Andirons
1970s French Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron, Stainless Steel
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron, Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century American American Classical Antique Andirons
Brass, Steel
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Metal, Bronze
1920s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Andirons
Wrought Iron
1950s European Vintage Andirons
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Louis XIV Antique Andirons
Bronze, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Iron
1970s French Vintage Andirons
Steel
1890s English Beaux Arts Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Andirons
Iron, Brass
1930s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Andirons
Brass, Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century French Modern Andirons
Stainless Steel
1970s Unknown Modern Vintage Andirons
Steel, Chrome, Iron
Early 1800s French Louis XVI Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
20th Century French Gothic Andirons
Iron
1940s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
1960s French Vintage Andirons
Bronze
1870s American American Empire Antique Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Revival Andirons
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Andirons
Brass, Enamel
Mid-19th Century British Aesthetic Movement Antique Andirons
Brass
20th Century French Modern Andirons
Brass
Early 17th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Early 18th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
1880s French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Bronze
1950s American Modern Vintage Andirons
Iron
19th Century French Renaissance Antique Andirons
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Andirons
Wrought Iron
1890s Rococo Antique Andirons
Bronze, Iron
Early 20th Century American American Classical Andirons
Iron
17th Century American Renaissance Antique Andirons
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Rococo Andirons
Bronze, Iron
20th Century Arts and Crafts Andirons
Iron
Early 1900s English Neoclassical Antique Andirons
Brass
19th Century European Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron, Brass
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century American Arts and Crafts Andirons
Wrought Iron
1790s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary French Andirons
Bronze
17th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Iron
19th Century Federal Antique Andirons
Brass, Iron
Early 1900s Italian Arts and Crafts Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Italian Greco Roman Antique Andirons
Bronze
Early 19th Century American Chippendale Antique Andirons
Brass
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Andirons
Iron, Nickel
1790s American American Colonial Antique Andirons
Brass, Wire
Early 18th Century French Gothic Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Andirons
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Louis XIV 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.