The Christmas List

Welcome to the Steampunk Home Christmas List, Edition 2009. There's a section of my personal selections, one chock full of Etsy finds, some things for the steampunklets in your life, and some Christmas things.

I tried to keep it relatively economical, so very few things here will be more than $100.

If your recommendation didn't make this list, I tried to add it to the Kaboodle list or bookmark the larger sites for a future post of their own.

My Favorites
This section is my personal gift list -- the things I really want for Christmas!

I can't afford an Eric Freitas clock, but this print of his Mechanical Clock Number 6 fascinates me. $20.











Think Geek's Molecular Gastronomy Kit. Not very Victorian, but these edible chemical experiments in the kitchen would be a lot of fun. $59.99










Dark Nostalgia I cannot wait to read this design book. $29.70 at Amazon.












Zeppelin Tin Toy, $10.98. My zeppelin obsessed steampunklet is *so* getting this. Tin Toy Arcade actually has 4 different zeppelin designs.










The Private House is the prettiest home book I've read all year -- full of antiques, natural materials, and simple yet elegant rooms. Nothing explicitly steampunk here, but if you like my taste you will probably like this book too. $37.50.






Etsy Finds

Behold the Machine Giclee Print by ettadiem, $110.










Bird Skull Drawer Pulls (he has bat skull pulls, too!). $16.












These Anatomical Soaps by the Steam Bath Factory would make a great hostess gift, assuming your hostess has a taste for the odd. $15










Reading Lamp by WardenClyffe Wares, $60.











Winona Cookie has a large selection on Etsy -- but I also like getting twelve different works with this calendar compedium of her collages she's made available on Zazzle, $24.50.









Steam Pipes Audio Speakers by Ikyaudio Studio. $275.







Red Pumpkin Studio's Journal/Sketchbook, $30










This small magnet by Libby Bulloff would make a great stocking stuffer. $4.







For the Steampunklets

World of Inventors: Alexander Graham Bell. Build your own intercom system! $21.95












World of Inventors: Thomas Edison. (sorry, no Tesla!) Build your own Kinetoscope model. $21.95











Just for Christmas

Holiday Cards by Mercantile Home, $6 for 5.













Clockwork Robin Christmas Print by by Hazel Fisher, $9.50.












Mad Hatter Copper Ornament, by Jewel Street. $32.












The cutest Cthulhu Santa, by Pirates Alibi. $25.













Disclaimer: Since someone seems to be worried that bloggers are making too much money flogging products (Ha! I don't think I've ever broken three figures), I need to let you know that no one is paying me for recommending any of these things, but that the Amazon links do provide a small referral fee.

Porthole Tub

Leslie Clagett sent me this lovely:

Real holes!

From The Water Monopoly.

Apotheke

Laurie commented that Dark Nostalgia featured a bar in New York called Apotheke -- she wants to move in. I don't blame her.


It's designed to look like a 19th century Austrian royal apothecary. Designer Christopher Tierney took inspiration from researching old European apothecaries, absinthe dens, and the Biedermeier design era.


The space is anchored by a 30-foot performance bar made from imported carrera marble. The hand-carved back bar is filled with hundreds of antique medicine bottles that were collected from around the world.


I love the wood floors, with tile inset corners.

I can't tell what the ceiling is made of, can you?


Tierney also fabricated wall sconces and a chandelier from chemistry glassware...

Chemistry graffitti -- how clever!

Wallpaper from vintage apothecary adverts.

Call for Finds -- SPH Christmas List

I'd like to put together a gift list of Steampunk Home style items for you to send your loved ones with a "hint, hint." If you have your eye on anything in particular (or are the purveyor of such), please add it in the comments to this post and I'll take it all into consideration.

I'll only things that can fall into the "home" category -- books, home decor, cooking, furniture, etc. I'll also include some ideas for steampunklets. No jewelry or clothing, please.

Thanks!

Image from Cyborg Necromancer on DeviantArt.

Dark Nostalgia

Dark Nostalgia is a design book featuring 26 of the darkest, most old fashioned homes, restaurants, and hotels.

From the Introduction:

The projects that follow show that we have become nostalgic for a time that never existed. They demonstrate, through this re-creation of history's

deep colors, polished woods, velvets, furs, leather, and burnished metals, that we would rather live by creating our present through an

imagination of our past. We love these dark materials for their ability to evoke emotions and moods, for their warmth and acceptance of the

somber sides of life. We are re-creating our own history and embracing the darkness that comes with it.

More pictures here, here, and here. And an interview with the author.

Anthropologie-cal Finds

Alissa pointed out some cool things at Anthropologie, with the comment "Did this become popular when I wasn't looking?" (I suspect the answer is "yes" -- not straight steampunk, but a lot of the industrial antique style that we like definitely did.)

I'm not including plain product pics here, because the genius of Anthropologie is their really incredible stylists -- so let's see what we can learn from them.

Standing Magnifying Glass, Coral Sculpture, Penny Candy Jar (I'd use this by the kitchen sink to
hold sponges and stuff), Experimental Cylinder and Experimental Flask, backed by a decrepit plaster wall.


Mechanic Beacon Light, Redsmith Dining Chair (the only chair of this style I've seen with a copper finish!), and the Decker Console Table. The floors and brick wall here are incredible, and the dressmaker's dummy appears to be gazing out the window...

Galvanized Pedastal Table, Blacksmith Blossom Chair, topped with a cluster of the Mariner's Globe Pendants.

What do you think of Anthropologie's interpretation? And does the trendiness scare you off or please you?

Empire State Building's Mural

To continue on the mural theme, David sent me a link to an article about the restoration of the Empire State Building's lobby at ShelterPop. It's mostly about the ceiling mural, which depicts a 1920s spin on a celestial sky with sunbursts and stars that resemble the industrial gears, cogs and wheels of the Machine Age.


Why haven't I ever been to the Empire State Building?

Is That an Octopus in your Garage?

Decorative Painter Lynne Rutter created this mural of a steampunk aquarium

It's.. sort of unusual for me to paint a mural on a garage door , but actually that's a great place for a mural. My client is a friend, who shares my interest in Victoriana and curiosities... She's also a scuba diver, and wanted for a giant purple octopus. So I came up with a Jules Verne-inspired "aquarium" to house this giant creature!

You don't realize what an incredible job this was until you see the "before" picture:


I love how Lynn incorporated the building, the decorative corners, and the crossbars into her design.

See more details on Lynn's blog, The Ornamentalist.

The Creekmore's Dining Room

This is David Creekmore's dining room. The centerpiece is the Edison Chandelier from Pottery Barn.

David says of the light:
Installation was tricky, but fun. They don't supply you with a pattern for placing the the cords and lights. It takes some trial-and-effort work to make it look balanced, but not symmetrical. You might end up with a few holes in the ceiling that need to be patched.

There's lots more information in his blog post on the room, but this is the highlight to me:

In the end, we have a dramatic, attention-getting space that excites people when they enter the house. Every evening, when I pass by on my way to bed, the lights glow softly and I smile. It was definitely worth it.

Shouldn't your home make you smile?

Back in Black

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'm trying to get it back together. In the meantime, here's a great round up of black rooms via Habitually Chic.