Antique Dressing Tables & Washstands

We offer a wide range of finest antique dressing tables and antique washstands. There can be few items of furniture for which the use to which it is put is almost universal and rarely changes: the dressing table - almost always located in a lady’s dressing room or bedroom and almost always used for exactly the same thing.

It is surprising therefore that there are so many different styles, sizes and types of dressing table out there, and in here, in our extensive London showrooms.

Although it is probably politically incorrect to make this kind of distinction these days, to say that the dressing table is fairly and squarely the territory of the lady of the house is not intended as a derogatory comment but merely a reflection on the facts. The whole concept of a dressing table is to give the lady of the house somewhere to keep her toiletries, perfume, brushes, and other grooming accessories. Even more important than all of that, it is somewhere to sit while shes uses and applies all of those things. For this reason, many dressing tables are equipped with at least one mirror, sometimes more, which are usually adjustable to the height of the lady. Those dressing tables which do not have a built in mirror can be upgraded by adding a table top dressing table mirror, which will often incorporate a number of drawers. See our mirrors category for more on this.

As many of you will know, a dressing table often includes several drawers for storing small articles of clothing and other personal items. Sometimes one or more of these will be lockable. You may also wish to pay a visit to our armchairs category in order to find a suitable chair for use with your dressing table.

Most of our antique dressing tables will be restored before sale in our own workshops, by our own skilled craftsmen, so please browse our current stock and please be sure to check back regularly as we are always acquiring fine new examples to offer for sale.

Most of the major furniture makers going back into history would make dressing tables part of their ranges and they are regular features at most antique sales and auctions. We always like to keep a good choice of antique dressing tables available for our customers but they are highly sought after and turn around quite quickly. For this reason we really do urge you to sign up for our regular notification service. Just let us know what it is you are interested in and we will send you anything that meets your criteria that has come into stock. This up front knowledge can often make the difference between you finding what you are looking for and missing out to another customer with maybe months to wait before another suitable item crops up for sale.

Antique Washstands

In the days before en-suite bathrooms were invented, a washstand was the only practical way to provide washing facilities in a bedroom, or indeed any room where there was no running water available. It is no surprise then that the idea of a washstand caught on and were to be found all over the place. Washstands normally had a marble surface on which washing items could be put, including a basin or bowl and a jug or pitcher of water. Quite often there was a mirror built into the washstand and sometimes drawers as well,  making it much more like a dressing table.

Although not rare, they do not show up in good condition that often but we normally have a few to choose from in our inventory, so check out these pages today for our current inventory of antique washstands.

Visit Our Showroom in Person and Take a Look at our Antique Dressing Tables and Antique Washstands

If you see an antique dressing table, perhaps a Victorian washstand or an antique Art Deco dressing table or other item of bedroom furniture that you would like to purchase, please rest assured that our specialist team will pack it carefully and ship to almost any destination worldwide. Please request a shipping quotation first though, unless you are in mainland UK where we are able to ship to free of charge.

Our North London showrooms are open for viewing every weekday between the hours of 10am and 5pm and we also open occasionally on Saturdays. Please see the homepage of this site for our latest opening hours including Saturday opening arrangements. The showrooms are easy to find and close to rail and public transport links. You will always find many examples of beautiful antique dressing tables but if you are travelling to see a particular item please call first to make sure that it is still available to view.

If you cannot visit the showrooms and you have questions about any of our antique dressing tables, vintage dressing tables, or other item or items then you are welcome to contact us by telephone or email using the contact details found at the top of every product description page. Please also quote the item reference when contacting us.

Please be sure to check our notes as to the condition and dimensions of the dressing table or washstand before purchasing and use the photographs to satisfy yourself regarding the item’s condition. If you are located outside of the UK you will be pleased to hear that we can carefully pack and ship items of furniture, including antique dressing tables, to almost any worldwide location. Please contact us for a shipping quotation and be sure to quote the reference number for the item you are interested in.

Customers who live on the mainland UK can benefit from our free of charge delivery offer - contact us for details.

Don’t forget to sign up for our free new item notification service which means we will send weekly notifications of new arrivals in your categories of interest, giving you an edge over other customers when you are looking for items which are in great demand - please click HERE to receive these notifications.