All Entries Tagged With: "antique fireplace tools"

Antique Fireplace Accessories

When we think of antique fireplace accessories the Victorian fireplace accessories often come to mind. Yet there are so many other periods of interest as well. There are the colonial and early American designs as well as the Regency, Edwardian, Art nouveaux, and the Art Deco. Many antique fireplace accessories are very ornate and remind us of the splendor of the past. In fact one piece can dress up an otherwise ordinary looking fireplace display.

We also don’t have to break the bank when we purchase fireplace accessories because there are many antique replicas that will give us the splendor and elegance of the past plus the functionality and quality of a new modern fireplace accessory. After our country was founded Americans began to enjoy the new affluence that was created in this country. Homes and home interiors began to be more lavishly decorated and and decorative fireplace equipment became all the rage.

Ornate andirons with cabriole legs or ball and claw legs became very popular. Large shiny brass andirons were great for keeping the fireplace logs in place and above the floor of the fire pit. They also added a lavish decorative touch with shiny brass styling and the many decorative styles. As times evolved the neo-classical influence was evident with decorative fluting. The styles of different regions soon fused together evolving into the ornate Victorian style we all know and love.

The Victorian style gets it’s influences from the French Empire style, the English Regency style, and the Federal in America. The Victorian style also borrowed from the Baroque and Rococo styles and even evolved into the newer styles of Art Deco and Colonial Revival. Whether you are looking for a hand carved fireplace surround or an elegant brass fireplace sculpture all of these styles have been borrowed and fused together to create the most ornate of the antique fireplace accessories.

Some antique fireplace accessories were only for decoration, but most were functional as well. You can find many ornate antique fireplace screens and yet they are also used to keep embers and ash from popping out of the fire and burning your floor or starting a fire. Antique tools may be beautiful to display, but they can still poke and stoke the burning logs and make a quick job of after fire clean up.

Some of the most popular of the antique fireplace accessories and replicas are the fire backs and andirons that are in the shape of animals. These are more than a useful tool they are also a clever sculpture. Whether you are into dogs, cats, snakes or hunting scenes you can find the perfect fire back sculpture to dress up your fire.

Having one or a couple of antique fireplace accessories is a great way to make your fireplace look unique and be the focal point of the room without being to gaudy or over powering. The fact that these accessories are functional as well is just a bonus and a great testament to the creative utility of our previous generations.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Fireplace Tools The Perfect Accessory

If you have a traditional wood fireplace having a set of fireplace tools will come in handy. Usually the traditional set of fireplace tools includes a broom and a shovel, some tongs for moving those hot logs around and my favorite, the poker.

I always enjoy giving some burning logs a good poke and watch the embers fly and hear the sizzle and pop of the fire as new oxygen is exposed to the glowing embers. So having a good set of fireplace tools is essential.

Plus the hearth can look kind of bare with no accessories dressing up your fireplace. Fireplace tools come in many styles and colors to match your decor. You can get elegant refined tools or rustic gothic looking set.

There are the traditional black fireplace tools and many styles in chrome, brushed or stainless steel and pewter. You can also find fireplace tools made from nickel, copper and bronze.

Many fireplace tools come with their own holders usually a stand which is next to the hearth and all of the tools are in it. There are also hanging models, where you can put the hooks into the wall or the hearth itself and the tools hang from it. Others are a rack with hooks, that the tools hang from.

Fireplace tool sets can dress up your hearth no matter if you are looking for contemporary fireplace tools or classic pilgrim fireplace tools.

Popularity: 19% [?]