Andirons
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Andirons
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Bronze
20th Century American Art Deco Andirons
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Andirons
Brass
19th Century American Antique Andirons
Iron
18th Century Antique Andirons
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Andirons
Brass
20th Century Andirons
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Chrome
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Cut Steel
20th Century Unknown Andirons
Brass
20th Century American Hollywood Regency Andirons
Brass
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Andirons
Gold Plate, Steel
Early 19th Century French Art Deco Antique Andirons
Steel, Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Chrome, Wrought Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Andirons
Bronze
1980s American Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Steel, Wrought Iron
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron, Nickel
Early 2000s Andirons
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Mid-20th Century Andirons
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Andirons
Bronze
1760s North American Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Andirons
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Andirons
Bronze
1940s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
1920s American Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Chrome, Iron
20th Century French Art Deco Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century Federal Antique Andirons
Brass
20th Century French Modern Andirons
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Andirons
Brass, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Andirons
Brass, Enamel
1960s French Vintage Andirons
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Andirons
Bronze, Steel
20th Century Louis XIV Andirons
Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Andirons
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron, Nickel
19th Century Adam Style Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
1860s French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze
17th Century Country Antique Andirons
Metal, Iron
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Iron
20th Century French Modern Andirons
Steel, Iron
20th Century American Art Deco Andirons
Metal, Iron
19th Century British Antique Andirons
Brass
Antique and Vintage Andirons
A set of antique or vintage andirons is a staple accessory, part of the fireplace tools you’ll want to collect for keeping a neat and elegant fireplace in your home.
Using andirons in a fireplace elevates the fire, ensuring more air can get to the logs thus keeping a fire burning longer. Andirons also encourage ventilation and may also prevent smoke from working its way into your living room or bedroom.
Think of these accessories as part of an upright metal support system to optimize your fire. Antique andirons are basically u-shaped brackets with a curved end that come in pairs and are largely quite simple in structure, but the design of this household necessity has improved over time. Outwardly decorative andirons have become available since their debut because one should never underestimate the style quotient of an attractive hearth.
Andirons, which earned the nickname “firedogs” given their similarity in form to a pair of upright canines, are believed to be the oldest fireplace furnishings. They have been used broadly since at least the late Iron Age. Before iron became the material of choice, stone andirons did a suitable job of balancing the logs in a fire and adding a sense of symmetry to the hearth. Fire baskets, like the combination of andirons and a grate, afforded an opportunity to layer logs in a fire rather than delicately stacking them on andirons.
Today, andirons can be found in bronze and brass, too, which contrast wonderfully with a mantel carved from dark marble, for example, and add dimension to what might otherwise be a subdued space. And while people aren’t cooking in the fireplace anymore, andirons’ spit hooks offered an opportunity to roast meat or rest the pokers that you typically would’ve kept fireside.
During the Renaissance, andirons became especially ornate and even figurative, taking on human forms as well as marine life such as dolphins. Art Deco–era andirons are particularly exquisite. While the accessories are frequently characterized by rich geometric angles and sculptural curves, attributes that we know of most Art Deco furniture, artisans of the period also looked to what was by then a long tradition of designing andirons in the shape of animals and reptiles.
Adding fashionable antique or vintage andirons will not only improve the quality of a fire but can also elevate your space as well as the fireside experience. Find modern andirons, Art Nouveau andirons and other varieties today on 1stDibs.