Believe it or not, I do not really give wall clocks a whole lot of thought on any given day. Sure, there are some very cool wall clocks out there, but it isn't something most people think about unless they are actively considering the decor of their home.
This past weekend, I had a bit of a freaky experience that made me think of a few decorative wall clocks from my youth. It also got me thinking about some of the more contemporary wall clock offerings available today.
Considering Wall Clocks
One of my favorite weekend activities is hitting the local yard sales and estate sales. I especially like checking out the estate sales because you can find tons of unusual things on any given weekend (usually at pretty good prices). You have to be willing to deal with the luck of the draw though. You never really know what you'll find. In the past, I've found some really great bedroom furniture, wall mirrors, a large sofa table... You name it. My neighbor Phyllis heads out religiously every weekend, with her husband in tow, looking for decorative furniture that she can refurbish. We often share our weekend shopping stories. (More on this later)
Anyway, I stopped at one particular estate sale the other day, and felt like I stepped into a time machine. Apparently the lady who passed away never updated anything after about 1975. The neat thing was, it looked like she bought most of the stuff that was in my parents' house when I was growing up. In particular, there were two large wall clocks that were exact matches for clocks I had learned to tell time with when I was growing up! That's the freaky part. One was a very large sunburst wall clock, that I remember having a really hard time reading, and the other was a basic square kitchen wall clock that had a silver background with different colored balls where all of the numbers should have been. That one taught me to know where the numbers belong without seeing the actual numbers. I bought them both. I don't know if I'll ever put up that funky kitchen wall clock, but the sunburst one is going up in my game room for sure.
My Neighbor's Take on Wall Clocks
So this is where my neighbor, Phyllis, comes into the picture. Apparently, she does think about wall clocks. I told her my little tale and showed her my freshly purchased retro wall clocks. She listened dutifully and admired them a bit. Then she went on to tell me about how wonderful wall clocks are for decorating. That is what I thought I'd share to make this more than just a post about my shopping adventures.
It seems that a lot of people like to use big wall clocks for more than just telling time. They are becoming one of the more popular accessories around the house for sprucing up boring walls. I can't argue with that, I suppose. I was never a big fan of large, generic paintings created by people I don't know. They are OK, but landscapes and bowls of fruit sort of bore me after a while.
Other popular options in time keeping devices include cuckoo clocks (I've always wanted one), neon wall clocks (had one in college, but broke it), and grandfather clocks. I really do like grandfather clocks with a working pendulum. I've never had one, but that is one oversized clock I'd love to add to the entryway of my house. I can still remember the distinctive chime sounds that came from the antique grandfather clock in my Grandma's house when I was little.
This little foray into the world of timepieces has been a real walk down memory lane for me. If you are looking for a way to add some interesting decorative elements to your boring walls, try thinking beyond those starving artist prints you've been using. Along with the retro wall clocks I've been reminiscing about, there are also some very cool contemporary wall clocks available today. If you are analog challenged, there are even digital wall clocks to help get you where you need to be on time. So there you go. I've now spent more time thinking about this subject than I have since I was little and learning how to tell time. I think I've got it out of my system. Now it's time for you to get yourself a couple of wall clocks for your own home!
Shown above are a few of the more interesting wall clocks I found selling on Amazon.
