Our Store 1-800-4CLOCKS, which is a leader in grandfather clocks discounts and sells clocks of all types, was intrigued by inquiries received in advance of the November 4 Presidential Elections.

The request was to purchase atomic wall clocks and atomic mantel clocks that could be used is polling places around the country, being especially helpful when it comes to closing time for the USA polls.  Atomic clocks are known for their accuracy to within a tiny fraction of a second, and being able to synchronize polling closing times was seen as a major benefit.

Among the clocks considered for use on a grand scale were Howard Miller Atomic Clocks.

Which were chosen and used where?  Unfortunately, we are not at liberty to disclose.

We can say that we were not able to offer, yet, an atomic grandfather clock.  Perhaps by the time the next election comes around.

Surely I am no different than a great number of people out there that do their best to decorate their homes within their budget. But as I related in my last post, I had fallen into a bad pattern of simply filling my home with things for which I really had no deep and abiding love; they were just things that I could afford and that I thought would hold me over in terms of decorating until I could ultimately fit what I wanted into my budget.

But as I recounted, I have learned through a love of home design shows that it is far better to pick up a few well loved pieces than to fill a home with lesser quality things that have no emotional value to the person living there. This does not mean that every piece in a home has to have a sentimental attachment; it means that in order for a home design to really come together you must really love the pieces with which you surround yourself. Which is how I found my way to clocks.

I always loved clocks from afar but I didn’t really understand how they would work in my home. I guess I always had it in my head that clocks were of traditional design in most cases; a design that I could appreciate but that wouldn’t necessarily fit with my own home décor.

But recently I found this amazing website that has opened to me the world of clocks. There I have found clocks of every style and design – from traditional to modern, in styles and materials that appeal to my own sense of decorating and that have worked unbelievably well in pulling my home décor together. From the mantel clock I have in my family room to my favorite purchase of the year – a beautiful grandfather clock – I have found pieces that I truly love!

I have culled any knowledge that I have about decorating (which is fairly little I am humbled to report) from the many hours of home decorating television shows that I have become addicted to over the years. If there is a show about cleaning up, cleaning out, revamping, and remodeling I am there with mental notebook at the ready. And, ultimately, what I think the best piece of understanding that I have garnered is that there is no rush when it comes to creating a home design that works for your style and your budget.

In the past I was always that person who – upon finding that great apartment, and later that great house – would immediately fill it with “stuff” because empty scared me. It didn’t matter that it was not the stuff that held any sort of appeal to me – aesthetic or otherwise; I didn’t have the money for what I really wanted so I just found the things that were in my budget and would suffice for the “time being.” I didn’t realize, of course, how long that time would stretch.

What I learned from decorating shows is to never bring anything into my home that I don’t truly love. And if I need to wait for that item to become available or affordable then so be it; the wait is most assuredly better than the filling of space with items that ultimately don’t fit the bill. A few good pieces are almost always better than many pieces that are “less than” in terms of quality and, more importantly, likeability.

So ultimately I found what I really loved and I set to work finding these pieces at affordable prices; something that really and truly paid off with regard to the warmth and comfort of my home. Clocks, for instance, have always been a great love of mine although more in the observational sense. I just never understood how I could best incorporate clocks into my home design. Until, of course, I found the best of the best in terms of shopping online. More on me finding the door to all things clocks in the next post…

If you want an affordable and really fresh way to perk up your décor in a way that is completely in line with your own style, consider clocks. Shopping online has allowed us to access some of the best products available in the marketplace; and logistically speaking it is not at all necessary that we be close enough to drive to an actual physical location. Through clock suppliers, consumers can find all the makes, models, and styles that best suit them and that speak to them on a deeper level than just picking them up in a random store.

Through online clock suppliers, expect to find:

* Wall clocks. From round faced wall clocks to pendulum style clocks, wall clocks are a great way to add some flair to your space. Traditional pendulum style clocks round out a classic style home and some of the really fun and funky round faced wall clocks really lend some pizzazz to a bolder, more contemporary style.

* Mantel clocks, Sure, they look great on a mantelpiece; but mantel clocks are small and portable enough to work in just about any room in the home and in any situation. Try mantel clocks on decorative tables, on shelves in place of bookends, and in the nooks and crannies in your home that you want to fill with something special.

* Grandfather and grandmother clocks. These grand pieces are the quintessential clock and they look amazing just about anywhere. But don’t think that you have to go classic in order to get a grandfather clock; high-end online clock suppliers are showing a bevy of modern, fun styles of grandfather clocks.

When it comes to decorating our homes, no one wants to be considered to have created “average” home décor. Anyone can go to the nearest home goods retail outlet and purchase all the things that are trendy at the moment; but what does this say about our own personal style? Not much.

Rather, in order for a home’s décor to be truly something special, it must be infused with that quality that can only be attributed to the homeowner’s personality and own sense of style. By incorporating this style into the home décor palette, homeowners are able to achieve what they never could with a rudimentary trip to a store that provides the goods but doesn’t know a thing about you.

In order to be extraordinary – in home design or anything else – you need to think along extraordinary lines. Stop looking among the mass produced accessories and furniture to find your style and define it for yourself. There are plenty of really wonderful pieces that can be found everywhere from antique stores to estate sales; even a bookshelf found on the corner and destined for the trash can be easily transformed into a treasure.

