Exactly, but you score more points if the industrial stuff moves or lights up and the most points if it actually works - like the crank on the front of the ref actually opens it. Kelly over at Kitchensync has many example pics in da blog.

I did a semi-steampunk thing with some of my choices in my 1895 Tudor. My lights are all salvage, as is the mirrored backsplash at my wetbar. Everything is out or behind glass. I would have gone further if not for resale, which is a real consideration with us. It's not totally done yet, but you get the idea....

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I've never heard the term 'steampunk' before but it sounds like a version of 'ecclectic' - my personal favorite design concept. In my half bath, I'm planning to use a large copper candy bowl/kettle as a vessel sink.

Does steampunk refers to things like the films where the setting is technilogically now or the future, but the actual surroundings are vintage 1940-50's - the movies that have a surreal, almost cartoonish quality & are usually basically black & white with only a hint of color? Batman's Gotham City comes to mind.

A truly stellar example of the genre:

Wow, Histokitch. I don't think I've ever seen your kitchen before. In fact, I know I haven't seen it before because if I had, I would not have forgotten that I did. I love it! Love, love, love it! What personality and style! I'm dying to see more! Oh, and besides all the things I'm digging about your kitchen, I've really loving those steampunk lighting fixtures!

True, CP. That really is a stellar example. I'm wondering where I've been that I've never even heard of steampunk until it showed up in another of John's threads recently. I've certainly never "seen" until this thread. Thanks to those who have helped to enlighten the rest of us. Hope the pics keep coming 'cause this is fascinating stuff!

I didn't see the film, but from the advertising, the set of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow sure appears to fit the bill. Don't know if any kitchens were involved in the plot:

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I also think of any one of the many film versions of H.G. Well's Time Machine. That spinning time machine appears to have been ground zero of the movement, no?

histokitch - when are you doing your big reveal??? So happy I caught a sneak preview of the Pro 48. You know how I lust after it!!! Your kitchen looks fabulous!!!

It will be done in the next couple weeks. I'll post pics after I do a little dusting and dish washing.

John--look at the pics of the Bowery Hotel in NYC. Their bathrooms have subway tile with gray grout, unlaquered brass fixtures, and creamy trim that together makes it look old/new. The building is brand new but was built in brick with industrial-looking walls of windows. It's a fun place to stay in the city, besides having one of the trendiest lobby bars.

Histokitch, great kitchen!

Circuspeanut hit Steampunk on the head with that example.

The pinnacle of Steampunk fiction was The Difference Engine by Gibson and Sterling.

What Steampunk is as a style is based on the Victorian, steam driven factory look. Think big boiler turning shafts along the ceiling that use gears and pulleys to run the individual machines, conveyor belts, etc. Think lots of brass, cogs, gears, pulleys, straps, and polished wood. Also, a certain amount of Victorian ornateness, seen in chasing on the metals (engraving or embossing), carvings in the woods, gilding, and flourishes. The ornamentation would be spare, or in small doses, however, for a factory/industrial look.

Don't know if this fits the bill, but I love this kitchen from my inspiration pix, which is described as vintage industrial:

...except there's NO WAY you're keeping anybody out of that kitchen!

Eliz

I rather think of it as what the kitchen on Jules Verne's "Nautilus" (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) would look like...

Lovely, lovely kitchen, histokitch.

Here's another link to Kelly's KitchenSync Steampunk Sunday posts

I like the steampunk aesthetic and am not so concerned with its origin, because I hardly ever read sci-fi or fantasy. My appreciation for steampunk has more to do with a) my fascination with mechanical objects and b) the inherent beauty of the materials (e.g., brass and polished wood). It's a reaction against all the plastic made-in-China things that populate our world and the disposability built into everything from cellphones to DVD players to refrigerators. While I love my laptop and am rarely separated from it, it doesn't have the cachet of this one:

I bought a Lacanche for the same reason; there's just something about the combination of brass and steel and enamel plus excellent, simple engineering that's breathtakingly beautiful to me. When I imagine a steampunk kitchen, I try to think of what a kitchen in Myst would have looked like. It's not what I'd want as a general theme in my kitchen--the one circuspeanut posted is stunning but way over the top and into kitsch territory. More of a kitschen than a kitchen.

