Modernist Steel, Iron and Brass Fireplace Tools by Jacques Adnet

The nécessaire de feu — the complete suite of fireplace accessories comprising stand, poker, tongs, brush, and shovel — has been treated in the finest French interiors with the same seriousness of design as any piece of furniture. This set, by Jacques Adnet and dating from around 1940, brings to the traditional form all the discipline and material intelligence of his mature style. It is, in the best sense, a companion to the andirons that Adnet was producing in the same period: a complete programme for the well-dressed French fireplace.

Adnet's approach to fireplace accessories was consistent with his broader decorative language: honest structures in wrought iron and steel, precisely rendered, with brass accents providing warmth and luminosity, and — in many of his works — leather bindings that introduce a tactile, almost equestrian quality. Whether this set features his characteristic leather details or relies purely on the interplay of the metals, each tool is elegantly resolved and the ensemble speaks clearly of a single authorial hand.

At 68 cm tall, the set has the commanding presence of a well-designed floor accessory, its tools at a comfortable height for use before a standard French cheminée. The 22.5 cm square base provides stability without excessive footprint. The combination of materials — the forge-work of iron, the precision of polished steel, the warm gleam of brass — gives the set its characteristic multi-tonal richness.

In good condition consistent with its age. A distinguished work by one of the most significant names in twentieth-century French design, making this a rare and collectible set for any fireplace interior.