One of the more versatile accessories that will fit anywhere in a home are clocks. They all perform much the same function; but they go about it in their own style. Clocks can be traditional or they can be funky. Clocks can be country or they can be uptown. No matter what message you want to send with clocks – you have the opportunity by shopping online with some of the best suppliers in the industry.

In the next post, we’ll talk more about how clocks of all kinds can change the feel of a home.

When we first purchased this home a large part of the appeal was the home’s huge basement. It was unfinished but my husband and I had grand ideas about finishing this room and making a fun playroom/rec room with a wall to wall bar. Of course, life got in the way of those plans and just prior to being in the house ten years we finally began work on the basement. The final result was beyond what either of us could have ever imagined. The bar really is amazing – wall to wall deep mahogany wood, a flat screen television mounted in the corner of the room, and even beer on tap!

Decorating this room became something really fun for us to do. We went from shop to shop and also did quite a bit of online shopping to find everything from the bar stools to the glasses. We were able to find some really fun pieces and have created a getaway right in our own house.

The piece that really topped everything off, however, was a clock I found for my husband. I found it online through this amazing clock supplier; their selection was unbelievable and I was thrilled to see that they had so many unique pieces from which to choose.

We had discussed having a clock above the bar but hadn’t found anything we both liked. But through this site I found an amazing wall clock engraved with the brand of my husband’s favorite beer. This was way beyond some cheesy bar clock; it was an absolutely beautiful piece with deep, rich wood, intricate lettering and numbers, and an authenticity that made you feel as though you were stepping into a pub.

Needless to say, my husband loved it. And he really loved the website when I showed him where I found the clock. Now maybe I’ll get that grandfather clock I’ve had my eye on!

In the last post we talked about the propensity of homeowners and renters to turn their attention to their home décor during the fall season. With the approach of the holidays, this is generally the time period during which most of us will receive visitors; such is the time that we want to create a warm and welcoming place for friends and family to gather – something of which we can be proud.

As we discussed, part of this “setting the scene” for fall is about cleaning out your current living arrangement – removing clutter and streamlining your life. But beyond the basics, it’s about creating a space that is reflective of your unique personality and style preferences.

Again, in terms of creating high drama for low money, clocks are wonderful pieces to have in any home. The ways in which clocks can be used most successfully in a home include:

• Using fun and different atomic clocks in a bedroom or in a room that is more casual in tone.

• Placing a wall clock in a room that is in need of some wall art. Everyone does the pictures and photographs to dress an empty space on the wall. Why not try a clock for an affordable and unique solution?

• Getting creative with mantel clocks. Want to transform a space for a small investment? Try using mantel clocks as decorative pieces on shelves, on tables, and – yes – on the mantel of a fireplace.

Look outside and nothing really looks any different. But the buzz of activity around us tells us that summer has come to an end and the bolstered schedule of fall is at hand. This is a really crazy time of year for a lot of people as kids go back to school and the holidays – while still a few months off – begin to demand some attention. This is typically the time of year during which people turn a lot of attention towards the décor and upkeep of their home. After all, this is the time of year when gatherings with family and friends start to happen; most of us have more company during this upcoming time of year than at any other time of the year.

And so we set to work cleaning up our house and elevating the décor to something that is more welcoming to guests and more comfortable for us to enjoy during this special time of year.

Of course cleaning out those items that we should no longer be housing is a big part of making our home more appealing. But once the clean out is accomplished, it comes down to decorating our space with as much personality as possible; choosing those elements that are very indicative of our style and what we want to project.

Many people in this situation look for ways in which to decorate comprehensively but affordably; meaning they want as much impact for as little money as possible in terms of transforming their home. Clocks really fit the bill in this regard; they can easily have transformative powers in a room, and in an overall home, and – best of all – they are extremely affordable.

In the next post, we’ll talk about some of the ways in which we can use clocks affordably in our homes for fall decorating.

For most of us, the only consideration we have to give to home décor is to our one primary residence. For others, however, who have a vacation home, a second property, or even a boat in their life, decorating takes on a whole new meaning. When you consider how expensive it can be to decorate one home, you can only imagine the cost of decorating multiple properties.

In order to make the process go smoother, many homeowners will simply buy multiples of pieces that they love. This may mean the purchase of a particular piece of furniture that works well in their primary residence and is sure to work just as well in a separate property, the use of a particular paint color, and even the use of accessories within the same family.

Those who love clocks, for example, may be inclined to purchase several clock pieces when doing their shopping – a mantel clock or grandfather clock for their primary residence and a matching mantel clock and a wall clock (a design that is made to resemble the grandfather clock but in much scaled down version) for their additional property.

Just because you are decorating a home that you don’t live in full time does not mean that you shouldn’t work to make it just as homey and appealing as your primary residence. After all, this is a home that you, your family, and even your friends may spend quite a bit of time in – a place at the beach where you can spend summers, a place in the mountains where you can ski in the winter, or a boat docked a nearby marina where you can jump aboard and hit the open water. Whatever purpose it serves, this property is yours and should be decorated accordingly.

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.