For anyone who's near Hartford, CT, there's a steampunk art exhibit this week!

Oh,and I just finished playing Syberia II, an adventure game full of automatons and clockworky thingies and mechanical puzzles that steampunk fans will appreciate.

Histokitch, your kitchen is amazing! I especially love the cabinets flanking your fridge.

So John, I don't know steampunk is exactly what you're looking for in your search for kitchen whimsy. I think it is more the industrial look rather than steampunk. They're kinda cousins in my mind.

OMG!!! Chana, that's wonderful!! I especially like the key!

What rock have I been living under? I've only figured out what steampunk means today! And I love it - I've always loved industrial vintage kitchens similar to one Eliz posted. Edgy Victorian I guess, very cool.

histokitch - OMG. You're kitchen has just blown me away. Definitely just rocketed to number one favourite I think! I especially love those cabinets flanking the fridge. Gasp, love it, can't wait to seem more.

John - I can't provide more inspiration, but wow, I love what I've seen here. I'm sure you can keep people out AND have a steampunk-inspired kitchen. I can't wait to see it!

This is why I love this forum! I've been fascinated by steampunk literature and jewelry for a while, but I've NEVER thought about a steampunk kitchen! I love that so many people here had pictures and input about this.

Fabulous laptop! Especially love that key. And all the gears:

The guy who created it has an interesting website with photos, videos, do-it-yourself kits.

I think of steampunk as being more ornate than industrial which tends toward the raw, simple, and functional. Steampunk has an air of the fantastical about it. A steampunk kitchen could be amazing, but maybe needs some scale to pull it off. At least some height...

Histokitch, your kitchen is just amazing! I'm lusting after your lighting fixtures. I was about to ask where you got them when I saw that they were salvage. Love all of the touches. The mirror. The rug. The open shelves. The hood. Do you mind sharing your sink faucet? I'm in faucet purgatory.

>>... needs some scale to pull it off. At least some height...

That's a big part of my problem--I have 8' ceilings in my dreadful little kitchen and no way to raise them. This also makes me hesitant to do the Edwardian/vintage style as well...the best kitchens I've seen with that style all had lovely high ceilings. What WERE they thinking back in 1952?!

The Jaclo Steamvalve Original would be a great place to start:

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I think of Steampunk as art moderne (deco) carried out in 1880's materials. Plus a few dirigibles.

The unapologetic polished brass is refreshing in an age of brushed nickel.

Here's a second laptop photo coursing around the net:

I had never heard of that term until a few minutes ago. But WOW! Yes! That's kind of where I tried to go. And that black and plished wood. Yup. THAT'S what I need for my bathroom paint. My wallpaper is black with copper diamond shaped lines. That black paint and wood trim is exactly what I need. I had thougth black but didn't think about doing the doors black and the frame wood. Since my woodwork is already painted, several coats, I think I will try to find a wood color for the frames and do the doors/drawers black. Any suggestion on color of black? Semi gloss. How about a wood color of paint? Any one have one?

And to think, I installed a quasi-steampunk kitchen clock in my new kitchen ! Although it's "out of period" with the rest of my kitchen, I couldn't resist buying its prominent display of intricate gear movements. From now on, I guess I can describe this aspect of my kitchen design as steampunk-influenced. LOL!

Also a histokitch lover!! Really awesome.

And for those leaning more toward the industrial than the Victorian side of this, check out some of the home goods in the Sundance Catalog, especially the lighting. It is similar to the vintage that histo used. There is a lot of rustic/country stuff in the catalog, but more and more industrial (especially seating and lights).

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My 12 yo DD fell in love with steampunk style after reading a NYT article about it, and is itching to redo her bedroom vaguely steampunk/industrial. I like it, but it's a little dark for my taste, I'm more of a color fan. I really dig the industrial elements tho, and seeing the light fixture and pics posted (thanks to all), I'm going to repaint my $5 auction lights from black to pewter (just scored some pewter spray paint at the dollar store) and try to distress them a little. I'm also waiting for RH to put their lighting on sale, they have a nice pendant light that's (according to their propaganda) a repro of a vintage industrial light.

