Andirons
Mid-19th Century French Antique Andirons
Iron, Ormolu
1920s American Vintage Andirons
Iron
1860s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron, Brass
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Art Deco Andirons
Brass
20th Century British Modern Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Renaissance Revival Antique Andirons
Bronze
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Andirons
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Andirons
Steel
Late 20th Century English Georgian Andirons
Brass
Early 20th Century American George III Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 18th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Victorian Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century Andirons
Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Federal Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze
1880s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Arts and Crafts Andirons
Iron
20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Early 1900s Empire Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Andirons
Copper, Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Regency Andirons
Brass
Mid-19th Century European Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Gold Plate, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Georgian Andirons
Brass, Iron
1820s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 19th Century English Baroque Antique Andirons
Metal, Bronze, Wrought Iron
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century English Empire Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century French Arts and Crafts Andirons
Brass, Metal
Late 18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Andirons
Bronze
2010s English Georgian Andirons
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Minimalist Andirons
Steel
Late 18th Century French Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 20th Century Rustic Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Revival Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Andirons
Bronze
1950s American Vintage 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.