Inspiration: Steampunk Style

Photo by Phil Mansfield for The New York Times

Though it has its origins in the literary world, steampunk is picking up speed as a lifestyle and a subculture. The New York Times recently ran a feature and accompanying photo essay on the movement, and its visual aesthetic is making inroads into fashion, technology, and now, home design. (In fact, at this writing, there are more than 20,000 items described as "steampunk" on Etsy, and more than 2,000 tagged with the term on eBay.)

Still, steampunk is a bit of a slippery concept. SteamPunk magazine, the house organ for enthusiasts of the style, defines it thusly: "Steampunk lives in the reincarnated collective past of shadows and ignored alleys. It is a historical wunderkabinet, which promises, like Dr. Caligari's, to wake the somnambulist of the present to the dream-reality of the future. We are archaeologists of the present, reanimating a hallucinatory history." Umm, OK ... Writer Richard Morgan puts it much more succinctly: "Steampunk is the future as dreamt by the past."

Aesthetically speaking, the definition is loose enough to incorporate everything from high Victoriana to 1930s Moderne, with generous doses of fanciful futurism, vintage industrialism, Edwardian dandyism, and romantic goth thrown in for good measure. Think part gentleman's library, part mad scientist's laboratory, part tinkerer's workshop, and part elegantly decrepit Victorian parlour. Add a jigger of Cabinet of Curiosities and a dash of Memento Mori. Then haul out the clock gears and magnifying glasses, vintage labware and hourglasses, steamer trunks, antique globes, aged brass and dark woods, apothecary bottles and bell jars, surveyor's lamps and factory pendants, campaign and directiore furniture, industrial antiques, mercury glass, and odd botanical specimens. In other words, steampunk is dark and slightly strange and most definitely not cute.

Here, an armchair tour of steampunk spaces and other visual representations of the style:

Photos by Phil Mansfield for The New York Times

Mildred's Lane, the rural Pennsylvanian home of artist and fashion designer J. Morgan Puett, is a feminine, romanticized take on steampunk.

Photo from If It's Hip, It's Here

In his Habitat Machines photo composite series, Canadian artist David Trautrimas imagines what steampunk domiciles might look like. Above: The artist's digitally enhanced Sprinkler House.

Photos via The Datamancer and Newsweek magazine

From a philosophical standpoint, steampunk endeavors to humanize the everyday technology we've come to take for granted. These ornate, customized laptops by Richard Nagy are a classic example of the "retro-futuristic" aesthetic.

Photo by Kat Bret (via the Brass Goggles blog)

Aviator goggles, corsets, and lace-up boots figure prominently in steampunk fashion. (Note: If you are, by chance, my husband, you can put your tongue back in your mouth now.)

The sets of the films The Golden Compass, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and City of Ember showcase archetypal steampunk stylings.

Photos by Caroline on Crack, via LAist

Los Angeles' Edison, a nightclub housed in a derelict power plant, sports an uber-steampunk look. (One assumes that absinthe is the libation of choice here.)

The Steampunk Tree House (designed and built right here in Oakland!) is a travelling installation that's made appearances at Burning Man and Coachella.

Photos from Because We Can (via Wired magazine)

The offices at San Francisco game company Three Rings were designed by Oakland firm Because We Can to resemble the Nautilus in Jules Verne's steampunk classic, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Photos by Moi

Designer Will Wick's library at the 2008 San Francisco Decorator Showcase had a strong steampunk vibe, with its strikingly dark palette, vintage wing chairs, curious objets, and industrial lighting.

Steampunk has largely been a DIY movement, but retailers are taking note: In addition to the Restoration Hardware items I featured earlier today, it's easy to find steampunk-inspired furnishings at a variety of other brand-name stores.  Anthropologie, for one, has many pieces that would work in a steampunk scheme, and Sundance and J. Peterman also offer a wealth of steampunk styles.

A selection of my faves (and while prices on many of these items are prohibitive, rest assured that you can find steampunk-y decor bargains on eBay, at your local flea market, and maybe even in Grandma's basement):

Vintage Goth Bar Cabinet, $1,895, and Elliptic Library Cabinet from Jayson Home & Garden

Vintage Postal Desk, $2,995 from Jayson Home & Garden, and Draper's Cabinet, $1,895 from Sundance

Vintage Medical Cabinet from Get Back, and Oakley Display Cabinet from Sultana

Cabriolet Leg File Cabinet from Sultana, and Whitman Chest of Drawers, $2,995 from Jayson Home & Garden

Clockwise from top left: French Settee from Woodson & Rummerfield’s; Amelie Sofa, $2,898 from Anthropologie; Velvet Double-Sided Sofa from Horchow; Leather Tufted Settee, $3,200 from English Country Antiques

Clockwise from top: Baxter Loveseat, $4,200 from Jonathan Adler; Antoinette Fainting Sofa, $575 from Urban Outfitters; Snooze Sofa from Ochre

Clockwise from top left: Conversation Chair from Sarlo; Vintage Industrial Drafting Stool, $600 from Get Back; Vintage Chair and Ottoman, $2,995, and Napoleon Dining Chair, $475, at Jayson Home & Garden; Cotswold Chair, $1,000, and Corrigan Chair, $1,998 at Anthropologie

Clockwise from top left: Industrial Two-Tier Cart, $2,200 from Get Back; Armillary Sphere Tables, $7,800 from Downtown; Campaign Side Tables; Adjustable Cast Iron and Glass Table, $18,000 from Get Back; Normandie Side Table, $625 from Plantation Home

