Defining Steampunk Interior Design

The first step in understanding steampunk as a form of interior design involves defining the genre. The definition is one that many people understand differently and, perhaps, struggle to pin down to a concrete dictionary-like definition. I think that the struggle to define steampunk is exactly what makes it so great; it is not an aesthetic that has a solid definition, but is a changeable genre that allows for individual interpretation and expression. That being said, there are some particular components that I consider to be important in the definition of steampunk. Please note that my definition is geared towards a focus on the requirements of aesthetic components. Get it? Geared? Hilarious.

(1) Steampunk design should include a mixture of both old and new technology, though the degree to which each item is anachronistic and modern varies greatly.

(2) Steampunk aesthetics in terms of decor are not limited to a specifically Victorian, England past (although it doesn't hurt). There is emphasis, however, on late nineteenth century objects. 

(3) Importance is placed upon the function of an object. How it works and what it is able to do is more important than an object that holds purely aesthetic value. This appeals to both the actual physical function of an object as well as the idea of designing an object that enables an individual to see how it works.

(4) The 'punk' of steampunk is revealed in the anti-establishment view of steampunkers, who may aim to go against mass-produced merchandise by either attaining objects that are rare because of their ages, through the creation of objects from scratch, or through both, in which antiques or modern objects are reworked into new and functioning objects. In this sense, an importance is placed upon the do-it-yourself aspect of steampunk.

(5) In regards to the greater significance of a steampunk lifestle reflected in aesthetics and decor, the genre provides both a means of escapism and a correlation to the formation of one's identity.

(6) Brown helps.

Steampunk Home Tour: Photo Gallery

Bruce and Melanie Rosenbaum have outfitted their entire 1901 Victorian home with steampunk aesthetics that combine “the best of Victorian high design and craftsmanship with modern functionality and usefulness” (Von Slatt).

Bruce's office is located in the old servant's quarters. He has created a steampunk design by using galvanized tin salvaged from an old government building instead of wood for the wainscoting (Von Slatt)

Bruce's computer and workstation was made using a vintage pipe organ (Rainwater)

A Fusion of Old and New Elements: The Facts

Brian Robb suggests that, “Modding - meaning to modify - began primarily with ‘case modding’ by early adopters within the steampunk online communities, who customized their laptops, computers, and ipods, adapting various steampunk-influenced designs seen in comic books, in movies, or TV shows by adding cogs, wheels, steam pipes, radio valves, and typewriter keys. The aim is to disguise modern technology. Making it appear as though it had emerged from a re-imagined Victorian past” (Robb 167). Although Victorian England may not have been the greatest place to live for anyone other than the affluent, steampunk enthusiasts prize the design of the period. However, steampunkers interested in interior design may still want to have modern appliances and technologies. A MacBook and a flatscreen TV may look out of place within steampunk home decor, so ‘modding’ is applied to fuse the new technology with older and more elegant and ornamental elements.

The steampunk-designed computer in the image above was originally created by steampunk artisan Richard Nagy (pseudonym Datamancer) for his girlfriend, but was featured in the television series Warehouse 13 and, subsequently, inspired many fans to create their own, reflecting the common do-it-yourself spirit of steampunk design and aesthetics. The focus on modern technology blended with aesthetic features of the past is represented clearly, and the computer is made predominantly with parts from vintage typewriters (Robb 167-9). The designer claims that his work demonstrates, “the classical Victoriana [sic] with modern technology” (Robb 169).

The ‘Nagy Magical-Movable-Type Pixello-Dynamotronic Computational Engine’ is another creation by steampunk enthusiast Richard Nagy, who is self-proclaimed as, “a Steampunk contraptor, technical artist, and jackass-of-all trades” (Robb 169). The computer and its accompanying desk are examples of modern technology fused with Victorian elements. An Underwood typewriter from about 1907 acts as a functional keyboard, a ship port-hole has become the CD drive, and there’s even a flatbed scanner that is designed to look like a leather bound book(Porter). A fairly compact computer now takes up quite a large amount of space, but can be placed as a focal object in a steampunk decorated home.

