Idha Lindhag for Svenskt Tenn

Morning! If you spend too much time looking at interior design pictures like I do, you'll have definitely seen some of Swedish photographer Idha Lindhag's images. Here's a shoot she did for Svenskt Tenn, a famous interior shop in Stockholm founded in 1924. I love, love LOVE these pictures.

Idha Lindhag for Svenskt Tenn

Svenskt Tenn has a distinct style with a combination of 'Viennese elegance and Swedish functionalism'. The webshop is so worth checking out - if only for the 2356 brass ceiling lamp.....to channel the brass touches in this home above. Any other brass tips for 2012?

Microscopes, Aged and Brass

Allen Wissner has been collecting antique brass microscopes for three decades.

His site -- where he shares his extensive collection with the hope that readers will discover him and support his habit by selling him more -- is filled with many different models and uses.

There are articles about antique microscopes...an index by country of origin...he even branches out in microspectroscopes.

Most Fabulous Corkscrew in the World

The most fabulous corkscrew in the world by Rob Higgs. (Way better than any other steampunk wine accoutrements.)

via Alrededor del Mundo Steampunk.

Collecting Brass

I was browsing through Rare Victorian, a great blog dedicated to Victorian furniture, and ran into a comment by Zeke on collecting Victorian brass.

Sniffing around in antique shops, flea markets etc. can reveal a variety of Victorian brass and iron objects that can add interest when placed on your Victorian furniture.

Here’s a few that we have arrayed on a dresser in our bedroom:

Brass Eastlake thermometer - $60 - Ebay
Iron Eastlake inkwell - $65 - Grist Mill antiques New jersey
Modern gothic dresser mirror, brass or copper over iron - $28 Garage flea Market, New York
Brass victorian blotter - $10 - Lambertville NJ flea Market
Eastlake oil lamp converted to electric - $28 Milford PA antique shop
Aesthetic bird shade on lamp - $10 garage flea market New York.

These were all under $100 and are fun to search for. They make great little gifts for the Victorian enthusiast

Zeke's Photobucket account with lots of shots of his home and fabulous furniture.

Brassing up the old dishwasher

Lee sent me a link to these instructions on how to make old appliances look "new." The new they are referring to here is faux stainless steel, but the same type of contact paper is also available in brass....



In fact, I think brass contact paper could have a multitude of uses in a steampunk home. (Or copper, if you prefer.) Covering a boring side table? Papering a wall in a bathroom? Adding interest to the interior of a bookshelf? Any other ideas?


Now, if only someone can come up with a way to antique it.

The Treasure Trove at RadioGuy

Radio-guy Steve Erenberg is the real thing. Before I even knew what steampunk was, I had stumbled across his website and spent hours pouring over his wild and wonderful collection. Although I mentioned him recently in the post on scissor lamps, I thought he and his collection deserved a post all to themselves.

What does this collection entail? "Oddball and scary scientific stuff, globes, industrial masks and helmets, motors, contraptions, classroom demonstration models, tools, nautical, medical, lighting, early advertising, electrostatic devices, telephones, telegraphs, planeteria, patent and design models, steam engines, microscopes, salesman samples, anatomical, x-ray tubes, artist mannequins, microphones, and early radio equipment." Whew -- a little bit of everything, all of it different and wonderful.

Here's three of my favorites, but you should definitely visit his entire site and waste an enjoyable hour of your day exploring it.

A static electricity generator (could it be from the 1700s, as the filename implies?)
A granite and brass reostat.

And a microscope lamp:



Housewise, most of these are great collections, accessories, etc., if you could find similar things through eBay or antiques dealers. The lighting section, however, is full of great ideas for functional antique industrial lights for your home.

p.s. The masks and mortician models in the museum section are not to be missed if you have a taste for the slightly macabre.