There is a misconception out there that clocks belong in the homes of those that have leanings towards the conservative and the traditional. When most of us think of a grandfather clock or a hanging wall clock we think of them ensconced among high end design, rich tapestries, and grand décor. This was the image I always had in my head, anyway, and so when it came to decorating my home, I didn’t think to look for any clocks to round out my design plans.

I have what you would call an eclectic design style. I like great pieces and it matters not to me if they do or do not match. In fact, my favorite thing to do in terms of décor is to pull a variety of really great pieces together in a way that brings balance to a room. I like fun and flashy colors – no neutrals for me – and unusual fabrics and materials. The more nooks and crannies a piece has the more I am inclined to like it and bring it home with me.

I found this really great shelving unit at a garage sale and I stripped it down and repainted it; now it just looks amazing in between my two front windows. Then the fun became finding those things that would look spectacular highlighted on the shelf. And that’s when I found my mantel clock.

I love the sound of ticking clocks. There’s something really soothing about it. So when I went into my friend’s house a few weeks ago, I was immediately drawn to the tick-tock of a wall clock she had hung in her family room. But – wait – this was not the traditional wood wall clock that I would expect in such a room; it was this completely fun wall clock in distressed wood with big funky numbers. I immediately asked where my friend had purchased such a gem and she pointed me to an online supplier where I found the best selection of clocks. Some traditional but also many contemporary and fun designs.

Which is where I found the mantel clock that now graces my shelf – affordable, functional, and just my style!

Decorating a home is no small task; a lot of compromises must be made between those who live in the home; and ultimately a well decorated home makes use of an interesting color palette, comfortable yet sophisticated furnishings, and pieces that the homeowner truly loves. These specially chosen pieces will offer guests to the home a window into the personality of the homeowner and will work to give the home that truly loved and lived in feel.

If you can’t think of anything that you truly love and want to display then consider the purchase of a special clock to round out your decorating style. Contemporary clock designers have offered a variety of choices to consumers in terms of clock styles, sizes, and prices. You are just as likely to find a contemporary wall clock as you are to find a traditional grandfather clock through the online clock supplier websites available today.

Once you find the clock that you truly love, give it a home where you will enjoy looking at it every day. Consider:

* Place a wall clock that you love in a sunroom where you have your morning coffee and read the paper. Its gentle tick-tock will wake you up in a pleasant manner and allow you to start your day off the right way.

* Place a traditional grandfather clock – reminiscent perhaps of the grandfather clock your parents used to have in their home – in a study where you do your office work or reading. There is nothing better than looking up now and again to see something you truly love.

* Put a mantel clock that you love on a bedroom shelf or dresser. Just because it’s a mantel clock does not necessarily mean it has to sit on a fireplace mantel. You have sole discretion to determine where to place the clocks you love.

In the last post we discussed the practice of “staging” for those who are currently selling – or preparing to sell – their home. Staging essentially refers to the readying of the home to make it more attractive to potential buyers and speed up the process of selling the property at the desirable price.

In most cases, staging combines the use of color palettes, furniture placement, and other proven design tricks to welcome potential buyers to the home in such a way that they can easily envision their own family living happily in the space. And so sellers have been known to paint walls, change out fabrics, buy or rearrange furniture, clear the space of personal items, and utilize accessories that impart quality and sophistication. To this end, clocks often lend themselves quite well to the comprehensive staging of a home. Some of the ways in which clocks can be used most appropriately include:

• Mantel clocks above a fireplace. If you have a fireplace in your home this is huge selling feature for any potential buyer and so it is important to showcase this area of the home. The fireplace mantel should be given much thought in terms of design as the eye is drawn to this area and it will essentially promote the fireplace. Mantel clocks – which come in a variety of styles; everything from traditional to contemporary – can help make the best use of space and really showcase a fireplace in the best possible light.

• Wall clocks in a family room or living room. Wall clocks are the perfect accessory on any wall and a great alternative to traditional art pieces. This is a wonderful way to accent a room; and the gentle tick-tock of the clock is often familiar and comfortable to those taking a tour of your home.

• Grandfather clocks in a study or library. There is nothing grander than a grandfather clock which makes it the perfect accessory in nearly any room in the home; plus it easily acts as a centerpiece of a room and can make a large statement.

Staging with clocks can help really make your home a warm and inviting place. But best of all, when your home does sell (quickly, we hope!) you can take your clocks along with you to your new home.

