Pre-made steampunk home decor from independent sellers and small companies is unique, one-of-a-kind, and often very expensive. A hand-made steampunk lamp made out of old piping and vintage light bulbs found here from NewWineOldBottles sells for eight hundred and sixty-five Canadian dollars. The shop’s least expensive steampunk item is a ninety-three dollar light fixture that is comprised of only one vintage bulb on a wire.
Edison Custom Wall Lamp: Steampunk Furniture (Industrial Lighting) : $865.00
Edison Bare Bulb with Vintage Cloth Cord : $93.00
Chandrian Orrery Chandelier: A Hand-Made Steampunk Styled Lamp (from JW Kinseys Artiface) : $4356.00
Despite the less-than-elegant and rugged design features of steampunk homes, the great expense behind creating a steampunk space may imply that steampunk decor on a large scale within homes is a luxury available only to those enthusiasts who are wealthy. The homeowner of a New York steampunked apartment has set his home on the market at the price of 1.65 million dollars (AOLOnHome) (please see image below).
While the steampunk genre may support the aesthetic style of the Victorian era more so than the social aspects and strict hierarchies, the expense in furnishing one’s home in steampunk decor is extravagant and may suggest a parallel to the Victorian age in which, just as only the affluent may be able to comfortably afford steampunk designs and low or moderate income families are inadvertently discluded from the genre, the upper-class lived lives of luxury while the middle and lower working classes often did not live comfortably (Mitchell 22 & 147). Steampunk as a form of interior design may, therefore, be a reflection of a form of elitism in the steampunk culture. The repercussions of this elitism may allow the steampunk genre to maintain its status as a culture that differs from the mainstream, as it is often not as affordable as mass produced home decor items, but it may oppress individuals who are passionate about steampunk as a form of interior design but do not have the resources to create steampunked home environments. Overall, I feel that do-it-yourself or hand-made and vintage items cost more than mass produced merchandise because of their often superior quality, and the time and labour that have been put into their creations. Therefore, I find that the heightened price of some goods for the home is justified, but feel that the exclusion of individuals is not. The good news is, steampunk home decor does not need to incorporate an entire home or even an entire room, and those who are passionate about the genre as a form of interior design may choose to create or purchase single items for their homes that stand out as unique works of art and conversational pieces against the rest of their decor.
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