The word vanity carries layered meanings.

Merriam-Webster defines it as:

A dressing table containing a sink or mirror

Something that is vain, empty, or valueless

Inflated pride in oneself or one’s appearance

To me, a vanity is deeply connected to womanhood. It is the space where the ritual of getting ready happens—the place where a woman sits with herself, reflects, and creates. A mirror can be a tool for transformation, but also for introspection.

Yet the word itself often carries a negative connotation. Vanity is associated with emptiness, superficiality, or excessive pride. This tension made me curious: why is the act of caring for oneself, adorning oneself, or simply witnessing oneself framed this way?

Women are intrinsically beautiful. It is our nature. In many ways, we are nature itself. With this piece, I wanted to physically transform the object of a vanity—something sometimes described as “vain” or “empty”—into something alive.

Using sanding, painting, and the incorporation of both live and synthetic florals and organic moss, I altered a child’s vanity set to bring the furniture piece to life. The materials grow from and around the structure, turning it into something that feels organic, blooming, and joyful.

Through this transformation, the vanity becomes more than a place of appearance. It becomes a living reflection of feminine nature—creative, evolving, and inherently beautiful.