Vanities
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Laminate
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Granite, Marble, Brass
1930s French Vintage Vanities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1960s American Louis XV Vintage Vanities
Mahogany, Oak, Walnut
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1920s Dutch Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Macassar, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Vanities
Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Pine
1930s Italian Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Cherry
Early 1900s English Victorian Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Walnut
1940s Hungarian Vintage Vanities
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Vanities
Beech
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Rosewood
2010s Italian Vanities
Wood
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Oak
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Fabric, Velvet, Glass, Mirror, Plastic
1930s Dutch Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Beech
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Vanities
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Late 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Vanities
Marble
19th Century British Aesthetic Movement Antique Vanities
Ceramic, Mirror, Wood, Ash, Boxwood, Ebony, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Vanities
Leather
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Mirror, Teak, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
18th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Vanities
Jacaranda, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Victorian Antique Vanities
Mirror
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Marble, Chrome
Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Vanities
Birdseye Maple
1960s Vintage Vanities
Teak
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
2010s German Organic Modern Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass, Maple
1750s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Mirror, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Copper
2010s Italian Vanities
Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Vanities
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Edwardian Vanities
Brass
19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Other
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Teak
Late 19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Carrara Marble
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Teak, Mirror
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Marble, Bronze
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Vanities
Brass
1960s Swedish Vintage Vanities
Elm, Walnut
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Oak
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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