You can get plenty fancy — or at least expensive — buying andirons (or fire dogs) to hold up the logs in your fireplace.
A fantastic variety are available for prices ranging from few bucks to many thousands of dollars.
Pricey:
For $40,000, there are unique brass and wrought iron Jean Royere Rare "Boule" Andirons from 1stdibs.com. They look kind of like two Xs with brass globes.
For $5,200 there are Donna & Uomo Andirons by Philip Nimma. They are tall and made of wrought iron.
At $3,000 a pair, you could see brass, Poillerat-inspired Flower Andirons from Carole Gratale.
Priceless:
A pair of terracotta fire dogs from 17th century BC displayed at Santorini, Greece.
Nice Price:
Wrought iron Stacked Ring Fireplace Andirons. They cost $59 a pair at westelm.com.
For the full andiron experience, Google it or search Pinterest. Like so many things you never saw in one place until the Internet, andirons come is a spectacular variety: Dutch kids, hounds, dogs, horses, giraffes, cats, owls, geese, George Washington, ships and other designs that are twisty, cubic, French, and mystifying.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.