Hmm, perhaps industrial elements with my screamingly colorful kitchen will be steamFUNK.

sandyponder

Segbrown, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I've been angsting over pendant lights. I'd looked at Sundance, but I missed that first little pendant or maybe it wasn't up then. I think it'll be perfect in my kitchen. And the price! Wheeee!

(Of course, everyone else thinks it's perfect for their kitchen as well. It's backordered til 8/9. Well, the electrician comes back for his final stuff in mid-August so I'll just cross my fingers.)

johnliu, I am trying to decide if I sleepwalk and post as you. You're scaring me, right down to the steampunk cufflinks I got for my birthday last year.

Anyway, how about something like this in the kitchen:
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Ideal if you have a Morlock problem.

You need a steampunk range:

And for coffee:

These stools would work (you have to open this image in a new window, for some reason):
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Some lights from Architects & Heroes:

Definitely check out Steampunk Home for more.

FYI John, Rejuvenation is bringing out a new series of "industrial gas" fixtures this month that fit the Steampunk genre. Speaking of design prescience.

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These are some seriously cool designs here. It all reminds me of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, lol...

Look through this site for some amazing, Steampunk-worthy ranges and wall ovens. The guts of them are by Ilve, and the amazing exteriors are by some Italian craftspeople who obviously have great imaginations and some serious STYLE. They're only available in Europe--I think you could probably get one here, but it would be a major hassle and the electrical parts might need to be rewired because EU electricity is different than ours (something to do with 60 vs. 50 mHz or something like that).

Steampunk-worthy ranges. Sigh. I'm glad they aren't available here. I'd want one worse than ever. Now that my kitchen is done........I have more and better ideas.

LOVE the look.....
I think Meg Ryan's summer house in Mass has some steampunk leanings. The industrial lights are big all over these days. Saw a lot at the Brimfield Antique Market in MA this past September that had industrial re-use items.

Look us this place in San Francisco: Coup d'Etat. It has some serious steampunk stuff! Some of their items are on the website below.

I know what you mean, Pinchme! Did you see the wall ovens?!? Check out the link... The German word for wall oven is Backofen, which I mention so that you can look at the other ones on the site (e.g., http://www.vip-cooking.com/produkte_listen.php?ctl=228&ctm=0_295).
We ended up getting a burgundy Fratelli Onofri range instead, since unlike those Restart Ilve ones, it's available in the US and not a completely insane price: http://fratelliappliances.com/products.php?catid=1&pid=6

Just saw this fixture (linked below) browsing Rejuvenation's website and remembered this thread.

I like the comment in the description:

"If energy efficiency is high on your list, this fixture would be at the bottom" LOL

That's a pretty cool light fixture. Needs a dimmer, I think. Otherwise it'd be like looking at the sun. You'd need to wear sunglasses indoors. Wait - that's kind of cool, isn't it?

I like vintage medical stuff, like ceiling-mount articulated surgical lamps, stainless steel operating instrument cases, apothecary cabinets. So your guests feel like you've invited them over for a splenectomy. It's an ice-breaker, especially when you hand them the gown.

Wow, look what happens when you turn your back on Speculative Fiction for a decade or three while you live your real life!

I bought a set of laboratory cabinets and black resin countertops last year, hoping to do a kind of retro-industrial lab look for my kitchen. DH, whose sense of humor does not seem to extend to expensive remodeling that will certainly lower the value of our suburban ranch home (go figure!) nixed the project, so the cabs are in the garage. But I cannot complain, one of the things that attracted me to him was that he loved the movie, "Brazil!"

I grew up going to actual steam tractor shows with my daddy, so I have seen heavy iron at work sawing wood, milling corn, thrashing wheat. I have been splattered by black rain when the huge engines backfire up the chimney, forcing oil out with the steam. I watched my daddy start his 1936 John Deere tractor by turning a solid iron wheel attached to the side that literally "turned the engine over" and then he'd hurry to adjust the air intake or the valves in hopes the engine would "catch" and run.

