Finds from Pottery Barn

It's that time of year again -- all the fall catalogs are coming in the mail. Here's what Pottery Barn has this season that is steampunk influenced or appropriate to a steampunk home.

First, the best two styling ideas from the fall catalog.


The gold, browns, and greys in this gallery wall really appealed to me. (I've been searching out well done gallery walls for ideas for my house, and this one has the eclectic mix of framed art and more tactile items, united by a good color scheme, that I like.)

Halloween-y, but I liked the idea of stacking books under a glass cloche.


Lastly, a kaboodle list with my choices -- some new, some have been around a while.

by saracarl

Grocery Store Design of Bristo Farms, a Department Store with Desert Style

A department store is a public place for shopping every thing, gifts, kitchen set and housewares, etc. The design of the store usually designed in a common design such as another shop interior design, I think that Bristo Farms store is different with another shop design, with a Dessert Style, this grocery store is designed with coloring theme like a dessert with warm color. The entrance door is designed such as a Mediterranean home design, but the interior design was different, the floor plans and the colors are beautiful, The first thing you DON'T see when you walk in is the check-out cashiers. In fact, they're nearly hidden off to the right side. It's NOT the typical warehouse look with several long isles of produce stacked on shelves.

It is a beautifully decorated and intricate amalgamation of sections and islands. Each department is it's own microcosm of allure and fascination.

The deli has a freshly baked pizza section where you can buy it by-the-slice or carry out whole, and next to that is a hand-carved meat sandwich bar. And it's all conveniently located next to the cafe, which offers even more choices of prepared foods. The cafe is just to the left of the deli area, but I couldn't get a picture because there were too many people in the way!

Even the cheese section is carefully thought out with presentation in mind. I don't know why, but I've always had a fascination with those big cheese wheels. The interiors are designed specially for each section. Just visit desertsociety to get more information about the Bristo Famrs.

TOPP's Globular Office

Yesterday's lights by Rejuvenation reminded me of this office I ran across on Design*Sponge.


this space houses the offices of the open planning project (topp) – a nonprofit founded by mark gorton, which develops tech tools for mapping and geospacial applications.

I love the use of globes and globe shapes to echo the function of the organization!





The designers, Ashley DeVries and Christine Dalsass, say:
We used a globe/mapping theme throughout the office, since it relates so closely to Topp's work. Almost all of the globes we used are vintage and each one is different. There are about 500 globes in the office, and we are always buying more!


Read more at Design*Sponge.

Rejuvenation Gas Style Industrial Lights -- to win!

Rejuvenation is giving away one of their new industrial gas light style fixtures.



I like how they both have an industrial vibe, and the spherical shape echoes globes, one of my favorite decorating themes...

Enter here until September 7th.

Thanks, Richard!

Poke Acupuncture!?!

Poke Acupuncture is a very non-traditional acupuncturist office -- just take a look!






Acupuncturist Russell Brown says:

What I am, and what I want my office to reflect, is an eclectic and stylish mix of fine and creative arts, and culture, and knowledge and music. I love birds, and vintage medical equipment. I like paint-by-numbers and photographs that tell stories. All my good friends know that I love the smell of old books and holding them always makes me cry. I want to showcase the tremendous talents of some of the great artists who have donated pieces to my “gallery” and I much prefer the sound of a great melancholy band to the tinkle of a mechanical fountain that just makes me have to pee. I think most of us feel better when we’re cozied up in our living rooms than in a cold medical office and I want that for my patients when they come here.

To that end, I have created this office for my patients, to relax in, to let go of their day, and to be transported into another world where they might be nourished not just by alternative healthcare, but an alternative environment to receive that care.

Via Apartment Therapy, thanks to Jesse Hayes.

Leather Flooring

Leather is one of those materials that "fits" steampunk very well -- it has vibes of the Victorian American West, is a softer counterpart to too much metal, yet is tough enough to be used by the gentleman explorer. Outside of upholstery or accessories, however, it's hard to incorporate into your home -- until now!