The significance of Modding is the concept of re-using items that no longer have use to others. Mixing old and new elements, "fits with our current moves towards recycling and reuse, and reacquaintance with traditional crafts. These are emphasised (sic) because of the current economic recession, but they are one of the key elements of Steampunk culture. Nothing is thrown away; if something no longer works, an object or a piece of clothing is taken apart and used to make something else" (Atkinson 6). While mass produced commercialized products may be trashed by some consumers when newer models are released, or when the products no longer function properly, steampunk homeowners try to rework and reuse old and new items. Steampunkers may opt to purchase vintage merchandise or products that others no longer use because of their technologies, such as typewriters, and create something completely unique. Therefore, by mixing anachronistic and new goods, steampunk homeowners are able to reuse, recycle, and create products that are one of a kind.

A Personalized DIY Steampunk Home

The do-it-yourself aspect of steampunk house decor means that more time and energy needs to be put into the creation of one’s home than is often expected in modern or mainstream decor homes. Items are not simply plucked from Walmart shelves and ordered from IKEA catalogues, but rummaged out of vintage shop bins, and put together by individuals who are able to let their skills and creativities blossom in the creation of household objects that are unique and truly one’s own. Because of steampunk’s blurred aesthetic lines in terms of defining what is and what is not steampunk, the idea of personal creations enables individuals' own distinctive tastes and characterizations of steampunk designs to come to life. Furthermore, the creations of personalized goods by doing-it-oneself allows homeowners to have the satisfaction of knowing the quality of their productions. Individuals may not be able to comprehend the quality of mainstream household objects until after they have been purchased. Personally, I’ve boughten many articles of furniture from corporate retailers such as Walmart, IKEA, and Zehrs that are aesthetically pleasing, but do not hold up well when faced with every-day wear and tear. However, when I do-it-myself and put the time into creating items for my home, I can ensure that they are quality products because I am a good judge of my own skills. It seems that the objects that last are those that are created personally with attention to details and a great inputs of time.

Datamancer, also known as Richard Nagy, praises the, “lost art of manufacture and fabrication” (Robb 169) that was present in the Victorian era but may be understood as lost today in a culture where machines create and build products, or many individuals work on small portions of larger objects in assembly lines. He suggests that, “craftsmen of the [past] were keen to show off their handiwork. There was also a wider appreciation of the aesthetics of the industry that is lacking in the sleek world of Apple computers” (Robb 170). Datamancer is revealing the admiration within the steampunk community for craftsmanship found in hand made and do-it-yourself goods for homes. As steampunk homeowners often have do-it-yourself attitudes about the interior designs of their houses, they are able to create objects that are not only truly customized and individual, but may be of good qualities; characteristics that may empower homeowners as they are able to be proud of their creative handiworks. 

Examples of the many varieties of truly unique steampunk aesthetics within homes that owners are able to customize through do-it-yourself creations

By doing-it-oneself, homeowners are able to build and create spaces that allow them to explore and express their own identities through escaping from mainstream cultural medias and aesthetics. Museum Studies professor Jeanette Atkinson suggests, “The craving for individuality and the search for identity in Steampunk communities focuses on history, fashion and the creation of material culture. Identity and a construction of self are linked to a preoccupation with reimagining the past and revisualising the present, a desire to escape to another time, another world, which could, potentially, be described as a form of utopia.” (Atkinson 1-2). By embracing a culture in which objects, furniture, appliances, and aesthetic elements may be made by individuals for their homes, steampunk homeowners are able to create spaces that allow them to escape to ‘another world’ that combines both the past and present and, in doing so, are able to better understand and form their own personal identities. As steampunkers' identities may be considered alternate and consisting of elements other than those comprising the identities of ‘mainstream’ individuals who do not wish to escape from modern aesthetics and cultures, it may be difficult for steampunkers to feel as if they are a part of mainstream society or they may have difficult times fitting in. As the visual elements that make up many cities, towns, and public or work buildings do not consist of steampunk aesthetics or decor, it is, perhaps, only in steampunk enthusiasts’ homes in which they have personally created elements through a do-it-yourself design that they are able to escape and truly understand and embrace their own identities. Overall, the do-it-yourself aspect of steampunk creates, not only unique objects, but unique escapist environments that allow homeowners to truly express their individualities through the design and personal production of their homes.

