Vanities
1970s American Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Acrylic, Lucite
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Vanities
Metal
20th Century Hollywood Regency Vanities
Mirror
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
2010s Panamanian Modern Vanities
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Iron
1920s Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror
2010s Portuguese Modern Vanities
Brass
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
2010s British Louis XV Vanities
Bronze
1960s North American Vintage Vanities
Mirror
1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Vanities
Mirror, Resin
2010s Italian Renaissance Vanities
Glass
2010s Italian Renaissance Vanities
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Wood
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Vanities
Wood, Glass
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Nickel, Stainless Steel
2010s American Vanities
Glass
2010s American Modern Vanities
Metal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Vanities
Resin
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Marble, Brass
2010s Portuguese Vanities
Metal
2010s British Modern Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood, Glass
2010s American Modern Vanities
Marble, Steel, Brass
1920s English Other Vintage Vanities
Metal
Early 20th Century Swedish Gustavian Vanities
Pine
1930s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Vanities
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Romantic Vanities
Brass
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Plastic
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Nickel
2010s Italian Vanities
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Stainless Steel
2010s North American Neoclassical Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Vanities
Faux Bamboo, Mirror
20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Vanities
Mirror
1940s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
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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