Reinventions at Thomasville

I've got a special surprise today -- Elisa Johnson is a reader who has an eagle eye for steampunk finds; today we have a post she wrote on one of her recent finds.

Ladies and Gents, I think we may have hit the mainstream.  Shocked and pleased to see Thomasville’s new line called  Reinventions.

The line must be targeted right as us with a name like “Boulton and Watt Flip top Sofa Table”

It’s a 36x60x20 sofa table by day but can be completely altered to become a quaint dining table for 4 at night.

Apprentice Adjustable Activity Table transforms from 20” high coffee table to a 30” high breakfast table. 

My personal favorite is the “Reliance Pharmacy” which would make a fabulous Cabinet of Curiosities or My New Bar.

Map Cabinet

My husband Ben collects antique maps. Since no one would ever call us minimalists, this means we have a *lot* of maps. For years we've been browsing eBay and antique stores, looking for a map cabinet to store all of these maps in. We haven't had much luck. Nice looking wood antique ones tend to be very expensive (and often not in functional enough shape). Metal ones are a bit too modern industrial looking. Nothing is "just right."

Eight Drawer Flat File Cabinet

Recently, however, I stumbled across these two pieces and thought they might do. They are part of the "Martha Stewart Living Craft Space" collection at a site called Home Decorator's.

Three Drawer Flat File Cabinet

I worry about the "scratch resistant coating" on the top (just what does that mean???) and would like to see the quality first, but these might be an option.

How would you make them more steampunk? Paint? New hardware? (I like the idea of black paint and bin pulls with labels.)

Octopus Table

We're on an octopus roll, it seems. Valerie sent a link to this piece on DeviantArt, the most inspired piece of the octopus trend I've seen.

The creator says:
The glass tabletop sits level on top of the legs. Welding the legs to hold the glass tabletop was a very rewarding and challenging process. I've certainly improved my TIG welding skills a lot because of my work on this octopus. An interesting thing about this sculpture is that the eyes are hand blown glass. In all the table weighs about 500 lbs which means we have put about $5,000 into building it. We estimate that we put around 1500 man hours into this project. If you are curious the table is still for sale.

Book Tables

There's a new steampunklet in my life and home, so it's been a bit hectic and sleep deprived around here. Just ran across these I thought you all would like, however.


The counter at Brunswick Bound bookstore, designed by architect Christie Petsini. via.

"Layers" by designer Richard Hutten. via.


Desk at the Library Bibliotheek TU Delft. via.

Coffee table, available from etsy seller Tytie. via.

End tables, also by Tytie. via.

A Fast Desk...

Awesome desk -- designed by Bugatti of car fame -- sent to me by Art Donovan.

Strikingly original, Carlo Bugatti's furniture combines the picturesque asymmetry of Art Nouveau with the exoticism of Moorish and Japanese influences.

The writing surface of this desk is covered in vellum, held in place with punched copper strapping; the walnut legs are inlaid with pewter imitating calligraphic brush painting. The unusual profile of the desk suggests the jaws and teeth of an alligator.

Source: Carlo Bugatti: Desk (1970.181.3) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dennis Slootweg Furniture

Allison sent me the following:

The Storque describes this furniture as looking "as though it was rescued from the rusty depths of a long-since-sunken submarine".

Pretty cool stuff by Dennis Slootweg:

http://www.dennisslootweg.nl/en/work.html

And, indeed, it is very cool furniture:

Can't you see this lit up for a steampunk ball?

He calls these rust cupboards. Charming...

Me, I think these would fit in a rusty, bucket of bolts spaceship, cruising the stars while experiencing swashbuckling adventures and engaging in barely legal but morally upright shenanigans.

Steampunk Chic Gaming Tables

If you game -- and there are lots of awesome looking steampunk themed RPGs out there -- check out what Laurie just sent me:

I was at PAX East this past weekend, and this company was displaying their amazing gaming tables. These tables are so amazing in person, the illustrations on their website just don't do them justice. Here's another site with a better pic, and this site gives a video tour of the booth at PAX. The Sultan table is particularly steamy. I don't even play tabletop games, but after seeing the Sultan I wanted to start just so I'd have an excuse to buy one.
Hope you enjoy!
Laurie
Autobiography of Craft

Maggi Massimo is Magnifico!

