Creepy, (Not Halloween) Home Decor

The Offbeat Bride is one of my favorite blogs for non-traditional bridal style.  They had a great post in response to a reader question about how to create a Gothic Home Decor aesthetic for their home without making it look like it was decorated for Halloween.  They had a great roundup of home goods that fit the bill...

They had everything from  glass skull door knobs, bat wall stickers, skeletal lawn flamingos, voodoo doll toothpick holders (both which I already own)  anatomical plates...   Check out their post here.

Grange Hall - Urban Flower in Dallas, TX

Posh, chic and macabre.  Not exactly the style one would associate with Dallas, Texas.  However, if you find yourself down South, Urban Flower/Grange Hall is a must-shop store with a gorgeous collection of jewelry and home decor.  Witty porcelain skulls (with a gold tooth), delicate treatments on taxidermy, candelabras made from doll heads make an elegant addition to any Gothic home.

Intricately cast jewelry from great designers look great with your corseted fashion.  Owners Rajan Patel and Jeffrey Lee produce beautiful floral arrangements as florists, but the curated dark-tinged merchandise is chosen with a sense of humor earn them a loyal customer following.

Kanibal Home

If you are in New Jersey, or looking to decorate your home online, take a look at one of my new favorite shops.  Kanibal Home is a wonderfully quirky boutique selling vintage, re-purposed items, eclectic decor, fashion accessories and clothing.  It's not quite Goth, but it definitely has a darker, wicked edge.

Rumor has it that the proprietor once worked at a morgue, giving her some macabre credibility.  The store's blog covers everything from taxidermy, fashion and fabulous DIY projects.

They launched a small graphic tee and scarf collection.  The artwork consisting of antique typewriters, chandeliers, vintage silverware and skulls.
What makes them tick? Their philosophy is "devouring the old and creating something new."

Designing Decay on the Set of True Blood

What goes into creating a dark, sexy mood for a tv show? New York Magazine just ran an interview with True Blood producer Alan Ball about the details that make that death and decay so seductive.

First, he treats the set for Sookie Stackhouse’s home as if it were his own. He travelled to the deep South to get every item right. For Sookie’s aged home, inherited from her grandmother, designers had the floors sag deliberately and made sure the joints did not line up perfectly. Bits and pieces were purchased from salvage yards. A hand-crocheted piece about “The Home” was even created by Alan Ball’s mother.

Production designer Suzuki Ingerslev explained the infamous Wheel of Torture in vampire bar Fangtasia’s basement as the work of incredible artists and plasterers. The bar itself is the public face of vampire sheriff Eric to entice revenue from the human population. Tacky, and meant to be sexy.

For Bill the vampire’s house, everything was meant to look like it was disrepair. Everything was worn through, including the velvet couch. What else would you expect from a bachelor of over 150 years?

Photos courtesy of HBO

Gothic Decor: TONY's Home Shopping Guide

Ok, they are not original. Yours truly published a review of the Addams Family Musical and a guide for Gothic home decor long before Time Out New York's article this week. However, I am appreciative of this nice shopping guide they put together to make your stylish acquisitions easy.
I like that the guide contain many items that are highly decorative in every price range. If you only have your lunch money for the week though, you can pick up this pretty 3-tier frame inspired by a jet crystal chandelier drop for only $30 (USD) at Urban Outfitters.
If budget is not a concern, there is the fabulous Amelie sofa from artist Nathalie Lete. This piece features an intricate crewel-work octopus against a dark flora ground for $3498 (USD) . Many of the items were easily found online or even at your local shopping mall. To see the entire guide, click through here.

Gothic Home Decor: Anthropology Chic

I came across a post by stylist and designer partner bloggers The Heights of Fashion. The article featured some pieces inspired by the interior designs soon to be featured in the decor site "Maison Bisono". It demonstrated how a Gothic home decor look could be achieved without succumbing to black walls and overly ornate trinkets. The scenes here were achieved by a few well-chosen objects. An ancient animal skull, weathered driftwood, a ceramic human skull. This small collection gave a slightly macabre look, but could be set in a contemporary room against Mongolian lamb throws and modern furniture. The objects have a sculptural look and can be set against etched mirrors, pale walls and still have a deliciously edgy ambiance.

Gothic Interior Design - Wallpapers by Grow House Grow

I got this little decor tip from a tweet from none other than Neil Gaiman himself... Grow House Grow is a Brooklyn-based design firm specializing in hand-printed wallpapers. While at first glance, the patterns have a lovely, art nouveau quality about them, a closer look reveals that each print has an edgy side.

