Vanities
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Maple, Mirror
Late 19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vanities
Walnut
Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Bronze
2010s North American Neoclassical Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Vanities
Steel
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Bronze
2010s Italian Vanities
Lapis Lazuli, Stone, Quartz, Stainless Steel, Iron
1870s English Victorian Antique Vanities
Satin
Mid-20th Century Italian Rococo Revival Vanities
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Wood
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Ormolu
2010s French Other Vanities
Copper, Iron
Early 20th Century Spanish Biedermeier Vanities
Walnut
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
1930s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Marble
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Nickel
1930s French Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
1810s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Vanities
Mahogany
1940s Italian Modern Vintage Vanities
Glass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Brass, Nickel
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Cut Glass, Mirror, Walnut
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Wood
Early 1900s Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Cherry
Mid-18th Century English Queen Anne Antique Vanities
Walnut
1960s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Vanities
Brass
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Pearwood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Vanities
Mirror
2010s American Modern Vanities
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vanities
Mirror, Burl, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vanities
Mirror, Wood
19th Century English Sheraton Antique Vanities
Mahogany, Satinwood
1940s European Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Upholstery, Sycamore
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Vanities
Burl, Mirror, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Vanities
Metal
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Vanities
Aluminum
Late 19th Century Italian Art Nouveau Antique Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
19th Century English Victorian Antique Vanities
Metal
1920s French Vintage Vanities
Nickel
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vanities
Brass
1970s American Regency Vintage Vanities
Horn, Canvas, Mirror
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Vanities
Faux Bamboo, Mirror
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Wood
Mid-19th Century Swedish Louis XVI Antique Vanities
Brass
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vanities
Brass, Bronze
19th Century Austrian Country Antique Vanities
Walnut, Mirror
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Cherry
Mid-19th Century French Antique Vanities
Ormolu
1920s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vanities
Mirror, Walnut
18th Century German Baroque Antique Vanities
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Vanities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Vanities
Steel
Early 1900s American Antique Vanities
Oak
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Vanities
Bronze, Steel
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Vanities
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Regency Antique Vanities
Mahogany
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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