Andirons
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron, Iron
Early 20th Century Unknown Other Andirons
Bronze, Iron
19th Century European Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
19th Century Regency Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Ormolu
1890s Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
19th Century French Empire Antique Andirons
Bronze
18th Century American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Brass
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Ormolu
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century American American Classical Antique Andirons
Brass, Steel
20th Century French Napoleon III Andirons
Iron, Wrought Iron
1880s American Antique Andirons
Iron
1920s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 1800s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze
1810s American Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Wire
19th Century American Edwardian Antique Andirons
Brass
1980s French Vintage Andirons
Steel, Brass
Early 18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century British Antique Andirons
Brass
1950s French Neoclassical Vintage Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
Mid-18th Century European Louis XV Antique Andirons
Brass, Bronze
20th Century French Victorian Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Unknown Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
20th Century American Art Deco Andirons
Metal, Iron
18th Century Italian Antique Andirons
Poplar
Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass
Late 19th Century European Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Baroque Andirons
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century English Antique Andirons
Bronze
1770s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
1750s French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
1780s English George III Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1880s American Victorian Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Late 19th Century American Antique Andirons
Iron
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 18th Century French Georgian Antique Andirons
Iron, Metal, Wrought Iron
1970s French Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Andirons
Steel
1960s American Chippendale Vintage Andirons
Brass
19th Century French Renaissance Antique Andirons
Bronze
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron, Iron
1950s North American Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
20th Century French Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Art Deco Andirons
Iron
Late 20th Century English Gothic Andirons
Steel
1950s American Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought 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.





