrial Vintage Vanities
19th Century Italian Rococo Antique Vanities
Giltwood
Early 20th Century European Industrial Vanities
Metal
1930s American Industrial Vintage Vanities
Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century Industrial Vanities
Metal
Mid-18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
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.