What IS Steampunk?!!

Hello folks!

It occurred to me that some of my visitors might not know what Steampunk was.  I asked a friend of mine if they knew what it was and they looked at me rather strangely!   I really didn't expect that, because it seems such a trend lately.

However, when you look into it, it IS somewhat hard to define! Everyone has their own ideas about the Steampunk aesthetic and what it means.  I found a poster on Pintrest that defined it quite well.  That poster proclaimed that Steampunk is...

"A psuedo-Victorian melange of ideas, notions and possibilities intersecting [with] a neo-apocalyptic dystopian future wherein the occupants reside within a quasi-utopian, retro-technological and idealogical society. Generally while fighting Cthulhu from airships while wearing corsets and goggles."

Pintrest Steampunk Poster 

There!  That is Steampunk!

Steampunk design has become a groundswell within the creative and arts world, and today is even making itself into real life interior design. The variation of what people come up with is truly amazing.  In fact, there are even "sub-cultures" developing within the Steampunk world.

My particular "brand" of Steampunk is all about redefining the past to create an alternate technological reality.  You'll see that tendency in everything I choose to do for this house, which also means I am constantly having (already!) to re-invent and imagineer not only what to do for the house, but also how!

I will be using lots of clocks and gears (a staple in just about all versions of Steampunk), lots of copper, gold, brass, bronze, and verdigree...combined with Victorian mirrors and furniture, with a semi grunge theme, while creating an opulent elegance using the Art Noveau and Art Deco design elements juxtaposed against fantastic textures and fabrics.  Modern elements will be redefined to appear Victorian, while Victorian and Art Noveau elements will be redefined to appear modern.   It will be a lovely mess, won't it!  (you may think that once you see the first pictures!  Remember, it isn't finished yet!)

I won't be adding skulls.  If you want skulls, there are lots of other fine stops on the internet where those can be viewed in their full glory...but this house will not have those if I can help it!  (watch...I'll find the "perfect" piece somewhere and it will have a skull on it...but if I do, we'll remain very quiet about it, OK?)

I hope to strike the perfect balance between graceful elegance and grungy age.  This has already been an incredibly fun challenge!  I want to "see" it finished...but first I have to figure it all out.  Very overwhelming at times.

So after all that, I owe you your first glimpse of the Entry as a Work in Process.

Here it is!

in all its unfinished glory.

This room has been, and will be a LOT of work.  This is going to take me a rather long time to finish, I believe! I am building pretty much everything from scratch, largely because the sorts of things I want in the house just are not out there on the market.  I also really want to create these things myself so that I learn the skills for future projects. I could probably not have picked a better project to start with, by that measure.  I am going to have to learn about everything to pull this off.

I will also comfort some of you by letting you know that the floor won't stay the way it is!  It is rather gaudy and discombobulated at the moment, but "we have plans for you" dear reader.  I sure hope they work!!

I'll fill you all in on each component of the above in my "history of the house" posts.  And as promised, as I do make progress that is noticeable, or am doing something that is of educational value for others (and probably frustrating to me!!) I will post and share those things.


Until Next Time!!

Doug S