For Those Who Are Unable to Do-It-Themselves

The ability to create and mold one’s own furniture, artwork, and decor within a steampunk decorated home is a major component of the steampunk aesthetic. The do-it-yourself aspect is part of what enables the ‘punk’ in steampunkers to exist, as an anti-establishment focus is present in personalized and hand-created aesthetics. However, not all home owners who wish to outfit their homes in steampunk decor may have the skills to create the complex, useable, and often necessary objects within their homes, such as stoves, computers, light fixtures, etc. Steampunkers who wish to outfit themselves may be able to learn the necessary skills to stitch or glue together clothing and props in a relatively short period of time through online and print tutorials, but the knowledge necessary in outfitting a home may include metalwork, electrical, and carpentry, to name a few. Considering these implications, one may comprehend that a steampunked home done in the do-it-yourself style is available only for those who have the required skills. 

One option for the steampunk enthusiasts who are not handy-men or women is to hire out help and let their own creativity produce designs and components that are then made by professionals. In one New York steampunk apartment (please see the video above), the realtor claimed that, “everything [in the home] is something that’s come out of [the owner’s] imagination” (Jmarsdesign). Even though the owner needed the help of a contractor to build some of the objects and aesthetic aspects within his home, he opted to create his own furniture by re-working mass produced material culture and antiques such as the piping on his walls, and created some components from scratch in a steampunk style, such as the airship dropping from the ceiling. Although the owner of the apartment was unable to physically create his own space because he did not have the specific knowledge or skills to do so, I feel that the do-it-yourself component is still applicable, as the designs of the home are done by him mentally, before being carried out by a contractor (Jmarsdesign). In this sense, the steampunk homeowner is still able to resist overproduced commercialized products to create a space that is uniquely his own and, therefore, fit into the antiestablishment ‘punk’ quality discussed previously. 

Images are all from the same home, in which the homeowner designed spaces before hiring help to build and create his designs

Commercialized DIY

While not all steampunkers have the know-how that may enable them to create custom designed goods for their homes, those who do are able to use their skills in the manipulation of mass produced items for the home to gain profits. Computers are probably one of the most popular objects that encompass a do-it-yourself attitude and there are several online and print tutorials for those who are technologically savvy enough to merge the new technology of computers with a historical or Victorian aesthetic style.Click here for an example of a simple steampunk keyboard tutorial and click here to see a simple steampunk computer desk do-it-yourself tutorial for those who may not have the advanced skills to recreate computers and laptops.

A skilled and well-known steampunker within the steampunk community who retrofits computers and accessories is Datamancer, who sells his modified keyboards for four hundred to seven hundred dollars a piece (Datamancer). Although the items are custom-created and individualized for steampunk homes, the notion of do-it-yourself is complicated. While Datamancer may embrace the steampunk do-it-yourself philosophy, his creations are not made for himself, but for customers. Personally, I feel that purchases that are  hand-made or at least custom-altered by steampunk enthusiasts such at Datamancer still embrace the do-it-yourself quality of steampunk interior design more so than mass produced material culture created by large corporations. Large companies may be interested in steampunk only because it exists as a relatively new market of consumers to sell products to, which is demonstrated by goods such as the household items labelled ‘steampunk’ that are sold by the multinational corporation Design Tuscano, which sells steampunk statues, book ends, wall clocks, and sculptures for the home through large corporations such as Walmart (Design Tuscano).

Datamancer working on a custom steampunk computer

Products labelled and sold by the large corporation Design Tuscano as "steampunk"

By supporting individuals and small companies that deal exclusively with steampunk aesthetics, homeowners who do not have the necessary skills to do-it-themselves and create unique electronics, furniture, and household items are able to support the steampunk community and, I feel, maintain the ‘punk’ perspective of steampunk by rejecting mass produced merchandise created by huge corporations. Although it is favourable for individuals to create their own goods for their homes, the steampunk community may be unable to survive without additional help from professionals and those who have extensive knowledges of crafts such as woodworking, electrical, stonemasonry, and more. 

Andre Rothblatt's steampunk bathroom required a knowledge of plumbing to put together 

Skills in welding and knowledge of ventilation would be necessary to create this unique steampunk fire place

An added benefit to those in the steampunk community such as Datamancer or the owners of ModVic (Modern Victorian) Home Restoration, Melanie and Bruse Rosenbaum (Von Slatt), is that the escapism from work and other social environments available through steampunk homes is accessible through work as well. The do-it-yourself aspect of steampunk that is available to many on a small scale, in which individuals can create decorative pieces for their homes, and to fewer on a large scale in which knowledges of trade skills may be necessary, allows skilled individuals to benefit and share their creative passions and expertise with fellow steampunkers by selling their unique products.

Is Steampunk Home Design Only Available for the Affluent?

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.