Andirons
Early 1900s Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 1900s Italian Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Copper, Bronze
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Steel
Early 1900s Belgian Japonisme Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s Empire Antique Andirons
Brass
1990s American Art Deco Andirons
Steel
Early 1900s Empire Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Early 1900s French Japonisme Antique Andirons
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s English Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass
Early 1900s Italian Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 1900s French Renaissance Revival Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 1900s French Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Iron, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s French Belle Époque Antique Andirons
Brass, Bronze, Steel
Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Brass, Copper, Iron
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Copper, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Brass, Copper
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 1900s French Baroque Revival Antique Andirons
Bronze, Steel, Iron
Early 1900s Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1990s Andirons
Iron
Early 1900s French Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 1900s Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 1900s Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s French Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Aluminum, Brass
Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Iron, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 1900s American Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 1900s Antique Andirons
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.