Brass Nautical Supplies

As Spring makes its way to Summer, keep in mind that beach hardware stores carry a great selection of Steampunk accessories. Here's a selection from the grocery on Bolivar Peninsula, Texas:


Curtain holdbacks? Shower curtain hangers? Hanging plant hooks? Napkin rings? Any other ideas?

Hexagon Tile in a Kitchen

I'm enamored of black and white floors. This one is a pattern I've seen in plenty of bathrooms, but rarely in the kitchen.
This sort of hexagon tile was widely used in the earliest indoor bathrooms. According to some things I've read, white tile was popular in early bathrooms because it gave an antiseptic feel to the room. With that in mind, this kitchen has echoes of a Victorian surgery -- stainless steel countertops, the tile, the iron table, and adjustable stools.

If you like the Victorian doctor look, don't forget Dr. Kim's "Office."

(p.s. If you happen to live close to Carrollton, TX, you can snag the table pictured here for only $75 and the stools for $10! Only at the Wisteria outlet, and let me know if you are planning on making the trip!)

Cement Tiles make a Black and White Kitchen

I ran across this kitchen a couple months ago in Vogue. It's someplace in France... I like the combination of industrial (those lights!) and the old fashioned floors. These are antique French cement tiles.

Cement tiles have a nice matte finish, and originated in France at the end of the 19th century, although they are currently made and used in both Morocco and Mexico (and perhaps others).
Want to see more? Provence Retrovee has a number of antique cement tile patterns. Exquisite Surfaces has both antique and reproduction styles.

Simple Library from Cottage Living

Last October's Cottage Living had this simple "library nook" that had a lot of steampunk appeal -- leather club chairs, brass reading lamps, and a bookshelf that's been on the Steampunk Home Kaboodle List for a couple months now -- the Railroad Tie Bookshelf. I like this bookshelf -- it's made of recycled railroad ties (railroads -- cutting edge Victorian industrial technology, in case you forget...) . They are more rustic and modern that our traditional steampunk fare, but given their provenance, I think they would fit nicely into a steampunk room. The nautical knots used as bookends are also a nice touch.

Metal Countertops!

There are a lot of different countertop options in the world, but the one with the best steampunk vibe would have to be metal countertops.

Here's a great looking bronze countertop.

(from Brooks Custom)

Zinc is also an option, and has that whole Parisian Bistro look.

(from Brooks Custom)

My favorite, however, is copper.

(from Brooks Custom)

Doesn't the copper on the dark wood just look incredible?

(from Frigo Design)

Copper is supposed to have antibacterial properties -- this article at HGTV says "A recent British study highlighted copper's antibacterial skills: E coli survived on stainless steel for 34 days, while on copper it lasted for only four hours," so you could justify something that looks this good in terms of health.

I don't know specific prices, but I believe these are in the same ballpark as granite countertops.

Metal countertops are another example of great kitchen designs from bars. You don't find many examples of metal countertops using a Google search, but try out "bar top" instead of countertop and you find many examples.

This seems like the sort of project that would be possible if you were very handy, and after finding an article on how to build a copper countertops on Whimsie, I see that it is possible, but probably difficult.

(Sorry for the long hiatus from blogging -- I find that I can only manage one outside project at a time, and I've spent a lot of time planning a real life renovation + addition to our house. As Ben pointed out, though, that really *should* be compatible with The Steampunk Home.)

Art Donovan's Steampunk Pieces

Art Donovan is a regular reader and commenter here at The Steampunk Home. He's also, as the proprietor of Donovan Design, a designer and craftsman of lamps, lighting, and the occasional home accessory. Art was kind enough to mention his newest steampunk inspired pieces to me, and, of course, I want to share them with you.



His early steampunk efforts are online at HomePorfolio. First a steampunk clock in distressed brass (who even knew you could distress brass? I assumed you antiqued brass, but this is a very different look than antiquing.) Second is a steampunk style table lamp, with 4(!) different adjustment points.



Art's pièce de résistance, however, is his Siddhartha Pod Lamp, pictured at the beginning of this post. At 52" tall x 30" wide, it's an impressive, piece of work. It's entirely hand crafted of solid mahogany, solid copper and brass. Without a doubt, the most labor-intensive lamp I've ever created. Personally, I see it in the home of a evil mastermind -- something about the curlicue wood at the top reminds me of a mustache twirled by such a dastardly fellow.




Art is known to hang around here at the SPH, so if you have questions for him, feel free to post in the comments. (Mine: What are the vertical glowing light-bulb style tubes? Why name it Siddhartha -- I'm not quite sure I see the link between steampunk style and the Buddha?)

UPDATE! Art sent me answers to my questions:

To answer your questions- Easy! The tall light bulbs are called "Showcase bulbs" and they are really bright- 75 watts each. (#75T8) Add some "Baby Slinkys" around the bulbs and you're ready to go!

I have a dimmer switch for them located at the top of the lamp, (it's that little cone-shaped piece, pointing downward.) When the bulbs are turned all the way up (which I never do) they are massive, ridiculous bright.

All of our lamps are named by my wife and partner, Leslie. She also designs lamps and won't name them until they're completely finished. The "Siddhartha Pod" lantern has design elements of the British Raj Period of India, so that was her inspiration for the name. The "Pod" refers to the strange, vertical shape- (vaguely bio-mechanical like, I suppose).

Bars for Inspiration

Victorian style -- the good stuff, that we aspire to -- tends to be a bit, well, stuffy. Stuffy is hard to live with, especially today, when you probably don't have household help to keep it clean and neat and your family congregates in an open kitchen instead of the parlour (with the cooking going on in the basement or a separate building). To counteract this stuffiness, and to be more true to the steampunk aesthetic which includes a healthy dose of dirt and grime, I look to the seedier side of Victorian and Edwardian culture to find inspiration for casual kitchens and eating areas where people can gather and chemistry experiments of various sorts would not be out of place.



The Barcelona bar Marsella, which I stumbled across at A Shaded View on Fashion, is one such example. Opened in 1820 and frequented by the artists of the day, its wood cabinetry, opulent chandelier, cafe tables, and dusty bottles are quite the inspiration.



How to get such a look? Lots of wood, patterned carpet, and a bistro table like this one I've been admiring this one from NapaStyle, which I think it would fit right in to a casual kitchen/dining area inspired by Marsella.



credits: pictures are from A Shaded View of Fashion, table is from NapaStyle.