Cannonball Hammer Andirons
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron
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Antique 1890s English Beaux Arts Andirons
Iron
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Fireplaces and Mantels
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron
Vintage 1920s American Other Fireplace Tools and Chimney Pots
Iron
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron
Antique 1880s American Late Victorian Andirons
Iron
Antique 19th Century Federal Andirons
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron
Antique 19th Century Renaissance Andirons
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Andirons
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass
20th Century American Arts and Crafts Andirons
Iron
Vintage 1950s French Andirons
Iron
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Fireplaces and Mantels
Brass, Iron
Antique 19th Century American American Empire Fireplaces and Mantels
Iron
Vintage 1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Bronze
Recent Sales
Vintage 1920s Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century Unknown Arts and Crafts Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Early 20th Century Great Britain (UK) Arts and Crafts Andirons
Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century American Andirons
Iron, Steel
Early 20th Century American Andirons
Finding the Right andirons for You
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.
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