Large, decorative wall clocks and small rooms

When decorating a small room, we often think that we have to keep the wall art small as well. This makes sense to us when we think about proportion and scale. However, having a number of small pieces on a wall makes the eye stop many times, and this tends to make a room appear smaller. Large decorative wall clocks make an impact and offer a less cluttered look.

If you’ve read my post about the TV show, Fixer Upper, you will know that I love Joanna Gaines’ decorating style. One of the elements she uses successfully is very large clocks.  For a while, we have been seeing oversized clocks for sale all over the place – many of which are mass produced fake vintage pieces,  made out of plastic or resin. Others, however, are beautiful pieces of art that do not just serve a time-keeping function.

My aunt gave me a small clock for my 21st birthday, an object of real beauty. I suppose it made such an impression on me because it was my very first valuable decor item. It was a marvel of miniature engineering and it may be a bit battered and worn today but it still stands on my mantelpiece.

I love the sense of history that comes with a clock. Hearing the ticking of a large grandfather clock brings back many childhood memories. Some say clocks are a constant reminder of time passing in a world where they are always in a rush. They would rather not feature them prominently in their homes and they dislike the constant ticking. I find something very reassuring about that measured ticking. The tick of a clock in a room is like a heartbeat to me.

Clocks  have had many incarnations over the years. Few people have grandfather clocks in their modern homes but clocks of many descriptions still feature prominently and they will always be around.

What about oversized clocks?

A popular current trend is using oversized clocks. As with any object you use to decorate your home, an oversized clock needs to be carefully chosen and placed with some thought or it can be an eyesore. Oversized clocks have been ‘on trend’ for a while and so they will probably fall out of favor, sooner or later. However, I believe that if an object is a genuine work of art and you love it, there will always be a place for it in your home whether it is ‘on trend’ or not.  It can create a focal point in a room, even in a small room, without being overwhelming. If you already have a focal point like a fireplace, the right clock compliments it rather than competing with it.

Now, if you are a dab hand at DIY, there are plenty of oversized clock tutorials. This one made out of pallet wood on Dusty McRae’s blog  sounds quite simple to make. All she did was take apart the pallet, lay all the boards together and nail them. She used a large circular saw blade as a pattern for the circle,  tracing it onto the wood and then filling it with cream paint. She used some stain to give it a more vintage look.  The Roman numerals were printed, cut out, traced onto the clock face, and painted with brown paint. Her husband drilled a hole for the clock hands and installed them for her.  

If you are anything like me, you don’t have the tools, the patience or the help of a husband to tackle this project!  I decided to take the easy route instead and because I liked the look of this clock, I started searching for one online that looked like it.

It did not take me long to find some options.

The first one I found that really appealed to me was the rustic-looking Harrington antique wall clock from Uttermost  It is available from various online stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom and  Amazon. It is hand-crafted with an antiqued ivory finish and distressing around the outer rim. The face is ivory with tonal Roman numerals. It is 36″ wide and extends 2″ from the wall. The fleur-de-lis detail on the hour hand is a nice touch. It is battery powered and takes one AA battery.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO BUY NOW FROM AMAZON

(The clock is priced similarly at $305.80 in various online stores)

This wooden wall clock, also available from a variety of online stores, has similar appeal with aged wood panels accented with rustic dark bronze metal details and gold highlights.  The best price I could find for this clock was  $178.00 from Amazon – Houzz and other stores were charging $217.80 and some interior designers were charging up to $250.80 for exactly the same item.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO BUY NOW FROM AMAZON

If your budget is limited, get the look for less with this Carte Postal wall clock, made of medium density fiberboard material. It is available in antique cream with black printed finish. The measurements are 20″ length by 1″ width by 24″ height.

It is available from Amazon at $46 and $50 or more at other online stores. It is currently out of stock at a number of online stores so it obviously a popular item.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO BUY NOW FROM AMAZON

So, if you think that you are excluded from decorating with a large wall clock because you are living in a small space, think again. A large clock can work extremely well as a focal point in a small room. It also works well placed above a fireplace in a complimentary role.

I would love to hear your comments about whether you think oversized clocks are ‘old news’ or whether you like them as much as I do and think they still have a place. What do you feel about using them in a small room?