Andirons
1790s English Georgian Antique Andirons
Iron
1790s English Georgian Antique Andirons
Steel, Iron
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Ormolu
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Iron
18th Century Antique Andirons
Brass
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Chrome
1970s Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Iron
Mid-18th Century French Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century French Other Antique Andirons
Iron
Late 18th Century Georgian Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
1790s French Antique Andirons
Iron
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Chrome
Late 18th Century Georgian Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Bronze
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Metal, Brass
17th Century French Louis XIV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron, Bronze
17th Century French Louis XIV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1970s Vintage Andirons
Brass
Mid-18th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze, Ormolu
1970s Italian Baroque Vintage Andirons
Bronze
18th Century Dutch Georgian Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Andirons
Bronze
1970s Vintage Andirons
Bronze
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century American Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s French Vintage Andirons
Steel, Stainless Steel
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
1970s French Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Andirons
Stainless Steel, Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
15th Century and Earlier Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1760s North American Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 18th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1790s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron, Wire
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIII Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze
Late 18th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Andirons
Other, Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1790s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron, Brass
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Steel, Iron
18th Century French Antique Andirons
Bronze
1790s American American Colonial Antique 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.