Andirons
1880s Rustic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Bronze
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Iron
Late 18th Century French Louis XIV Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century American Gothic Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Brass
19th Century English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Steel
Early 20th Century American Gothic Andirons
Iron, Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Swedish Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
1810s Italian Neoclassical Antique Andirons
18th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 1900s American Antique Andirons
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Baroque Andirons
Bronze
19th Century American Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Andirons
Wrought Iron
20th Century American American Craftsman Andirons
1940s American Primitive Vintage Andirons
Iron
1940s American Vintage Andirons
Iron, Brass
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
1950s American Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century American Andirons
Bronze
2010s English Georgian Andirons
Iron
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Rustic Antique Andirons
Iron
Late 20th Century English Andirons
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Iron
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.