Andirons
Early 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century Unknown Rococo Revival Andirons
Iron, Brass
19th Century English Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Federal Andirons
Brass
Early 18th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Andirons
Iron
1920s American Vintage Andirons
Iron
Mid-18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron
18th Century Dutch Georgian Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century British Art Nouveau Andirons
Bronze
Early 19th Century Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century French Gothic Revival Andirons
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century American American Colonial Andirons
Brass
Late 19th Century French Gothic Revival Antique Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron, Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Metal, Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Andirons
Copper, Steel, Iron
1780s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1800s English Regency Antique Andirons
Brass
1880s American Victorian Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 1900s English Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass
19th Century Gothic Revival Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Andirons
Brass, Iron, Wrought Iron
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
20th Century American Adirondack Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Andirons
Brass
1880s American Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s French Vintage Andirons
Steel
1920s Italian Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century English George III Antique Andirons
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Nickel
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century American Federal Andirons
Brass
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze
19th Century French Victorian Antique Andirons
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Iron
1920s Vintage Andirons
Iron, Tin
Early 20th Century British Arts and Crafts Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1820s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron, Wire
19th Century French Louis XIV Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century Louis XV Antique Andirons
Iron, Brass, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century American Federal Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1930s American Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
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.