Dutch designer Dennis Slootweg's rust covered creations, made from discarded industrial metal, take recycling to a whole new level of awesome. The pieces look like they came off the set of a dark science fiction movie or were salvaged from the ocean floor.
The furniture is either one-of-a-kind or limited edition with an eye toward sustainability and re-using industrial waste in a creative way. The unique designs combine traditional cabinetmaking with an art deco and steampunk aesthetic, making us wish we knew how to wield a blowtorch as well as Slootweg does.
See more of Dennis Slootweg's work on his website.
(Images: Ricki van der Tas)
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Awesome.
Brilliant.
Wow.
I would say that I want one of everything, except... that I feel like I'm not nearly cool enough to deserve even one of these pieces. Amazing!
Well.... now that I am finished being embarassed by the beauty, I think I have a crush!
Jean Pierre Jeunet and Caro film furniture. Reminds me of City of Lost Children. Wicked.
Amazing. My fantasy future home definitely has that light fixture in it.
I agree with 'hunted' -this. is. incredible. 'Beddybee' - here's more info about steampunk: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk
Am I the only one that's unfamiliar with the phrase "steampunk aesthetic"? - beddybee
Maybe the editor of this article is a bit fuzzy as well. Industrial, yes - but steampunk style would seem to require at least a tiny nod towards the alternate history origins of the genre. Opinions vary.
On the other hand, I'll take what I can get and appreciate the post. There's an incredible Steampunk house tour here: http://www.onlinepropertyshowcase.com/showcase/10328/
The sink in my evolving steampunk-influenced kitchen:
http://dean.pulley.org/steampunksink.JPG
Um, this stuff here waaaaaay more "steampunk" than that sink/sink, fuzzy editor or not.
To me, if it looks like a Tim Burton version of a Jules Version rewrite of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, then it's Steampunk.
For the record, "steampunk" my least favorite interior descriptor. Even more than "granny chic."
Ouch! Just going for a little flavoring, patrick (the other one). My questionable sink aside; if it's your least favorite descriptor, how are you able to qualify it so clearly?
My disagreement with the categorization stands, as does my appreciation of these pieces. Industrial, maybe Dieselpunk.
BTW, Jules Version is one of my favorite little known authors!
Because I make an attempt to understand anything I can about design, not just the parts I like.
patrick (the other one), you are forcing me to show what a total geek I am! As long as you've thrown down the articulated brass pneumatic gear driven gauntlet...
Steampunk design aesthetic is, at base, about role playing. Role playing with giant milling machines, immense rolling structures and reimagined industrial design for utilitarian devices, but role playing. Complete with backstory, canon, literature, music and ... cons. Yes, I've been. The nicest, most creative and self-sufficient folks I've ever met. Some people paint their face for the NFL, others build dream machines and wear industrial corsets.
The reason it's a unsatisfactory interior design descriptor for you is the narrow interface between interior design genres and the motivating factors behind the steampunk design aesthetic. Few would be the instances of someone deliberating over whether to go Steampunk or Mid Century Modern with their living room. Aficionados produce a lot of furnishings because it's a part of Maker Culture to construct what you imagine, but they are not really interested in weighing it against the Bauhaus - just tweaking the mechanism to maximum function while keeping in the aesthetic.
What do the three examples you site have in common that's missing from the furnishings in the post? Design cues based in the styles popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Especially Roland Emett's repurposed utilitarian sculpture, used in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (written by Ian Fleming!) and the Victorian Oriental influence in the better visualizations of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Some of Burton's production design embraces the reimagining of the period, others wonderfully not.
All of which seems to matter little to Dennis Slootweg. He makes no mention of the movement on his website. Too busy doing his own incredible thing. Just a quick label added because someone in Editorial saw rust and some repurposed metal is my guess at why the term is associated with his work in this post.
You're in the Bay Area, right? A visit with my best friend in the St. Claire Aeronauts would set any doubts to rest. Besides being a gifted Steampunk jewelry manufacturer and a spirited participant in Steampunk events,she's the smartest (except for living with me for two years) and most articulate person I've ever encountered. When not searching out new biomedical miracles, she's an even bigger geek than I am - and that's saying something. Be glad to make an introduction.
Immense rolling structures:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/inspiration/neverwas-haul-a-steampunk-house-on-wheels-101038
Reimagined Industrial Design:
http://steampunkworkshop.com/nathans-guitar-amp
Giant Milling Machines:
http://steampunkworkshop.com/moving-bridgeport-milling-machine-recreational-rigging
Industrial Corset:
http://www.nifnaks.com/chatterings-blog/rugged-femininity-my-new-work-corset-21.html
Give editor Sarah a break. Since there is no real style moniker precedent for this work shown here, she went for the next categorical best thing, to at least get people in the ballpark. Don't be so dismissive to say "she saw rust, so..." Perhaps "steampunk-reminiscent" (or your own "steampunk-influenced") might have been a safer choice of header, but I don't think she was as wrong as you seem to think she is. I see the connection, absolutely. Literal? Perhaps not, but since the movement is so (deliberately) derivative, I did not see the harm in her choice of blanket statement. Nor did it seem terribly under-informed.
I actually never said the *term* was unsatisfactory. Just said I really don't like the style, overall, as it applies to interiors. And for my wildly aesthetic tastes, it is only one of two or three of the exceptions.
As far as my Cliff Notes version of a definition, I stand by it (and I think you did too, although I'm not positive, to be honest). And I actually like my misquote of Jules Version! (Apologies, Mr. Verne. Your books still enlightened my childhood, even if I effed up your name in a moment of type-haste.) And I only said Tim Burton because I was too tired to Google the name of the production designer of The Wild Wild West or the recent Sherlock Holmes remake, and the opening credits of Edward Scissorhands came to mind as a suitable stand-in...
For the record, I don't, nor have I ever, doubted or dissed the creators or role-players of all that is Steampunk. More power to *anyone* who does what they do out of passion and creativity. Especially if they do it in a corset! Indeed, some of my most creative friends wear chaps and harnesses. But I digress...
If by the Bay Area you mean New York City, then, yes.
I love it, thank you for posting.