The dressing table is making a comeback

Carol O’Callaghan says the dressing table is a beautiful piece of furniture and is finally making a comeback.

AN occasional Saturday afternoon indulgence of mine is to stretch prone on the sofa and tune into a black and white movie. You know the sort — with matinee idols and platinum blonde sirens whose lives centre round cocktail parties and dancing at Maxim’s of New York, in an era when heroines puffed little clouds of scent from a crystal bottle before an elegant dressing table.

Nowadays it’s more of a quick flit to Marks & Spencer than a quick-step at Maxim’s; and a slap of make-up, usually hovering over the bathroom sink hoping we won’t drop the back of an ear-ring down the plug hole.

Yes, indeed, the dear little dressing table, that centuries’ old staple of ladies’ boudoir furniture, met its demise, largely in the interests of space efficiency.

Streamlined built-ins offer more storage, unlike the space-hogging dressing table, but now we’ve relaxed our boom years’ obsession with function, and as free-standing furniture makes a return to the bedroom, so too has the dressing table.

In the meantime, most of us have been storing away our trinkets — jewellery and hair ornaments — in bedroom cupboards and boxes, where necklaces and bracelets mysteriously weave into irretrievable tangles.

The dressing table, however, provides a dedicated space, and drawers designed for the specific purpose of keeping items separate so that a favourite piece is always ready to wear.

It is a beautifully indulgent piece of furniture, but do consider one practicality: scale. Opt for something compact which will give you flexibility if you want to move it to a different location in the bedroom at a later time.

If you’re blessed with a large bathroom, consider placing it there so your entire toilette is done in one place.

It’s very easy to pick up vintage models, although they tend to be heavy and bulky, and the mirror might show signs of foxing (a mottled effect caused by dampness). This can look quite arty if you want to use a mirror for decoration or to help with light reflection in a dark space, but not if you’re using it for applying make-up.

Modern versions tend to be slimmer, lighter and have a touch of multi-function. Watch out for dressing tables that look like consoles and can be deployed as such if needed, but for the main purpose intended, a section of the table top lifts up to reveal a mirror on the reverse and compartments for trinkets inside. If the budget won’t stretch to something new, a table or console with a mirror added is as good. Just make sure there’s enough room for your legs when sitting. The value of the authentic dressing table is that the height allows for legs to sit comfortably in the knee-hole.

And let’s not forget the boys: Modern males can outdo the girls when it comes to pampering and have their very own version of the dressing table in the tall-boy.

It’s a practical arrangement of drawers for ‘smalls’, with the addition of a mirror on top or hung on the wall above. This gives him somewhere to adjust a tie, place a watch overnight and loose change from trouser pockets.

Next week it’s time to check kitchen kit in preparation for Christmas baking