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?
7 comments:
I kind of like it, it means finding things for my home is a bit easier. I think steampunk fits in to that reuse/upcycle thing that has also been gaining mainstream momentum for the past couple years. Add in "this economy" and people are really starting to find new ways to use what they have instead of buying new. Which really... isn't that a bit of the basis for steampunk?
The trendiness scares me! I think because things that are trendy end up looking out of date. So when I see my tastes come into style, I know that my whole house will look dated soon. And trendiness tends to ruin styles-- Remember shabby chic? It's great to turn an old bedstead or worn-out piece of furniture into a great look, but ruining a perfectly good piece with faux-finishes looks really tired after a while. The same is true with steampunk-- arranging glasswork and wire chairs can really look sharp, but I'm concerned that people will go out creating cheap wire chairs with no character just to get "the look" which of course defeats the purpose.
I'm with Kalani in that when mainstream stores pick up the look it will become trendy, and then may look dated down the road. But what bothers me more is the whole concept of stores making new items to fit a trend, when the aesthetic originated in old, antique, repurposed things. I acquired the vast majority of my treasures from thrifts, auctions, warehouses and my parents' outbuildings. While I know not everyone can or wants to do that, with my financial limits and reuse ethics I look at the price tag on Anthropologie's goods and choke. There is also a difference in authenticity that can't always be achieved with new items. I revere the history of my things, even as I imagine a world where such things are still in use.
I've never thought of Anthropologie as particularly trendy. I think they have their own style entirely, grounded in a vintage aesthetic. (I'm a bit younger and I've had friends think I was a bit old ladyish for shopping there. Apparently pretty embroidered tea towels aren't cool to most people.)
However, there is nothing wrong with incorporating trendy things into your home, within reason. I tend to simply collect pieces I like with little regard for whether or not they're trendy.
I also think things with vintage influences seldom quickly become dated. Especially when mixed with other, actual vintage pieces, they seem at home and don't get cheesy horridly quickly. I've mixed real and faux vintage and antique objects in both my home and wardrobe for years, and I have found people cannot tell the difference when they're properly combined.
I love it!
I think that there are so many different interpretations of steampunk and sub genres I guess you'd call it, that there's room for some companies' attempts at trendiness. If one were to look back through this blog, there are rooms that have a nautical theme, ones that have a laboratory feel, ones that have a lot of clocks and gears, and some with none at all. I like the idea of a little bit more availability of items that fit what I am looking for. Maybe Anthropologie with come out with a lamp or what-have-you, that I just can't live without. Probably not, but it's nice to know that it could happen.
I'd say that while cheap knockoff pieces will look dated and tacky, true Steampunk never will. Do you know why?
Because true steampunk pieces aren't picked out to make a 'matched set' or to look trendy or cool.
They're pieces that we each choose for ourselves to fit our personalities.
Yes, if you get a 'Steampunk in a Box' set, it's going to look cheesy and dated in a few years. Then again, that's not what steampunk is about.
It's about creating something beautiful and inspiring from something trashed, thrashed and discarded.
Cheap 'weathered wood' bed from Walmart? Tacky.
Hand-refinished wood bed recovered from your grandmother's garden shed where it'd been forgotten for twenty years, carefully sanding each pieces, finishing it with thought and love, and installing it in your bedroom?
Beautiful, timeless, ageless, and fantastic. No matter what.
Post a Comment