Andirons
Early 17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 1800s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
1750s English George II Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century European Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1810s French Regency Antique Andirons
Brass, Steel, Iron
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Metal, Iron
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century American Rococo Andirons
Iron
1930s American Minimalist Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
1940s American Folk Art Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 1900s Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1830s English George IV Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
20th Century Dutch Andirons
Wrought Iron
1820s English George III Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1780s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1780s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1780s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
20th Century British Modern Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century North American Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
18th Century European Baroque Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1840s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1950s French Louis XIV Vintage Andirons
Iron
1850s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Iron, Wrought Iron
1950s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
1910s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron, Nickel
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Steel, Iron
1990s Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Romantic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Andirons
Iron, Brass
1890s European Medieval Antique Andirons
Cast Stone
1930s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Iron
1780s French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Andirons
1880s Italian Baroque Revival Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century English Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1880s American Victorian Antique Andirons
Early 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Andirons
Iron, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Regency Antique Andirons
Steel
1950s Vintage Andirons
Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1770s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s French Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Iron
1840s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century American Chippendale Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1890s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron, 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.