Clockwise from top left: French Counter Balance Wall Light, $1,500 from Sarlo; Photographer’s Lamp, $265 from Jayson Home & Garden; Eureka Lamp, $65 from Sundance; Architect’s Boom Floor Lamp, $495 from Jayson Home & Garden; Transit Lamps, $170 to $330 at Velocity; Equilibrium Lamp, $695 from Sundance

Clockwise from top left: Halo Chandelier, $270 from Velocity; Jade Rise & Fall Light from Marston & Langinger; Edison Chandelier, $399 from Pottery Barn

Clockwise from top left: Greetings From the Ministry of Travel, $175 from Etsy seller Winona Cookie; Cora Mirror, $998 from Anthropologie; They Are Always Watching Print, $20 from Etsy seller Attempted Artistry; Vintage Aviator Goggles, $75 from Etsy seller Velvet Mechanism; Belljars, $14 to $35 at Paxton Gate; Shoemaker Doorstop, $18 at Anthropologie; Illumination by the Inch Candle, $25 from Sundance; 19th Century Sprockets from Hamptons Antique Galleries; Vintage Books, $40 from Jayson Home & Garden

Of course, taken literally and adopted whole-hog, the steampunk look can be dark, heavy, and cartoonish. But before I'd even heard the term, I was drawn to certain aspects of it -- namely the battered industrial objects and factory lighting that are key to the aesthetic. I think a few steampunk pieces placed in an eclectic, carefully edited space can lend a hefty dose of mystery and romance.

What's your take on the trend? Do you like it or dislike it? Would you incorporate elements of steampunk into your own home?

(P.S. If the look appeals, be sure to check out The Steampunk Home, a blog devoted exclusively to steampunk in the domestic sphere.)

Trendspotting: Resto Hardware Goes Steampunk

Out of sheer boredom, I found myself thumbing through a copy of the current Restoration Hardware catalog this weekend. Nothing against RH. It's tasteful, well-made stuff. Just a little traditional -- and, OK, boring -- for my taste.

Anyway, I was surprised to note that many of the company's new offerings (such as its Mayfair Steamer Trunks, above, and Furniture Factory Cart, below) are looking decidedly steampunk-y.

If you're not familiar with it, steampunk is a subculture with its roots in fantasy and sci-fi fiction. But rather than envisioning a bleak, dystopian future, steampunk reimagines a romantic past, melding the look of Victorian England, the Industrial Revolution, and the sort of charming contraptions that H.G. Wells might have dreamed up.

Clockwise from top left, a sampling of Resto's contribution to "steampunk style": Library Magnifier, $79; Victorian Binoculars, $99; Tabletop Telescope, $229; Porthole Mirror, $199; Barclay Sofa, $2,545; Royal Marine Tripod Floor Lamp, $1,250; Mayfair Steamer Chest, $2,295; Mayfair Steamer Cube, $995; Half-Mile Ray Search Light Floor Lamp, $695; Ship's Clock, $249

I'm intrigued by the steampunk aesthetic, but I also find it a bit heavy and masculine -- a little too Edwardian Gentleman's Club, let's say -- and perhaps a tad affected to want to replicate in a big way at home. Still, it's interesting to see a big-name retailer (especially one that's not necessarily known for following trends) jump on the steampunk train.

P.S. More -- much, much more -- on the steampunk phenomenon right here.

Etsy Finds of the Day: Feeling Foxy

Mark my words, you guys: Foxes are the new owls.

I'm seeing the vulpine vixens all over Etsy (and elsewhere) these days -- and, since my beloved pooch looks not unlike a fox herself, I'm especially partial to them. (Still, I hope they don't reach the same level of saturation we've seen with birds, deer, and the aforementioned owls, thus dooming them to cliché and then passé status.)

Here, a collection of my favorite foxy finds. Top: Fox Print, $25 from e.soule

Fox in Trees Canvas, $110, and Red Foxen, $78, from Abigail Brown

Masquerade Print, $20 from Ashley G

The Duke of Ny Print, $35 from Matte Stephens

Fox Chubbikin, $18 each from Erin Ellis

Skinny Dipping, $20 from Kristiana Parn

Sydney in Blue Flowers Napkins, $20 for two from Cakehouse

Red Fox Print, $15 from Berkley Illustration

Foxy Wisdom Print, $20 from Zetta

Fox Print, $25 from Andrew Neyer

Moxy Print $17 from Amber Alexander

Mr Fox Moleskine, $12 from Melody Seal

Cake With Mr. Fox Print, $13 from Emma Klingbeil

Fox Amigurimi, $72 from Penguin & Fish

Mr. Fox, Esquire Print, $17 from Marmee Craft

Fox Valentine's Day Card, $3 from Amy Blackwell

Pink Fox Doll, $13 from Run Amok

Quietly Print, $30 from Groundwork

There are literally thousands more examples, but I gotta stop now ...

So what do you think -- are foxes the new Etsy animals du jour? And if so, is it just an offshoot of the whole "woodland creatures" thing? If not, what species gets your vote for the next big trend? (I know, I know. It's a question of earth-shattering importance.)

Etsy Find of the Day: Handmade Wilderness Project

These resin-and-paper trophy deer heads from Etsy seller Ruby's Lounge take the current craze for taxidermy and deer iconography to a surreal level. I love their colorfulness and humor -- and, of course, the fact that no actual deer was harmed in their creation.

Wilderness Project 4

Wilderness Project 11

Wilderness Project 6

Wilderness Project 9

Wilderness Project 5

Wilderness Project 2

Each made-to-order piece is generously sized at about 18 by 18 by 14 inches, and comes with a keyhole hanger on the back for easy mounting. They're $225 apiece in the Ruby's Lounge Etsy shop.