Bedroom Vanities

Vanity, dressing table or makeup desk: choosing the right one

The mirror decides the piece. A fixed lighted mirror gives you a permanent setup with even light on your face, which is what you want if the vanity has its own corner. A flip top mirror lies flat inside the surface and folds up when needed, turning the same piece into a plain desk or a console the rest of the time. A tri-fold mirror opens out to show you three angles at once. Adjustable-angle mirrors tilt to your seated height. Read this first, because it determines how the vanity behaves in a room you also use for something else.

Footprint and layout. The range covers compact units for a narrow strip of wall, wider desks with space to work at, and wall mounted floating designs that keep the floor clear underneath and can be set at whatever height suits you. Storage runs from a single drawer to seven, and several combine drawers with a cabinet, an open shelf, hidden compartments or a sliding tray. If you keep a lot of small items, look for the layouts with shallow compartmented drawers rather than a few deep ones.

Materials and finishes. Some pieces are built on solid rubberwood, and tempered glass tops appear across the lighted models. Rattan drawer fronts, fluted and carved panels, turned legs and slim metal legs give the range its range of character, from vintage and antique-handled designs through to plain contemporary boxes. Finishes cover white, black, natural, walnut, espresso, gold and silver. Stools are cushioned and upholstered in linen and velvet, and some double as storage.

Lighting and power. Most lighted models offer three color modes, typically a warm, a neutral and a cool white, with adjustable brightness on top of that. Warm light flatters, neutral white is the honest one for makeup you will wear in daylight. Bulb-style Hollywood surrounds throw light from all sides; strip lighting behind the glass gives a softer, more even wash. Several vanities also build in a charging station or a power outlet, which saves running an extension lead to the wall behind.

Sitting comfortably. A vanity is used seated, so knee clearance under the top and the height of the supplied stool matter more than they do on any other bedroom piece. Check the stated worktop height against the stool height, and make sure the drawers under the top do not sit where your legs need to be. If you plan to use the piece as a desk as well, and several here are described for both, favor a model with a clear knee space and a flip top or sliding mirror so the surface can be cleared completely.