I went through that site in Chicago that sells the old medical furniture last year, looking for pricing on a doctor's office chest I saw on my local Craigslist. I was looking for a many-drawered chest in which I could store laptops, their bags and gear when not in use. I was going to set it in my family room between my chair and DH's chair so we would have a place to put things that the chew-crazed dog would not get into. DH almost nixed the medical chest, too, but its small size was the final factor in passing it up. Instead, the computer gear is stored in an 1950s RCA Victor TV cabinet that an old boyfriend had added shelves in for me. I used to house my audio/video components in it, and set the TV on top.

I did not know that my love of the old, metal, porcelained, and industrial was a trend.

I have the nicest solid brass short handrail with round knobby ends that has the most delicious patina, but I just don't know what to do with it! I also have an antique union satin ribbon and pin - brass edges around an image of two hands grasped in a handshake of brotherhood. Oh - and my grandmother's black jet cameo pins!

I cannot believe there is a name for this...SteamPunk!

I always think of the Terry Gilliam animations from Monty Python when I think of Steampunk.... And the film Brazil (my favorite all time...LOL).

Rejuvenation has some crazy new stuff...

I love the heavy whimsy of steampunk style, though I don't use it personally. It would be great fun to design a steampunk kitchen! I think "industrial victorian with a hint of medeival torture, heavy on the riveted copper" works well. :)

When I think of it in a kitchen I immediately think of the bulky copper riveted range hoods... banded copper cookware, pipe cut metal plates, light fixtures that resemble old scifi deep-diving helmets, etc.

Here are some elements inspiration ideas:

Buffet lamps, maybe?

Table:

And chairs:

Pottery Barn chandelier would work:

or...

R.A.M. chandelier: (saw this once upon a time on a "steampunk" kitchen blog and bookmarked it:
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Or...

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A terrarium to sit on your island, perhaps?

Clock for your counter:

Penny flooring:

or leather...

A fridge makeover:

Toaster:
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Sink light:

Centerpiece light:

Faucet:

or...

or...

Don't forget your tea pot:
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Or coffee maker:

I saw this article in the Boston Globe, and was reminded of this thread. I had no idea you could retrofit a modern Miele cooktop onto a cast iron stove!

LOL!! Pickle, great article. I love how the folks didn't even know they were part of a trend. :)

Now they also have steampunk toys...

...and I've had a steampunk iPod for years (stock image):

Love the steampunk iPod. Must be in weird mood because I think that elevated steampunk train set would make a really cool light fixture...

I have been thinking about a new, slightly deviant variant on the steampunk theme. It may sound odd, but this source actually is within the cultural orbit of steampunk - out in the Neptune neighborhood.

Should I post an ''inspiration picture''. I fear some of you might be offended, and those that won't, probably will be able to call up the mental image. You just need a line, a trigger, a madeline.

''I'm a sweet transvestite, from Transsexual, Transylvania''

Yes, the wicked musical that played on so many midnight movie screens is one of the sources of the steampunk genre. Watch it, you'll see. And check out Tim Curry. He wears a mean . . . apron.

Well, it is the 35th anniversary of the movie!

I can't envision it as a kitchen--I'd love to see your inspiration picture!!

So I have to dust off the VCR tape of Rocky to see what the kitchen looked like...... It was on TV just before Halloween and I forgot to watch it.

ideagirl2, The NEAREST dealer is 261.76 miles from me. But that ivory one with two ovens?? is perfect. How many bags of money would I need? I spent so little on the gas stove I have now, In just a few years I could replace it........but I'm 64 so......hurry, hurry, hurry? Oh, never mind. Did a google shopping search for the crème. Slightly over $4,000.

I don't recall if there's much cooking in the movie, except for Eddie of course. But just take this picture of Tim Curry and imagine him arching in a gothically steamy kitchen. Wearing an apron. Wait, that is his apron.

