Nowadays, wall clocks are used not only to know what time it is, but also to decorate rooms in the house. A detail in the interior clearly demonstrates the good taste of the owners and becomes an element of pride. Antique and vintage watches are considered the most popular. Modern elements are decorated in different frames. The material for the frame can be wood, plastic, fabric, porcelain or metal.
Multiple ideas allow you to use watches in different design solutions used in the interior.
What types are there?
Depending on the installation method, there are 3 options for accessories.
- Wall clocks in the interior are classics of the genre. They come in different sizes: from very compact ones, usually hanging above the desktop, to large ones, occupying half the wall above the sofa or bed.
- Floor-standing. A large clock in the interior does not necessarily have to hang on the wall. They can stand on the floor - but please note that the model will take up more space, unlike the previous ones. The dial is located in the upper part; a clock mechanism with a pendulum is usually installed below, or space is left for small shelves, a bar, or flower stands.
- Tabletop. They are distinguished from wall-mounted ones by their installation method and size. Tabletop ones, as the name implies, are placed on tables, cabinets, chests of drawers, shelves - therefore they must be quite compact. If it's an alarm clock, size doesn't matter. If using them as decoration, choose such dimensions that the time can be seen from the farthest point of the room.
Based on the structure of the mechanism, there are 2 options for clocks in the interior:
- Mechanical. They require regular manual winding and operate on the energy of a spiral. Those same old cuckoo houses.
- Quartz. They use the energy of electrical impulses: they operate from a battery or an outlet. Almost all modern models of small and large clocks are in the interior.
Clock in the living room
If your home has wall models that are historical in nature, then their place is in the hall. Only in this room will the decorative detail be appreciated not only by relatives, but by friends. The clock in the living room acts as a decorative accent.
Carefully choose the model option for this room. It could be a cheap antique watch with pictures of nature or photos of celebrities. It doesn’t matter what decor you choose, the main thing is that it matches the interior of the room.
For classic or modern style, models made of natural wood with bronze inserts are suitable. This combination will make the room representative. For a room with restrained simplicity, purchase cuckoo walkers.
Vintage style wall clock decor
To give modern watches a touch of antiquity and mystery, as if they keep the secrets of three to five generations, you can use several ways to decorate them. The simplest thing is to coat the watch with varnish with a craquelure effect, a mesh of the finest cracks. Before this, watches, primarily wooden ones, can be painted with pastel paint or glazed (apply several layers of transparent paint). A watch with gilding and patina will look more expressive, with a claim to rarity. Natural stone and aged metal are suitable for decorating retro watches. And it is better to decorate an unsightly wooden clock from fifty years ago with artistic carvings.
Photo: giannettihome.com
Photo: home-designing.com
Photo: freshome.com
Decoupage technique for creating antique watches
Decoupage is one of the popular techniques for decorating things with your own hands. It is simple: a picture cut out of paper or fabric is glued to the surface of the object and secured with varnish. Images from authentic postcards, magazines, and photographs from the middle of the last century are most suitable for creating vintage watches. A wooden, glass, metal, plastic or plywood base, which you can buy in craft stores or make yourself, is sanded, primed and, depending on the decorative intent, painted with pastel colors. After the paint has completely dried, the image is carefully glued and covered with varnish, but not craquelure! It is applied only after the first layer has dried for 24 hours. Last step: draw or glue the dial, drill a hole in the middle of the base and attach the hands and clock mechanism. The retro clock is ready! And what they will be like depends only on your imagination.
Photo: folksy.com
Photo: shinranwasan.info
Do you need a clock in the bedroom?
This room should be cozy and no accessories in the decor should interfere with rest and relaxation. A bedroom is a place where only its owners go, so the choice of watch depends only on their wishes. Do not forget that the model must fit harmoniously into the overall environment.
Choose a watch in a soft beige shade; it will not attract special attention and will stand out in the interior. Types that have animal images on the dial or frame are ideal.
A pair of swans or cooing doves symbolize fidelity. Some models allow you to insert frames with photographs of a married couple into the dial. The most important thing when choosing is to listen to the mechanism; it should not work loudly.
