The best dressing tables

We’ve scoured the shops for the best dressing tables for all budgets, from French-style shabby chic dressers to refined period-look pieces

John Lewis Nordic Retreat AW18
(Image credit: John Lewis)

A good dressing table can really elevate a bedroom, pulling the rest of your bedroom furniture together for an elegant, finished look. There are thousands of beautiful dressing tables that can rightfully become the focal point in any bedroom design. The trick, then, is finding the right one to suit your space, scheme and budget, which is where our list might come in useful.

While placing a dressing table with large mirrors in a small bedroom might seem counter-intuitive if you’re on a mission to save space, they can actually help to create the illusion of more by reflecting a bigger picture of the room back at you. Although, if you’re really stuck for space, look for a piece that also has slender legs rather than one that’s solid all the way to the floor, as this will do a much better job of keeping the space looking open.

After that, it’s all down to your personal style. With our own impeccable taste – even if we do say so ourselves – we’ve carefully curated a selection of modern, retro, antique-look and everything-else-you-can-think-of dressers, with something to suit every look. 

Keep reading for the best dressing tables and for more bedroom ideas check out our gallery and if you are after dressing room ideas we have a gallery for that too.

The best bedside table

1. Classic Five Drawer Dressing Table

The epitome of shabby chic, this dresser is our all-round winner

Specifications

Best for: French style
Colour: White
Material: Mahogany
Dimensions: H80cm x W120cm x D45cm

Reasons to buy

+
Perfect shabby chic piece
+
Lots of beautiful details

Reasons to avoid

-
Priciest on our list 

Getting our top spot for its standout style, this French-look dressing table has all the beautiful character of a Provençal flea market find, with none of the exhausting legwork. Inject a bit of romantic French style into your master bedroom or dressing area with this shabby chic dresser, which has a distressed finish that offsets some of its fussier — but no less lovely for it — details, such as moulded motifs, ornate curved legs and rose-shaped drawer pulls. While the priciest on our list, it’s a real investment piece that’s sure to delight for years to come.  

Genevieve Marble Top Dressing Table

2. Bethan Gray for John Lewis Genevieve Marble Top Dressing Table, FSC-Certified (Oak)

Modern-meets-retro brilliance from the award-winning British designer

Specifications

Best for: Modern spaces
Colour: Oak/white marble
Material: Solid oak and brass
Dimensions: H128cm x W110cm x D48cm

Reasons to buy

+
Unique features
+
Good for small spaces

Reasons to avoid

-
No stool included 

This Art Deco-esque dressing table is truly a thing of beauty, and a striking alternative to the usual fare. Oversized round brass handles and an opulent marble top are the stand-out features in an otherwise subdued piece, giving this dresser just enough personality to pep up a minimal bedroom without standing out too much. It’s also an excellent bet for small bedrooms, as its large round mirror reflects oodles of light to give the illusion of more room, and its slender legs leave lots of open space underneath for an uncluttered look. 

St Ives Dressing Table and Mirror

3. John Lewis St Ives Dressing Table and Mirror, White

A clean, bright and beachy dressing table to perfectly capture that coastal look

Specifications

Best for: Extra storage
Colour: White
Material: MDF, birch, oak, steel
Dimensions: H76.5cm x W150cm x D46.5 cm

Reasons to buy

+
Clean minimal lines 
+
Fresh white finish

Reasons to avoid

-
May be a bit bulky for smaller rooms 

With its fresh and breezy feel, this John Lewis dressing table perfectly encapsulates the seaside spirit of the town after which it’s named. The layout is fairly traditional, with two columns of drawers and an adjustable winged mirror at the helm, but the crisp white paintwork, clean lines and subtle steel hardware keep it modern. At 1.5m in length, it’s easily the largest of our picks, so it may be a little overbearing in small rooms, but we think it’s just the ticket for the master bedroom or a generous guest room.

Broughton Dark Dressing Table Set

4. Broughton Dark Dressing Table Set

Get that vintage G-Plan look with this stately Laura Ashley set

Specifications

Best for: Luxury traditional piece
Colour: Dark brown
Material: Solid birch
Dimensions: H77cm x W120.6cm x D46cm

Reasons to buy

+
Timeless antique look 
+
Unique finish on each piece

Reasons to avoid

-
Variable shade/appearance 

If light, bright and breezy isn’t your thing, we may have found the dressing table that will be. This dark-wood dresser would fit beautifully into a more traditional bedroom or any opulent space that needs a strong statement piece to set it off. Thanks to its timeless look and stately Georgian features, the Broughton will never date, so while it’s pricier than some of our other choices, chances are you’ll never have to replace it. Plus, because it’s hand-finished and built from solid birch, it’ll have its very own unique whorls, knots and rays. For one-of-a-kind furniture, conveniently available on the high street, look no further. 

Floating Dressing Table With Drawers And Jewellery Rail

5. Floating Dressing Table With Drawers And Jewellery Rail

This non-traditional dresser is perfect for smaller spaces and teenagers’ rooms

Specifications

Best for: Small spaces
Colour: White
Material: Beech
Dimensions: H42cm x W90cm x D30cm

Reasons to buy

+
Floating shelf takes up no floor space 
+
Handy jewellery rail

Reasons to avoid

-
Not a traditional dresser 

For bedrooms, dressing rooms and walk-in wardrobes that are short on space, this floating dressing table is the perfect solution. The whole unit is sleek and streamlined with minimal handleless drawers and a Scandi-esque all-white finish, but its integral storage is where it really shines. With ample surface space, two drawers, a central cubby and even a rail for storing and displaying jewellery, it’s an excellent space saver, and looks good, to boot. 

Clifton Dove Grey Dressing Table Set

6. Clifton Dove Grey Dressing Table Set

This dresser is the picture of elegance with attractive findings and a trendy paint job

Specifications

Best for: Versatility
Colour: Grey
Material: Wood
Dimensions: H77cm x W125cm x D42 cm

Reasons to buy

+
Thoughtful decorative details
+
On-trend neutral shade

Reasons to avoid

-
No mirror 

This is a supremely elegant dressing table and stool set that would look just as at home housing documents and pens in a home office as topped with your favourite cosmetics in the bedroom. Unlike most of the other tables on our list, it doesn’t come with a mirror, which may render it quite expensive in comparison, but does inarguably up the versatility. The turned legs, detailed and delicate moulding, and attractive drawer pulls — not to mention that ultra-trendy dove grey shade — all come together to make a traditional-looking yet timeless piece for homes both period and contemporary. 

Lumberton Dressing Table & Stool Set

7. Lumberton Dressing Table & Stool Set Grey

Sweet and secretly affordable, this dresser is perfect for your favourite girl’s room

Specifications

Best for: Affordable
Colour: Grey
Material: MDF
Dimensions: H145cm x W76cm x D40cm

Reasons to buy

+
Very affordable
+
Feminine details

Reasons to avoid

-
MDF not as sturdy as solid wood 

This feminine dressing table and stool set is phenomenally good value, so it makes a wonderful addition to a young girl’s room, even if they decide a year down the road that it’s not really for them. The delicate moulded motif and turned details are especially darling, and surprising for the price, while the soft grey shade offsets the whole thing and gives it an up-to-date edge. The stool cushion does have the slight disadvantage of looking a little like a memory foam pillow, but with so many other things in this set’s favour, we can’t complain. 

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