Vanities
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century Louis XV Vanities
Wood, Paint
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Birch
Mid-20th Century French Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Metal, Nickel
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Satinwood
Early 1900s American Mission Antique Vanities
Metal
2010s British Louis XV Vanities
Wood
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Mirror, Plastic
1820s French Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Vanities
Mirror, Fruitwood, Oak
1970s Chinoiserie Vintage Vanities
Bamboo, Rattan, Reed, Mirror, Teak
Late 19th Century European Antique Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Vanities
Giltwood
1840s French Neoclassical Antique Vanities
Pine
2010s American Modern Vanities
Steel
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Mirror
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Plywood, Lacquer
20th Century Danish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1950s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
1920s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Vanities
Oak
Early 20th Century British Vanities
Walnut
1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Wood
20th Century Vanities
Wicker
1890s English Arts and Crafts Antique Vanities
Walnut
1990s Italian Modern Vanities
Marble, Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-19th Century Sicilian Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Fir
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Rock Crystal, Stone, Brass
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chippendale Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian British Colonial Vanities
Mirror, Oak, Porcelain
1980s American Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Vanities
Rattan, Mirror
Late 20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Silver Leaf
1920s Dutch Modern Vintage Vanities
Belgian Black Marble
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Mirror, Bakelite, Maple, Walnut, Burl
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Steel, Nickel
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Mirror, Teak
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Vanities
Marble, Metal
2010s French Neoclassical Vanities
Sycamore, Wenge
20th Century Hollywood Regency Vanities
Mirror
19th Century British Antique Vanities
Wood
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Walnut
20th Century Swedish Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1980s French Vintage Vanities
Stone, Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Vanities
Wood
1890s English Adam Style Antique Vanities
Satinwood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Romantic Vanities
Velvet, Mirror, Plastic, Wood
19th Century English Antique Vanities
Satin
2010s Italian Post-Modern Vanities
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
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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