A 2026 Guide by Sellingantiques
Amazing Beautiful Dressing Table by Maples, 1900
Priced at £2,750 from Fernyhough Antiques Ltd
King Edward VII reigned from 1901 to 1910. The antique Edwardian dressing tables made during this brief period reflect a shift towards lighter, less imposing bedroom furniture.
Rapid growth in mass production. Factories in cities like London and High Wycombe supplied the expanding middle class with affordable bedroom suites.
Look at the shift in room layouts. Houses featured more dedicated dressing rooms, creating a steady demand for these specific forms.
Gas lighting gave way to early domestic electricity. Mirrors became larger and more adjustable to catch this new, brighter light source.
Maple & Co supplied large numbers of these units. Operating through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they stamped or labelled thousands of bedroom suites.
Heal & Son also produced domestic furniture during this period. Their Edwardian pieces tend to feature cleaner lines and simpler timber selections.
Blank stock from large wholesale workshops. Many provincial department stores ordered these and applied their own trade plates before sale.
Mahogany Inlaid Dressing Table, 19th Century
Priced at £2,495 from Shackladys Antiques
The 2026 retail price guide for Antique Edwardian Dressing Tables is drawn from a proprietary archive of over 1.1 million retail prices indexed by Sellingantiques since 2003. This guide relies exclusively on their own internal data; no external sources or auction records are used.
Analysing nearly 25 years of UK antique market history alongside current retail values, the data indicates that typical UK retail prices for Antique Edwardian Dressing Tables range between £300 and £1,500. Entry-level prices generally fall under £300 and premium examples upwards of £1,500.
Mirrors tilt on upright supports. These often sit between two small jewellery drawers resting directly on the main surface.
Tapering legs with small brass castors or simple spade feet. These keep the overall profile light.
A gallery rail sometimes runs along the back edge. This low wooden lip stops small items from rolling behind the carcase.
Machine-cut dovetails over hand-sawn joints. The pins and tails are uniform and identical on most of these pieces.
Look for stamped serial numbers on the drawer edges. Large workshops used these to keep batch components together during assembly.
French polishing was the standard commercial finish. Thin layers of shellac applied over mahogany created a smooth, high-gloss surface quickly.
"Hidden compartments. Pulling the upright section forward can sometimes reveal a shallow secret drawer for valuables."
"Many were designed to split into three sections. This allowed porters to carry them up narrow, twisting stairs in tall London townhouses."
"Original castors often contain small leather washers. This dampened the sound of the wheels rolling across wooden floorboards early in the morning."
Based on almost 25 years of Sellingantiques UK antique market data, Antique Edwardian Dressing Tables appeared 1598 times (out of 1,100,000 antiques) which gives it a rarity score of 73/100.
This score measures scarcity within the Sellingantiques archive only and is not a survey of the entire antiques market, so these statistics may not be indicative of the general availability of Antique Edwardian Dressing Tables elsewhere.
Keep moisture away from the frame edges. Water seeping behind the glass will damage the old silvering and create permanent dark spots.
Use a lightly damp microfibre cloth on the centre of the pane. Wipe it dry immediately with a clean cloth.
Most dealers prefer to leave old brass alone. That dark patina builds up over decades of use and handling, which many buyers look for. Stripping it back to yellow metal can make an antique look harsh and out of place.
If the green oxidation is actively powdery, you can gently wipe it with a dry cloth. Otherwise, leaving the tarnished handles exactly as they are is the standard approach for antique Edwardian dressing tables.
Yes, the mirror section usually comes off. You will often find wooden screws or metal bolts holding the vertical supports to the back of the main carcase.
Removing these bolts allows the entire top gallery and glass to lift away in one piece. This makes moving the base much easier and protects the fragile pivot joints from stress.
Keep the bolts in a labelled bag. Finding replacement threads with matching Edwardian imperial measurements is often difficult.
Wooden drawers swell and shrink with changes in domestic heating. If the piece has recently moved into a warm room, the timber might take a few weeks to settle.
Pull the drawer all the way out and check the running edges underneath. Rubbing a simple block of plain paraffin wax along the wooden runners and the bottom edges of the drawer sides will usually solve the friction.
Never force a stuck drawer. You risk snapping the timber handles or pulling the front joints apart.
Please note: This Antique Edwardian Dressing Tables guide and its associated pricing data are provided for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute formal financial, investment, or appraisal advice and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for any commercial activity, purchasing, or sales decisions. Sellingantiques.co.uk accepts no liability for any actions taken in reliance on this information. Always consult with a qualified professional or independent appraiser.
