Beautiful Clocks, Part II

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the comments and emails from my post a few days ago on Beautiful Clocks, and received so many new pictures by email that a 'Beautiful Clocks, Part II' had to be written!

Valorie from Visual Vamp is clearly a lover of large clocks, and she emailed me some stunning images. The above photo was her inspiration for a revamp (pun intended!) of her living room.

Here is Valorie's redesigned living room! Joni of Cote de Texas had the idea of putting the clock on the shutters, and Valorie calls the idea pure genius. Isn't this a beautiful room, and a beautiful clock?

Another big clock picture (is there a term for this kind of clock? Some called it a train station clock, others a railway clock, others just refer to it as a big clock), via Valorie and Cote de Texas.

Valorie also sent me this picture from the home of Brooke Giannetti (of Velvet and Linen). Two clocks, the best of both worlds.

Of all the pictures that Valorie sent me, this might be my favorite. The clock is like a sculpture. I do think that with this style, the bigger the clock the more dramatic the effect.

Another reader, stormygirl, sent this great picture of a large clock over a buffet. I loved seeing this picture as I am thinking about putting a clock over a similarly scaled buffet in my kitchen.

Ron van Empel, of Empel Collections, emailed me a picture of the striking clock in his own home.

I had a new person comment on the blog, a stylist and magazine scout (and blogger) who was involved in the photo shoot for the Traditional Home cover in my last post. The interior design was done by Bellacasa Design of Houston. When looking at the Bellacasa Design site, I was struck at comparison between the picture that was used on the cover of the magazine, and the picture that was used inside. On the cover - no clock. In the article, the clock appears. I wonder why this decision was made? Perhaps because the lettering on the cover conflicted with the lines of the clock.

Although the majority of my comments and emails were about the railway clock style, I did get a few new pictures of Mora clocks. Cote de Texas sent me this picture of a beautiful antique Mora clock that belongs to a friend of hers (featured in this great post ). I think the color is perfection.

A Mora clock from the home of the owners of the Wisteria catalog - it looks beautiful in their kitchen. Image via Cote de Texas.

Cote de Texas has a clock on the landing of her own stairway.

I meant to include this picture in my last post, but forgot. It seems like quite a few Mora clocks show up in kitchens. I like how this one is tucked in corner.

So, now my inspiration files have been greatly enriched by so many beautiful clock photos. I even created a special folder called 'clocks'! I have a feeling this is one of those things I am always going to notice from this point forward - beautiful clocks. I have also found about six places in my own home where either a Mora clock or a railway (or train station) clock would be right at home. It's a good thing I am so judicious about making new purchases, otherwise the discoveries I make while blogging would cost me an absolute fortune!

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Beautiful Clocks

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I have never really given much consideration to clocks, so pulling together this post was a bit of a challenge. Although I have so many pictures in my inspiration files, I never save pictures because of a clock, so any pictures I found in my files must have been saved for some other reason - a pretty fabric, light colored floor, architectural elements, or the overall design of the room.

I do remember thinking this picture was striking when it was on the cover of one of my favorite magazines, although I can't remember which magazine (maybe Traditional Home?). It was the clock that immediately caught my eye.

This image (via Cottage Living) shows a nice big clock on the wall of a family room.

Another picture of a large clock on the wall (also via Cottage Living). I could only find three examples of this look in my files, which either means I haven't gravitated to the look in the past, or that the look is not reflected in the design magazines I read.

Readers, what do you think about large clocks on walls? I have decided that I like the look and am giving serious consideration to putting one over the sideboard in my kitchen. It would be both interesting to look at and functional, as it always seems like my children are racing against the clock when getting ready for school. On second thought, maybe it would be stressful for someone like me who likes to be prompt! I like the look of these wall clocks from Ballard Designs.; they are 31" in diameter. I just can't decide whether it is 'me', but it is not an overly expensive commitment. If you know of any other sources for large clocks, please email me, or better yet make a note in the comments. I get the feeling that if you are going to go for this look, the bigger the better, and 31" might not be big enough.

Let's move on to the Swedish Mora clock. This picture, from Traditional Home, is truly beautiful, and the clock is part of what gives the entry such character. Others have done good historical posts on this style (such as this post from Willow Decor), so I will just focus on my admiration of the style. I have quite a few pictures of Mora clocks in my inspiration files because I love the light and airy look of Swedish decor, and Mora clocks tend to beautifully accent homes with this design aesthetic.

Recently, when posting about where to put a series of framed intaglios in my front hall, several readers emailed me and suggested that I put a Mora clock at the top of my stairs. I must admit that I am intrigued with this idea, and if I didn't have the steadfast belief (or maybe pipedream given the steep decline of our stock portfolio) that I will be moving within the next 18 months, I might have seriously considered this.

Lars Bolander, master of elegant and sophisticated Swedish style (and from Sweden himself), uses a beautiful and rich colored Mora clock in this design.

The Suzanne Kasler designed home that I posted about last month has a Mora clock tucked into the curve of the stairs.

This picture, from At Home magazine, shows a darker toned Swedish clock.

A pastel Mora clock seen on Daisy Pink Cupcake.

A room from the most blogged about movie decor of all time - Something's Gotta Give. Cote de Texas did a famous post on the decor from this movie, and she noted that the Swedish Mora clock is a very important design element in the room.

GJ Styles makes nice reproduction Swedish clock. This is the regular version, at 82" high. It also comes in blue.

This is the tall version, at 90" high. This one also comes in blue.

A. Tyner is a Swedish antique store in Atlanta that has literally dozens of Swedish clocks, both antique and reproduction. Here are a few examples that caught my eye. You can see additional examples on their web site.

Last but not least, a new discovery for me. While working on this post, I came across the most beautiful object on Cote de Texas' blog. It was from one of her first posts. Joni told me that it is an antique French barometer, and noted that they can be quite expensive; I verified this when looking at 1st Dibs. There is a gorgeous French barometer that is listed for $60,000! I initially thought it was a clock and a barometer, as it has a clocklike look (and this is why it is part of this post), but Joni corrected me after reading the post and said that it is not a clock, just a barometer!

Here is a picture of the barometer in the context of the room. Interiors by Joni Webb (isn't this a beautiful room?).

In a happy coincidence, the new issue of Southern Accents has a lovely French barometer on the cover. The home belongs to Patrick Dunne, contributing editor of Southern Accents and owner of New Orleans antique store Lucullus. I will certainly be keeping my eye out for barometer in design pictures (and in fact, another reader suggested a barometer for the top of my stairs instead of a mora clock). It will be like playing 'Where's Waldo' every time I open a magazine or a blog post.

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