Andirons
1970s French Vintage Andirons
Stainless Steel, Wrought Iron
19th Century American American Classical Antique Andirons
Bronze
1790s American Federal Antique Andirons
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Andirons
Metal, Iron
Late 19th Century English Baroque Antique Andirons
Brass
1880s French Rococo Antique Andirons
Gold Plate, Bronze
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 1800s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wire
Early 20th Century British Arts and Crafts Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Andirons
Brass
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Andirons
Copper, Steel, Iron
19th Century French Louis XIV Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 19th Century American Chippendale Antique Andirons
Brass
Late 20th Century English Andirons
Brass, Steel
1750s French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
1790s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron, Wire
19th Century Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Bronze
1930s American Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
Late 20th Century American Andirons
Iron
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1940s French Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1820s English George III Antique Andirons
Bronze
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Bronze, Iron
1830s French Louis Philippe Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron, Wire
1880s French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Rustic Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Iron, Brass
1950s French Vintage Andirons
Bronze
1880s French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze
20th Century Arts and Crafts Andirons
Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Bronze
1950s European Vintage Andirons
Metal
Late 18th Century American American Classical Antique Andirons
Brass, Steel
Late 19th Century American American Classical Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Antique Andirons
Bronze
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Enamel, Wrought Iron
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century Unknown Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Andirons
Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
1820s American Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Unknown Empire Andirons
Brass, Bronze, Iron
1880s English Anglo-Japanese Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century American American Classical Andirons
Iron
Early 1800s English George III Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron, Wire
1920s American Vintage Andirons
Iron
1820s French Louis Philippe Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron, Wire
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Andirons
Metal, Iron, Wrought Iron
Early 1800s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Copper, Bronze
Late 18th Century Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 19th Century American Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century Unknown Other Andirons
Brass
1880s American Federal Antique Andirons
Brass
1870s Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Andirons
Bronze
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.