For quite a long stretch the trend of the day was something called “shabby chic” – a home décor that captured a mixture of the distressed look of antiques and the simple elegance of country farmhouse. Those who love the look of antiques may still shop the flea markets and estate sales for their one of a kind pieces, but when it comes to particular items they may desire more contemporary mechanics.

Clocks are those items that make for beautiful antiques; but if consumers desire a working and functional clock they very often need to buy modern pieces that offer the newest technology. This does not mean, however, that clock buyers need to sacrifice the beauty of the antiques in order to the get the functionality that they want.

High end clock suppliers offer contemporary clocks – with modern technology – that are made to look like antiques – designed in a way that would just as easily fit in a home 50 years ago. These antique inspired designs allow clock buyers to essentially have their cake and eat it too; they can have all the elegance, sophistication and beauty of yesteryear and still be assured that the clock they purchase will function as it should.

Most notable for consumers is the fact that they can visit these high-end clock suppliers online where they can shop from among a variety of different designs; no matter what kind of wood they want, or what kind of style – wall clock, mantel clock, grandmother clock, grandfather clock – they can be found through online clock suppliers.

Anniversaries are like the Christmas holidays and birthdays in that there are so many options for gift-giving but nothing that clearly stands above the rest. We all have those people in our lives that are difficult to buy for and for whom we struggle with the perfect gift to give whenever the occasion arises. Anniversary gifts are not for everyone; they are generally given between couples or given to those people who we are closest to in our lives. The difficulty of giving such a gift stems from the need to make it something functional yet romantic, interesting yet sentimental; there are so many things from which to choose.

Clocks are one item that many people may not automatically think of when they think of giving a gift; yet the choice of a beautiful clock for a couple that is celebrating an anniversary (or a husband or wife with whom you are celebrating an anniversary) can be a wonderfully sentimental – and yet decorative and functional – gift.

Consider a beautiful antique inspired mantel clock – reminiscent of another time – engraved at the bottom with the couple’s wedding date and a special anniversary message; a wall clock that is an exact replica of a wall clock that used to hang in the home of a grandparent, also engraved and chiming the hour in a dining room or family room; or a grandfather or grandmother clock with elaborate artwork depicting a romantic scene and perhaps chiming a particular melody that is familiar and special to the couple.

Gift giving doesn’t have to be so difficult when you think outside the box. Consider a beautiful clock as an anniversary gift for someone you love.

While most of us consider the library to be that large facility in our town or county that holds thousands of books for our borrowing pleasure, there are also those of us who are lucky enough to have a library right in our own homes; a bonus room that is often included in old homes – and in new construction.

The home library can essentially be whatever the homeowner desires it to be; a quiet retreat for reading, writing, and meditation; an office in which to accomplish work; or a family gathering placed where games can be played and stories read without the interference of television. But no matter what homeowners choose to get from their home library, the décor that they choose will be what ultimately defines the space.

To that end, homeowners make a variety of choices regarding flooring, wall color, furniture, and artwork they wish to include in the room – all with the goal of creating a palette that essentially allows the library to serve its purpose. Part of the process of decorating this space is choosing those items – no matter how small they may seem – that will speak to the overall design theme and offer punches of personality. Clocks, while they may be the very last thing that home decorators may consider in terms of decorative items, can bring color, vibrancy, and personality to a home library from wherever they sit in a room.

Wall clocks above shelves of books, a mantel clock perched atop furniture such as an office desk, and even a grandmother or grandfather clock in the corner can have vast impact on the overall atmosphere and personality of a home library.

Preparing for a wedding is an exciting and wonderful time in any couple’s life, as they make arrangements for one of the biggest days that they will likely celebrate with family and friends. There are many customs associated with wedding preparation, not the least of which is the organization of a bridal shower during which the bride (and by extension, her soon to be husband) are showered with gifts with which to set up their new home together.

The tradition has become – in recent years – for the couple to register for gifts at their favorite stores, choosing those items that are in line with their taste and personality. Everything from china settings and bedding to serving pieces and towels are included on a bridal registry – used by those attending the bridal shower or the wedding so that they can purchase gifts the couple will most enjoy.

The store roster in which wedding registries are available is growing and more and more couples are beginning to include more unique pieces in their registry. Clocks – that which may have been purchased by a homeowner themselves or handed down within a family – are beginning to make their way onto bridal registries in recent years as well.

