Andirons
19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Andirons
Bronze
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Mid-18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Unknown High Victorian Antique Andirons
Metal
15th Century and Earlier French Medieval Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Iron
Mid-19th Century English Regency Antique Andirons
Metal, Iron
1950s American Federal Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
Late 19th Century Unknown Empire Antique Andirons
Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown Arts and Crafts Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century American American Classical Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century American Empire Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Mid-19th Century Antique Andirons
Brass
17th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1790s French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Andirons
Brass, Nickel
1830s French Rococo Antique Andirons
Brass, Wire
1830s French Louis Philippe Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Gothic Revival Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century British Aesthetic Movement Antique Andirons
Brass
19th Century French Neoclassical Revival Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Late 19th Century French Baroque Antique Andirons
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Andirons
Metal
Mid-18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Late 19th Century Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
20th Century French Modern Andirons
Brass
1830s French Louis Philippe Antique Andirons
Brass, Wire
Early 1900s Belgian Japonisme Antique Andirons
Bronze
19th Century Louis XV Antique Andirons
Iron, Brass, Bronze
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Brass
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
1920s French Arts and Crafts Vintage Andirons
Metal, Brass
20th Century French Art Deco Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Metal, Brass
19th Century Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1950s American Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
1790s French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Brass
20th Century American Art Deco Andirons
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary French Andirons
Bronze
18th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1820s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Brass, Steel, Iron
Mid-20th Century French Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century American Antique Andirons
Brass
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Wrought Iron
1960s Georgian Vintage Andirons
Metal, Brass
19th Century Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Andirons
Copper, Iron
19th Century English Antique Andirons
Brass
1930s Vintage Andirons
Iron
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Aluminum, Brass
Early 17th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Unknown Other Andirons
Bronze, Iron
20th Century American Adirondack Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Chrome
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.