PinchMe, the double oven has been discontinued in the US, so they're now available on close-out, as floor models, etc. In other words, for less than what it says on Amazon. If you search for authorized dealers on the Fratelli site to get their phone numbers, you can call around to see who has one and how much it costs. That's how I got my burgundy double oven... had it shipped like 800 miles to get to me. It was $3700 + $135 shipping, and no sales tax. I saw ones in other colors as low as $2900.

I saw an ivory one at an appliance store in Connecticut a few months ago--the link to the store is below. It wasn't on sale then, but maybe they still have it? Maybe they'd let it go for a song?

I love, love steampunk fiction! Had no idea it was becoming a fashion movement but I'm not surprised. It has that rough energy of the clash between buttoned-up Victoriana and menacing industrial technology that is fascinating.

One of the very earliest popular examples, of course, was the original TV series Wild, Wild West (1965-1969). Although the much later movie remake with Will Smith sucks, the sets themselves are what the TV show probably would have loved to have, if the budget had been available. But, no kitchens were shown. Probably would have been a lot of steam and crashing gears, though!

For those who have never read any steampunk, Gail Carriger's Soulless series is a hoot - Not Your Typical Romance Novel, for sure.

AND I WANT THAT LAPTOP! Hand it over and nobody will get hurt by my trick parasol......

ideagirl2...how do I phrase this delicately....."for a song" would have to be much lower than thousands of dollars! Even lower than hundreds of dollars. My $400 gas range will just have to do. I traded a convection 5 burner electric for it. After 6 years I finally realized I would NEVER learn to cook on an electric stove so went back to gas as fast as my checkbook would take me. Since I've had the new gas stove I've baked almost 10# onto my torso.

histokitch, you are my inspiration! I have a different angle of your kitchen saved and am doing very similar open shelves and cabinets.

What is your backsplash?

Thanks!

OK, fellow steampunk admirers, I have two new additions to my kitchen, and I think they bring a little steampunk vibe to the already, umm, eclectic space. Sorry for all the pics, it's hard to get a good one, and since I won't be able to take another daylight pic till next weekend (tis the season of leaving for and returning from work in the dark), I decided to post 'em all.

The light is from RH, and I know, I know, but I looked for months for a vintage fixture that I could tart up or down, but the affordable ones were hopelessly, well, tacky 1960's and the really nice ones were outrageously expensive and way out of our budget. So, off I slunk to the RH website and got this one during their fall 25% off lighting sale. I like it and really like the light it throws on our stainless steel table (a main work surface).

The lockers in the WIP hold all of the stuff we canned last summer and the coffee and tea bags as well as assorted other things. mr. sandyponder bought them for me at a garage sale last summer ($5!!) and I installed them this fall. The only other thing to finish in the pantry is the slide out to the right of sink, it's going to hold garbage and compost, maybe even worms if I can figure out how to do it economically and easily.

Keep on punking, all-

sandyponder

Close up of the fixture (the little spotlight thingy was a (failed) experiment, originally we had the island going the other way, but didn't like it, so we changed the orientation 180 degrees and took down a fixture. I had the brilliant idea of tearing apart a broken table lamp I bought from the sale table at TJMaxx, but it's just dorky and as soon as I figure out how to plug the hole in my beautiful ceiling, I'll take it down. Till then, it's a thorn in my side every time I notice it, which, luckily, isn't too often):

From the LR:

WIP lockers from the kitchen:

In the WIP (see the yawning hole *and* the cab front that hasn't painted itself or put itself on yet):

I posted earlier in this thread before my kitchen was done, but thought people might be interested in seeing my light fixture and faucet, which I think fit this look:

Oh my, I'm so late to this party. I've just discovered Steampunk. Obviously, I've been living under a rock. Having just moved, I had started decorating along a divergent line. But, with this awareness, I so hope that I can make some slight changes to modify my directions.

Yet, I realize that it's going to take me another year to finish areas of rooms out that would be worthy of posting here. Steampunk seems to breathe in brown and black. I've got taupe. But, the mind is spinning now. So, I thank you for having posted this to begin with. Since I'm 4 yrs late, so anyone have any photos of the completed areas?
While it's just the beginning, I can see it everywhere I look now. One day, I'll be thrilled to be able to share my photos with you guys, too.

Xtal