Ninth Ward Bar, NYC

I'm not sure what to think of a New York City bar named after the most Hurricane Katrina devasted area of New Orleans, but I do like how it looks:

To note: The woodwork, the flooring, the lanterns.

Love the cast iron registers used to light the stairs.

Beautiful back lit stained glass.

See more pictures at Eater NYC.

I seem to be on a bar/restaurant kick. If you know of any others with strong steampunkish design, comment here or send me a note. Thanks!

Betsey's Bar, Austin, Texas

via.

Before I even knew what steampunk was, I had fallen in love with the "vibe" at a bar in downtown Austin called Betsey's Bar. A bit old west, a bit circus, a bit Victorian, a bit flea market, with vintage Pac-Man tabletop games thrown in for good measure, it was exactly the vibe I wanted for my bedroom.

At the time (2007), the only picture I could find was this teeny-tiny one of the bar area on CitySearch:

But more recently I ran across some band pictures (the band is Texas Renegade) taken at the bar. They do a much better job showing off the space.



What do you think? I'm not sure I'd call it steampunk, but it's been around for 5+ years, which makes it an early incarnation of the style. The fact that it's lasted that long in Austin also tells me it resonates with a lot of people as a comfortable place to hang out.

Apotheke

Laurie commented that Dark Nostalgia featured a bar in New York called Apotheke -- she wants to move in. I don't blame her.


It's designed to look like a 19th century Austrian royal apothecary. Designer Christopher Tierney took inspiration from researching old European apothecaries, absinthe dens, and the Biedermeier design era.


The space is anchored by a 30-foot performance bar made from imported carrera marble. The hand-carved back bar is filled with hundreds of antique medicine bottles that were collected from around the world.


I love the wood floors, with tile inset corners.

I can't tell what the ceiling is made of, can you?


Tierney also fabricated wall sconces and a chandelier from chemistry glassware...

Chemistry graffitti -- how clever!

Wallpaper from vintage apothecary adverts.

Bar or Steampunk Laboratory?

Did you know I scour Apartment Therapy for the word "steampunk"? Yep, I do. Just for you. And I ran across this post about the bar in Thom Filcia's weekend home that a commenter named Tiamat the Red thought looked like a steampunk laboratory.

I was reminded of it when Jon emailed me a link to this bar at Pottery Barn.


Similar, no?

And if you really wanted to up the laboratory feel, add in some borosilicate beakers for mixing and some more "worktable" style lighting.

Smith & Mills

Smith & Mills is a TriBeCa bar & restaurant designed by John McCormick. I've never been, but it looks pretty wonderful, with blueprints on the walls and industrial pieces combined with soft banquette seating.


It's ...the sort of place where a 1920s Eastern European factory worker could blow off some steam after a hard day hammering steel.

Inside the non-marked spot, you'll find a diminutive den of working-class touches: male staffers in basic blue workman's jackets, ladies in factory dresses (so unsexy they're sexy) and shelves lined with antique dishes, cans and mason jars. Meanwhile, low-lit Edison bulbs create a moody, amber vibe you can soak up from one of the faded lime banquettes as you sip vintage cocktails (Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs, Negronis). In the bathroom—a onetime elevator shaft—you'll use a train car sink that empties manually (it'll be just like that summer you spent in Dresden). (UrbanDaddy)

serves classy cocktails of the Hoover regime to women with vintage handbags and men who’ve cultivated the facial hair of silent-movie villains. The bar itself is tiny, but so low-lit you’ll hardly notice how small it is. Shadows and 30-watt Edison bulbs are complicit in helping to create a dramatic atmosphere, though the space has plenty of narrative to begin with: Smith and Mills is in a 200-year-old building that once housed a coffee roaster, a seafarers’ inn and a horse stable. The current decor is remarkable, from the drainpipe mirrors behind the bar to the ship blueprints that adorn the walls to the bathroom, which is actually a vintage elevator. Everything seems rusty, which lends Smith and Mills a blue-collar, proletariat feel. (PaperMag)