Katie Deedy's designs are inspired by narratives, historical figures like Mary Ward (a naturalist focused on insects), Aleister Crowley, Captain Smith (of the doomed Titanic). Giant squids, spellbound hands, social insects make their way as motifs in retro-themed walls.

The website is very user-friendly. Each pattern is shown as a whole, in closeup or in a room setting. They are offered in multiple color combinations and are accompanied by the story of its muse.

Anti Valentine's Guide: Dirty Rotten Flowers

Bitterness and elegance... A potent mix n'est-ce pas? Dirty Rotten Flowers is a Lost Angeles-based florist that attends to the needs who need a florist to express just the right sentiment... Choose a seething bouquet of rotting blooms (their signature arrangement) ready for a coffin, or the more twisted romantic Morticia (a dozen decapitated rose stems).

When your (un)beloved opens the box and exclaims "Oh! You shouldn't have!" At least you'll know it was sincere...

NYC: Raines Law Room...Secretive Steampunk Libations

Does anyone miss the speakeasies of yore? In NYC, there certainly has been no shortage of the pseudo-prohibition bars. Raine's Law Room on the other hand, doesn't claim to be a secret pub, but aims to be a civilized cocktail party. Raine's Law, is a reference to the 1896 New York legislation that imposed prohibitively high taxes on the sale of liquor, but provided loopholes for hotels. As a result, many saloons now became 'hotels' with very short stays.

It has a discreet door-buzzer at the lower entrance of an apartment building. Once a smartly dressed gentleman (think vests and sleeve garters! opens the door and leads you into the parlor or back room bar, you can settle comfortably into a brown velvet couch of an organza draped booth or peruse the antique books in the lab-like bar.

The libations are inspired. Try the "Smoke and Mirrors". This one is a combination of 15 year old Scotch, Apricot brandy, Amaro, bitters and a twist of grapefruit. The "Spyglass" is a heady mix of rum, Fee's Orgeat, Cherry Bitters, Champagne and brandied cherry. When you have made your decision, one can summon the server by pulling the chain from the wall.

Etched glass bowls hold seasoned popcorn, the cocktails are created from herbs and fruits from their garden. If you look closely at the Victorian wallpapers of the commode and parlors, you will notice the flowery images are really cavorting naked bodies.

Absynthe Giveaway Winner! Evil Lily Originals

Congratulations to Courtesan Macabre's first giveaway winner! The lucky subscriber is the very stylish Evil Lily who will be receiving Christian Lacroix's newest fragrance, the sensuous Absynthe. The wicked lady is a fellow designer and has her own shop on Etsy. Her 'craft' includes gorgeous decor, accessories and clothing with a dark and romantic slant.

Lily explains that she is not really evil. Her name is a "Reference to deep purple/black calla lilies, as opposed to the innocent white ones. The calla lily is my favorite flower. The dark purple is equal to the black sheep, daring to be different from the norm." Her motto? "Step out of the box. Enjoy life." Amen!

Macabre Travel: The Darkside Store in Toronto, Canada

I'm so sorry for not writing sooner darlings. I was paying a visit to my friends in the North. The lovely city of Toronto is a rich source for Gothic style and lusciously brooding lovers. On a quick stroll of Queen Street West, always a hotbed of fashionable dark frocks I discovered delightful boutique. The Darkside Store is a wonderful shop dedicated to horror. A beautiful collection of books, cards and artwork is for sale by a talented artist calling herself Creepy Christine. Apparel with graphics from your favorite spooky cinematic moments are here as are a myriad of other collectibles. The facade on the street is lovingly created to resemble a haunted house. The store's website isn't quite up to date with all of the merchandise yet, but it lists many of the horror scene's great events around town.

For the Kitchen of the High End Witch

Designer Tord Boontje, known for his funky laser-cut home decor pieces for Artecnica has created an exquisite collection of kitchen tools for the wicked chef. This art set / cooking utensils features carved sustainable wood pieces with sinister-looking shapes and names like "Spoonchela" "Spork" and "Dagger". Also part of this collection, are carved, elegant mini-cauldrons and Claw-like salad tossers. While the designer price tag of $770 is steep for those without a fortune spell in their arsenal, it goes to support the Design With Conscience project. This organization promotes humane and environmentally friendly production and employs skilled artistans of undeveloped countries into self-sustaining communities.