Clocks are one of the most often overlooked wedding gifts; but in actuality they make the perfect gift. And recognizing that they are likely not make the purchase themselves any time in the immediate future, couples are asking on their bridal registry for those clocks that they would love to include in their homes.

Everything from wall clocks and mantel clocks are found on modern bridal registries; as are grandfather and grandmother clocks – beautiful wedding gifts that are cherished for a lifetime.

When it comes to design – it is the challenge of most homeowners or renters to seek out those elements that will give them the most bang for their buck. After all, we are looking for ways to decorate our homes affordably; not everyone can afford the high end furniture and the décor elements offered to us through interior designers. Thankfully, with the help of the Internet – that gives us immediate access to all of the products we could ever hope to find – and the robust offerings of do-it-yourself design shows that have become such a staple on our televisions, we are able to go about creating effective – as well as affordable – design plans that work for our homes.

More than just the color on our walls, more than just the furniture we place in our rooms, home design really comes down to the small things – the details that offer glimpses into our personalities; that is what ultimately makes a house a home. Clocks – something that are often thought of as simply a way to tell the time – can actually have an enormous impact on the overall décor of a room, and even an entire home.

Clocks are timekeeping devices that are counted among the oldest existing human inventions. But today we honor the history of clocks by designing and creating clocks of many different varieties. Certainly there are traditionally designed clocks – everything from wall clocks to grandfather clocks and everything in between. But modern clockmakers have also been able to create more contemporary clock designs to fit into the modern landscape.

Regardless of whether you choose a traditional style clock or a more sleekly designed contemporary clock, homeowners will find that clocks of any kind are an affordable option for home design.

When it comes to decorating a home, most homeowners look to the larger elements in order to pull their design together; elements such as paint, flooring, and furniture that can clearly define a room – and a home at large. But the truth is that as impactful as these elements are in decorating a home, the real power is in the details; the smaller pieces that you may not notice right away but that make a statement nonetheless – like what a well chosen accessory or great pair of shoes can do for our outfit.

When it comes to the decoration of our homes one of the greatest accessories can be a wonderful clock put in one or several rooms. Clocks come in a variety of styles and in an array of designs – well suited for homes with every décor. Used as an addition to an already established decorating theme, clocks can really pack a punch in terms of pulling it all together. Consider using clocks in a variety of ways when you decorate your home, including:

*A kitchen that has been recently remodeled in a country farmhouse style will be served well by a traditional or country style wall clock.

*A formal living room that has been outfitted with traditional furniture can easily handle a beautiful grandfather clock or grandmother clock created in an antique style.

*A family room where friends and family gather around a modern fireplace would be a great place to put a contemporary styled mantel clock.

When you are looking for wonderful accessories to help further the design chosen for your home, don’t overlook the power of clocks.

The Internet has certainly changed the way in which we do our shopping. Now more than ever, consumers have access to an enormous variety of products and services; all of which are theirs for the taking with just the touch of a few buttons. Even larger items, such as clocks, can be found online through comprehensive websites such 1-800-4CLOCKS where they can be browsed, purchased, and shipped straight to our door.

Through reputable online suppliers such as 1-800-4CLOCKS consumers have access to a variety of clocks such as:

*Wall Clocks – Walls clocks are created in a variety of styles; from simple round faced clocks to those designed to look like miniature grandfather clocks. Hung in hallways, entranceways, and in any room in the home – from kitchens to living rooms – wall clocks, in many cases, are much like pieces of art hung on our walls.

*Mantel Clocks – Nothing is more inviting than a fireplace. And adding décor to the mantel above the fireplace becomes something of an art form in and of itself. Mantel clocks are the perfect way to showcase a fireplace and really set the mood in a room.

*Grandfather Clocks – Not every room – or home for that matter – can handle the size and “personality” of a grandfather clock. They anchor a room, create an unrivalled statement, and often become the most cherished of our family heirlooms. For those rooms that require a little less in terms of size, there are grandmother clocks – just as statuesque but smaller in scale.

*Atomic Clocks – At home on desks, nightstands, and in more casual environments, atomic clocks add a personality all their own. Who says that bedrooms and offices don’t deserve their own brand of flair? Atomic clocks can offer the perfect accessory for smaller rooms.