Clocks at their Finest

Once upon a time, wall clocks were nothing more than functional pieces of equipment, designed merely for getting people out the door on time to make sure they weren’t late for their meetings, school, and the basic appointments of life. While there was of course, a certain amount of mastery that went into the craftsmanship of each and every wall clock, their basic design was to inform, not decorate. Over the years, a great transformation has occurred that has made the wall clock more than an essential piece of daily informational. It is, in fact, a timely device that is now used to enhance the décor of one’s living environment. And quite magically so.

The kitchen clock began its transformation with the detailed rooster living smack dead center on the clock. For eons, this was the symbol of kitchen clocks everywhere. Roosters, I suppose, were associated with morning, which was associated with early mornings in the kitchen for breakfast and coffee and juice, and thus associated with leaving promptly at eight. While the kitchen clock is still available with its tell tale rooster smack dead center, thankfully, it also now comes in a broad array of designs in order to allow for more creative decorating throughout the kitchen. Although, few people consciously decorate their kitchen.

Outdoor wall clocks went through a similar transformation. Initially used to help school children make it back into the kitchen in time for breakfast after their morning farm chores were complete, the outdoor clock was initially made to be robust, to weather the storms without breaking and shattering, and to stand firm against blustery winds, lest the school children return from their chores too late to eat breakfast. Outdoor clocks have now become highly decorative pieces of wall art , while still sturdy against the elements, they are now considered a piece of outdoor art in some cases. They can be beautiful as they are handy, and in some parts of the country, they are still able to get the school children in from their morning chores in time for a hearty breakfast before school.

Wall clocks of all types are now available in different decors, accentuating some of the highlights of the home. Large or small, these timepieces are still essential in keeping people on their predetermined schedules. Yet at the same time, they have become enjoyable artworks in the homes of those who cherish great and unique craftsmanship. It can be truly fabulous to find just the perfect clock to hang over a mantle or to take up an entire wall in the living room, or that perfect little swirly handed timepiece for the bedroom. It’s an oddity to be able to look at something and say, “Ya know, I really love that clock.” But the truth is that when we bring home, or are given, something truly precious and special, we do love it much in the same way we used to love our teddy bears as children. Nostalgia, new age, classical, trendy, timeless, and accurate, these pieces have come through amazing transformations to become part of the heart of what makes our homes, well, our homes.