Jaimie left a comment about these leather floor mats from Ting made from recycled belts, and I'm loving how they look.


There are some ideas on how to make your own, here.

A stationary travelling tub...

@thaumata saw this and thought of us...

Yep, it's a leather wrapped bathtub. I love how it resembles an antique travelling trunk, but could do without the fleur di lis. (And couldn't they antique all the shiny brass?)

From French company Condor. More pictures here.

Blend Studios Office

Blend Studios is a "creative collective" in Milwaukee, Wisconsin specializing in 2D, 3D, and sound media. I suspect they should also consider interior design gigs -- their offices are unique and very personalized.

The office that has the most steampunk vibe is Nick's -- largely due to the mix of industrial salvage and antique wood used by his brother Jordan to make the desk and shelving.

Design notes:

• fabric curtains to soften the industrial edges
• damask wallpapers
• dark colors -- especially grey
• Edison bulbs
• leather furniture
• soft throws

(One of the challenges I'm finding to using a lot of harder materials like metal and stone is keeping it soft enough to be comfortable. Office space perhaps doesn't have to be as comfortable as a home, but I like how they use fabric drapes, upholstered furniture, throws, and wallpapers to soften the feel.)




See more pictures and read more about it at Apartment Therapy and the Blend Studios website.

Reversing Books

Elizabeth from One Must Shock the Bourgeois* is a frequent reader here, and I was browsing her blog after a recent comment (I do read them *all*, even if I don't reply) and found this intriguing idea: She flipped most of the books in her bookshelf spine side in.

Before

After

On pure aesthetics, it's a total win: The colors are more muted, more similar in tone. It's less distracting and cluttered. Her accessories are part of the same color scheme. It's lovely.

However there's no way it would fly at my house -- library organization was one of the most fraught negotiations of our early marriage, and not being able to see what books you have would defeat all organizational efforts -- but I thought it was interesting, nonetheless. Would you do this to your books?

*Just for the record, I'm firmly in the bourgeoisie, as defined by Wikipedia: part of the middle or merchant classes, and derived social and economic power from employment, education, and wealth. And not shocked by Elizabeth's blog--it takes more than reversed books to shock me. :)

Best Cafe Design with Green Themes

I love very much on green theme in a public place such as a cafe, here I collect several picture of green theme cafe from several places, just feel free to enjoy this green looks cafe design.The first cafe is Akasha Richmond's uber-green restaurant in Culver City. A green cafe withan eco-friendly uniforms, great space, lighting is just right, noise level is "spirited but manageable," there's a pizza she's ordered more than once, her friend got all "dreamy-eyed" over a vegetarian bowl with Punjab beans, desserts are delcious.

This is the Lettus cafe, a green restaurant, a natural cafe that made of natural fabrics and a unique stone-like floor, The fabric is 100 percent natural and will not off-gas toxic chemicals into the air—an environmental complement to Weiss’s organic food. The floor is covered with all-natural tiles from Royal Mosa, a company that recaptures and recycles all of its waste, from pigments to gas particulates.

source: http://la.eater.com, http://www.treehugger.com

Liquid Lights

One of the things I love about steampunk is that it blends opulence -- antiques, velvet, dark saturated colors -- with industrial roughness. These lights by Tanya Clarke are a good example -- she combines recycled plumbing pieces with hand sculpted glass drops and lights the whole thing with LEDs.




Whimsical and fun!

Find more at Liquid Light.

A Perfect Library

Loved this library, designed by Sills Huniford Associates.

The ladder, the desk, the balloon curtains, the glass fronted bookshelves... they are just perfection.

via Things that Inspire.

The Cargo Hold Restaurant

My sister took these pictures of the Cargo Hold restaurant at the aquarium in Durban, South Africa, knowing it was just my style.

The designers based it on the idea of a ghost ship, attacked by pirates, that drifted to shore.


A couple more pictures and a review from Kim's South Africa.

And one final exterior shot by StefanieInez on picasa.