Lockwood Estate

The Lockwood Estate is an 1865 Carpenter Gothic/Stick Victorian House in Malvern, Pennsylvania. John Werry of Rare Victorian had a chance to take photos of it recently.



It's actually for sale -- just $2 1/4 million.

(note: I'm not sure the slideshow will come through on rss readers -- if not, click through to see the pictures.)

Most Fabulous Corkscrew in the World

The most fabulous corkscrew in the world by Rob Higgs. (Way better than any other steampunk wine accoutrements.)

via Alrededor del Mundo Steampunk.

Eric Freitas Quartz #8

Eric Freitas has a new quartz clock.

More of his work.

Favorite Shop: Sundance Catalog

There are a handful of websites, catalogs, and stores that I like to browse for steampunk home items. One of the best is The Sundance Catalog, Robert Redford's lifestyle catalog.

I like this description of the catalog by Redford:
"To us, Sundance is and always will be a dream. What you see, smell, taste and feel here is a dream being carefully nurtured. "

The inventory turns over within a year, so you'll find things mentioned in the Kaboodle list that aren't available anymore, but they replenish it with plenty of wonderful new things. Here's a sampling of what's currently available.

Foundry Linen Cabinet

Eureka Lamp

Steamer Trunk End Table

Model B Table Lamp

Genesis Pendant Lamp

Etsy Find: Anatomical Skull Pillow

Looking for Tammy's pillows on Etsy, I did run across this great pillow with an 18th century anatomical skull print on it.

The bad news is you can't buy it because *I* did. The good news is that Crows Cloth has a similar pillow available and would also take custom requests.

Tammy's Living Room

Tammy was so kind to share some pics of her not-just-steampunk but The Steampunk Home inspired living room.

I ended up getting the coffee table from Sundance based on your kaboodle list. We're sort of going for steampunk in a temp. rental so we haven't painted the walls. I got the skull pillows from etsy, they are burlap and really comfortable. Had the rug and the pictures on the wall are framed vintage Tango sheet music covers from Buenos Aires. The lamp is another Sundance purchase, although I sort of wish that we had look for a 'real' antique. Couch is Restoration Hardware.

Good job, Tammy! I love the bits of red in the rug and the couch. The whole room has a bit of an airship pirate vibe to it -- the skull and crossbones pillows, the striped pillow, the steamer trunk (but in metal, nothing too old fashioned for airships, y'know), and the spotlight for highlighting whatever-it-is-you-chase as an airship pirate.

Collecting Brass

I was browsing through Rare Victorian, a great blog dedicated to Victorian furniture, and ran into a comment by Zeke on collecting Victorian brass.

Sniffing around in antique shops, flea markets etc. can reveal a variety of Victorian brass and iron objects that can add interest when placed on your Victorian furniture.

Here’s a few that we have arrayed on a dresser in our bedroom:

Brass Eastlake thermometer - $60 - Ebay
Iron Eastlake inkwell - $65 - Grist Mill antiques New jersey
Modern gothic dresser mirror, brass or copper over iron - $28 Garage flea Market, New York
Brass victorian blotter - $10 - Lambertville NJ flea Market
Eastlake oil lamp converted to electric - $28 Milford PA antique shop
Aesthetic bird shade on lamp - $10 garage flea market New York.

These were all under $100 and are fun to search for. They make great little gifts for the Victorian enthusiast

Zeke's Photobucket account with lots of shots of his home and fabulous furniture.

The World of Yesterday's Tomorrows

Zeppelin

Reader Beith Burton thought we might be interested in the designs of Retropolis and The Future That Never Was -- it's a bit 1950s pulp science fiction in feel, but some of the designs tickled my fancy.

Airship Ballast

The designs are available as the ubiquitous T-shirt, but some are also available in poster form. (When will these print-on-demand places start offering plates? I'm ready for a collection of independent steampunk design dessert plates...)

I'm Doing Science

As their website says:

Gee, Whillikers!
It's... it's...
Awesometastic!

How Many Pulleys Can You Put on a Light?

Eight, if you're Palmer Earley, president and designer of Architects and Heroes. Here's his new Bilardo: It's 55" wide, 41" tall and has an up and down movement of about 14". It's hand made of oil rubbed brass, with cloth covered wire and hand cast pulley wheels.

More lights by Architects and Heroes.

Robbii Wessen Wunderkammern Art

Reader Viviane Galloway was so kind to point me to part of a blog post on artist Robbii Wessen (on a blog called Temporary Insanity). The following is an excerpt:


I walked toward the Jefferson Market Library, and at the corner I was amazed to see a display of...Wunderkammer! Speak of the Devil; Wunder indeed! My interest in this sort of work was stimulated by Steampunk research, wherein I discovered many examples of shadow box art incorporating science and technology.

Turns out that the Ansonia Pharmacy was displaying an exhibit of works by the artist Robbii Wessen. An amazing artist whose works combine elements from nature with technical and industrial findings, resulting in a lovely blend of form, color and texture. I can not do them justice with words, so here are some pictures I took:

The exhibit is called Foundlings, and is at 6th Avenue and 10th St. until Jan. 27.

Time Fades Decal

Lit Vamp was kind enough to point out this blik decal. It's based on a Threadless T-Shirt design called Time Fades by Samuel Lara. I love how it's done in white against a dark wall in the picture above, but it also comes in black and grey. I think it would be perfect for a dorm room or a rented apartment where you want some non-permanent style.

PSA: Radioactive Steampunk

If you use old watch parts for steampunk projects, you should read this.

Yikes!

Thanks to Diana.

Around the World in 80 Days -- The Set

How would you create a flexible steampunk set that needs to cover the entire world? Here's the one the Laguna Playhouse put together for it's production of Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, playing January 6 -- Febuary 8th.

From the press release:
Director Michael Butler has laced the production’s ambiance with a playful nod to the “steampunk” genre of science fiction. As Metro Silicon Valley points out, “one of the most extraordinary aspects of the production is how brilliantly the stage is utilized…the production is styled in the opulent esthetic of steampunk, a growing retro-futuristic movement that combines Victorian finery with modern technology. The set has the distinct feel of being located inside a giant ticking watch, complete with a huge manually revolving central stage that is sporadically set into motion by stagehands for fast, dramatic effect.”