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Arc Dressing Table

arc dressing table from urban outfitters

Now I don’t say this to make you cry but I have never had a dressing table. I have always done my make-up standing up in front of the nearest mirror. But they are pieces of furniture are still so aspirational – perhaps it’s the sign that a girl has grown into a woman? I remember very clearly my Grandmother’s kidney-shaped dressing table. At 6 o’clock every evening she would go upstairs to close all the curtains then sit at her dressing table to apply a fresh coat of lipstick before coming back downstairs and pouring a large pink Gin (the first of two) and listening to The Archers.

My mother also has a dressing table. She sits at it every evening to remove her make-up and apply her moisturiser. Way back in the year 2000 when The Mad Husband and I were on our honeymoon, we spent a night in The Hotel Bristol in Genoa. It was proper posh. The room was bigger than our flat and there was an antique dressing table in front of the window. I immediately unpacked the contents of my make-up bag and sat down. And stabbed myself in the eye with my mascara.

Years of applying my face standing up have rendered me incapable of sitting down. It’s also partly eyesight – without my glasses I need to lean in pretty close and if there’s a table in the way I’ve got no chance of getting it all blended and flicked and properly applied.

However, I still see a surprising number of clients who want a dressing table. And I love the idea. Not only does it bring a sense of occasion to the everyday action of getting ready to face the day or go out in the evening but it also gives you somewhere to put everything (the bathroom since you ask) and so I when I found this I thought you might like it. It’s 114cm wide and 58cm deep and there’s a small shelf below the mirror and above the table for extra storage. If I wouldn’t render myself blind by having it I could be tempted.

arc dressing table from urban outfitters

It’s on sale at Urban Outfitters for £266

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

6 Comments

  1. Sharon, how about an old fashioned piano stool? The type that raises & lowers by spinning the seat.
    They’re oftentimes found at second hand or antique shops, and are relatively compact.

  2. Of course you need a dressing table, but the one you show is pointless. It must have drawers to hide the clutter but keep it close. Where do you put your stuff in the bathroom? You also need a standing magnifying mirror so you get close in addition to the back mirror for the long view. Of course you need decent lighting. A pair of tallish lamps will do it.

    You are writing about aura and attitude rather than the sheer usefulness of a dressing table.

    I have a 1920s English oak one with four drawers and use a modern chair. I wouldn’t be without it.

  3. I designed a makeup room for my work ( as a makeup artist ) with lights around the mirror like you get in a theatre dressing room, but my eyesight is getting worse so I took India Knights advice and bought a magnifying mirror by Simple Human, it’s got a built in light..genius ! nearly broke the bank but my god, it makes applying makeup a doddle. Most of my clients ( of a certain age ) have invested too. So with your dressing table mirror you get the whole picture and then close up work is done with the magnifying mirror.

  4. I was given an antique dressing table for my 40th birthday (some time ago now!) so clearly on the same thought process as “when you grow up ….. ” BUT I have never found a simple stool or little chair to sit in the foot hole. I don’t need it to be antique or matching wood but simple clean lines in a dark wood, narrow enough to tuck under would be lovely. If anyone has found one, please shout …..

  5. How about a dressing table with less table, and some sink thrown in for good measure? This table is unquestionably charming though.

  6. Just the one! It’s lovely but we want more. I’ve been contemplating the one at Habitat for awhile – nice blend of modern and retro. Like you I am so short sighted that I need to get in close and personal. I also need good light – yellow streaks of foundation are not a good look either. I once in semi darkness put blue pencil on my eyebrows – fortunately the daughter was on hand to stop me embarassing myself too much, but you see I really don NEED at dressing table

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