Yes, antiques. Despite—or perhaps because of—the relentless digitalization of everything, there’s a growing interest in collectibles. To see this in action, just look at the Nielsen television ratings: the two top-rated cable shows are “American Pickers” and “Pawn Stars”, which are History Channel programs that deal with the trade or resurrection of old items, many of which have a historical story behind them.
Form and Function
Steampunk takes this fascination with retro one better by saving the history and making it useful. It does so by transforming these old items from pieces of art into pieces of art that serve practical everyday purposes. Thus an old pump organ morphs into a computer workstation; an antique picture frame houses a TV screen; a copper water tank becomes a filtered water dispenser. “We’re taking things from the late 1800s–early 1900s and giving them new purpose,” says Bruce.
In a tough building market, he sees this as something builders and interior designers should seriously consider adding to their repertoire. “I know tradespeople who do great work and whose word-of-mouth reputation used to bring them enough business to get by during recessions,” he says. “But even these people are hurting now.”
Rosenbaum says that Steampunk lets them offer something fresh and creative that the competition doesn’t, and that the design lessons it offers can be used to update items from almost any time period. “If you’re working with a client who wants green technology and they don’t want it to clash with what they have, you can offer this as a design solution.”
He notes that the hard part is finding people to translate design into reality. “These are creative people who can use the visual and math sides of their brains; they have a rare ability to blend the technology into the period items in a way that’s seamless. They’re not easy to find.”
In the living room an antique mantel now houses a flat-screen TV rather than a mirror. The stove insert actually hides the controls for the entertainment center. The entire mantel is on a hinge so it can be opened to access wiring.
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