If you remember my Comic-Con photo galleries, you know that steampunk is pretty much my favorite thing. I mean, not so much steampunk itself, more the idea that people are into steampunk. This is how you know that hipster culture has infected nerd culture, by the way. When suddenly it’s not enough to dress like you’re from the future, now you have to dress like some retro version of the future from a book you probably haven’t read (not to mention the opportunities for creative facial hair). Remember the guy from the steampunk hat catalog? Well today we’ve discovered someone with EVEN MORE STEAMPUNK CRED! (Though perhaps still not as much as the guy wearing a phonograph speaker on his back).
It’s Jeremy Noritz, and his steampunk loft apartment in Chelsea (pictured). Purchased in 2006 for $1.3 million and now on the market (FURNISHINGS INCLUDED!) for $1.75 million, this place is sure to melt the bloomers off a saucy dame and have her polishing your brass ray gun in no time.
Transforming a plain-vanilla co-op into a Jules Verne wonderland took about two years. ‘Like other large projects, the initial budget and scope were quite modest compared to the beast it would eventually become,’ he said. The 1,800-square-foot space is configured as an open loft with one bedroom and two full baths, which are hidden behind walls of antique piping, gears and cogs.
Mr. Noritz, a filmmaker [with no IMDB page -Ed.], said photos of zeppelins informed the design, as did steampunk style, which is inspired by science-fiction and fanciful interpretations of Victorian-era technology. ‘I wanted to build a unique experience for visitors and myself,’ he said.
Everything from large wooden gears weighing more than 500 pounds to the vintage recliners with built-in cup holders in the living room were collected by Mr. Noritz from metal foundries and antique shops. Sculptures, blimps and fans dangle from the ceiling.
In the kitchen, antique wrenches double as drawer pulls and cabinet door handles. Some cabinets display antique fans instead of dishes. Mr. Noritz said the sepia-colored concrete floors were inspired by the patina of a favored Rodin sculpture. The focal point of the home is a color-changing zeppelin that appears to float from the ceiling. Past an arched brick wall is the bedroom, decorated to look like an exploded zeppelin. The bedroom holds a Murphy bed. It’s operated by another complex contraption—a deactivated bomb, that lifts and lowers to move the bed.
CORE holds the listing. ‘I imagine the buyer to be anyone with an appreciation for the arts,’ said Mr. Noritz, who added that the buyer could be ‘single or a family with pets. Someone who likes to cook and entertain would feel right at home.’
‘I find myself about to spend a long time away from New York,’ Mr. Noritz said. ‘I love my home dearly, but it’s time for someone else to enjoy it.‘ [Wall Street Journal via Yahoo]
I’m embarking on a great expedition, which will take me from the jungles of darkest Africa to the halls of East Prussia to the shores of British Honduras! All on the power of steam! Now fetch my goggles and top hat! My only defense against, uh… the steam! Huzzah!
Something about the juxtaposition of the paper towels is hilarious to me.
[pics via WSJ]