Andirons
Early 1900s Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze
1940s American Chippendale Vintage Andirons
Brass
Mid-18th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century American Chippendale Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 20th Century Rococo Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century Rococo Andirons
Brass
Mid-20th Century Rococo Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Early 19th Century American Chippendale Antique Andirons
Brass
1890s Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Mid-18th Century American Chippendale Antique Andirons
Metal, Brass
1880s French Rococo Antique Andirons
Gold Plate, Bronze
Early 20th Century American Chippendale Andirons
Brass
1880s French Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze
1860s French Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Rococo Andirons
Iron
1890s American Chippendale Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Mid-19th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Brass
Late 19th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Metal
20th Century European Rococo Andirons
Bronze
19th Century Great Britain (UK) Chippendale Antique Andirons
Early 1900s French Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 20th Century American Chippendale Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century American Chippendale Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Andirons
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Andirons
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 18th Century European Baroque Antique Andirons
Bronze
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 1900s French Renaissance Revival Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Metal, Bronze
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 20th Century English Andirons
Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century American Chippendale Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
20th Century American Chippendale Andirons
Metal, Brass
1810s American Chippendale Antique Andirons
Brass
Late 18th Century American Chippendale Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century French Rococo Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century American Chippendale Andirons
Brass
20th Century American Chippendale Andirons
1920s French Rococo Vintage Andirons
Bronze
1920s French Rococo Vintage Andirons
Bronze
19th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Rococo Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
20th Century French Rococo Andirons
Brass, 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.