Maggi Massimo is an Italian maker of kitchen cabinets and other furniture...

A "hold everything" with brass bin pulls.

Love the round port hole style vents in this cabinet.

Wooden louvered doors in the upper right and left cabinets add character.

A safe! In the middle of your cabinet! I think it's just waiting for the bank robbers to show up.

Found via kbculture.

Killer Robot Designs

Killer Robot Designs makes custom furniture and lighting from reclaimed materials.

The Cluster Bomb Hanging Light, assembled from 16 old lamp fixtures.

Coffee Table from Vintage Samsonite Luggage.

Mayfair Steamer Secretary Trunk

As a child, I always loved those antique trunks you'd run across that had drawers, places to hang clothes, and even a hatbox. They conjured up glamorous transatlantic cruises...

We may not be able to pack as much (or as inefficiently) anymore, but this Mayfair Steamer Secretary Trunk at Restoration Hardware pushes the same buttons for me.

Perfect for an office in a tight place that has to do double duty -- just fold it up when company comes over, and everyone will wonder what purloined treasures you're having shipped to you.

Hmm. Reminds me of this one I featured in 2007.

Mark Phenicie's Home and Furniture

Mark Phenicie sent pictures of his home, and of furniture he designs and builds.

One day, back in the early 70’s after I had returned home from Traveling Trough France, Italy, Living in North Africa for a year and going through Israel, India, Thailand and living a year in Vietnam as a young Marine, I decided to set out to build some of my own furniture with my own designs. I frankly could not understand why we as Americans who had access to the most sophisticated tools could only turn out what I called “Sears $49.95 junk furniture, whereas in the poor countries they were turning out detailed masterpieces.



Although my furniture was influenced by my exposure to other designs i had come in contact with,it slowly evolved and was not patterned after any particular artist even though it was a combination of ideas that I pulled out of my head and were pleasing to my eye. My living room today still maintains that original design which I labeled “the Spiral design” or “the Open helix” based on the DNA chromosome and or vine festooned trees. This design was popular with traditional English furniture known as the “sugar Barley twist” or some of the Flemish or Spanish furniture designs using the open barley.



My "steelchair53" line of furniture has evolved from a slab of rough sawn oak which was taken from a barn loft stash from a friend of mine. In the process i designed and made a large desk and a chair that matched, with a sofa and lamps and coffee table which will have end tables to match. this furniture smacks of "Steam punk", "Mad max", "Post Man, Water World and a smidgen of Dinatopia.

See the whole set, with some amazing furniture pieces (including a $3000 birdhouse), here.

Gearhead Desk

via Gizmodo, a $21,000 desk by Dale Mathis with gears that actually move. Really. Go watch the video.

Steampunk at Restoration Hardware

This has been mentioned before, but Jon McDougal just mentioned the Steampunk finds currently on offer at Restoration Hardware again, and I thought it merited a post of it's own. One of the neat things about this line is that RH is spotlighting the artisans who design or make these pieces.

Royal Marine Tripod Floor Lamp $1250

Royal Marine Tripod Table Lamp $395

Half Mile Ray Searchlight Lamp $695

Furniture Factory Cart $910




Mayfair Steamer Trunk $1695

Mayfair Steamer Chest $2295

Mayfair Steamer Cube in Brushed Steel $995

London Rail Clock $229-$299

Linden Street at JCPenney

It always surprises me where you can find furniture appropriate to a steampunk home. Case in point? JC Penney. Their Linden Street line has a surprising number of industrial, scientific, or just plain neat pieces that would suit at very affordable prices.

Apothecary Chest $349

Telescope $63.99

Birdcage Table Lamp $69.99

Lab Stool Table $119.99

Intaglio by White Webb

White Webb, the designers behind the last post, also have a fascinating line of furnishings called Intaglio.


These highly graphic furnishings are silk-screened using hyper-enlarged antique engravings, which convey both a sense of classicism and wit.