Unusual wall clock ideas
Wooden clock
A clock made of natural wood can be placed in any room. Style of your choice. Decorations come in the form of carving, burning and varnishing. Today many different types of original interior decorations are made from wood. A very interesting clock in the form of a cut of wood. It should also be noted that the presence of natural wood is necessary. There may be a high-quality imitation of wood pattern.
wooden clock
Watch with an interesting dial
To express yourself more effectively, you need to thoroughly think through your interior, add original decorative elements and various little things. The watch dial may be interesting because instead of numbers there are any objects printed on it. Unusuality can be expressed in drawings and overall design. Such clocks are appropriate in the kitchen and in all other places where it is necessary to create the right atmosphere. Examples of original dial design include silhouettes of people, funny drawings, emoticons or caricatures instead of numbers, unusual placement of hands and screen. The numbers can be very large.
patterned dial
Original watch case
An unusual watch should have not a simple, but the most original case. It can be a drawer with a door, which creates a connection with retro style. The body is decorated with forged ornaments. In addition, the case may be absent as such, that is, the clock mechanism is hidden in the wall, and the hands and numbers are fixed on its surface. When choosing a case, you should focus on the style of the room in which the watch will always be located. Originality can only lie in the use of unusual shapes or unusual designs.
original case
Original clock hands
Wall clock hands do not always look standard. If you want something unusual, then you should consider ideas with luminous, carved, multi-colored, wavy arrows. In many cases, the hands on the watch can be replaced, so if you want to do something yourself, you can purchase the original hands separately and install them in their place.
curly arrows
The striking clock
A striking watch is not suitable for everyone. They may distract you or scare you. It is a good idea to place such a clock in a spacious office, a large living room or a cozy dining room. As a rule, they will be voluminous and will occupy a certain area on the wall. The unusual sound of the clock will give your room a special color. If combat doesn't annoy you, you'll get used to it very quickly.
striking clock
Clock-picture
The clock built into the picture perfectly decorates the space. This eye-catching accessory has become increasingly popular recently as people find the useful time-telling function of watches not enough. They need aesthetic pleasure. The picture clock perfectly complements the interior.
clock-picture
Design solutions
We are talking about unique embodiments of design ideas. Such watches can only be produced once in a very small batch, not for mass sales. Therefore, you will have to buy them to order. Designer watches are suitable for connoisseurs of beauty and those who know a lot about individuality. Colors and shapes can be quite unexpected.
designer clock with stained glass
Walkers for children's room
There are quite different models designed for children. Choose a watch according to the child's age. If your child is able to make an independent choice, then take him with you and make a purchase together. You are needed to check the safety of the material and how reliable and strong the structure is.
A large clock in the interior of a nursery will look ridiculous and impractical, because the fidget may accidentally get caught or get hurt.
How to choose for different styles?
To make the clock look appropriate in the interior, it is selected according to the functionality of the room and the design style.
Adherents of the classical style prefer one of two things: wooden floors, decorated with carved elements, or metal wall ones. Classic wall clocks in the interior are considered to be round, with Roman numerals, without unnecessary decor.
The modern trend dictates its own rules of style: the choice is made between large clocks in the interior or minimalist ones - with Arabic numerals, straight hands, a case without decorations. Or unusual: without numbers on the cut of a tree, on a leather belt pendant, in the form of a sun with the thinnest rays.
The photo shows an example of a wall model in a minimalist style
High-tech style, traditionally a connection between glass and metal. This pattern can also be seen in chronometers: they may not even have a case, being attached directly to the wall. The second feature is manufacturability. In addition to displaying the time, they are supplemented with functions of displaying temperature, indoor humidity, weather forecast, connection to a smartphone, and a motion sensor.
The decor in the style of minimalism dictates the rejection of excesses, so only the minute, hour hands, and some divisions (from 4 to 12) are left in the clock mechanism. The second hand, numbers, and other details are removed as unnecessary. The design should be concise.
In the loft style, original chronometers are used as the main decor idea. Models with open gears in the steampunk style, retro-style tube clocks, a combination of wood, metal (iron, bronze, copper), and concrete would fit perfectly here.
Clock in the kitchen
In this room, the clock will be able to fulfill its main purpose. The housewife spends time preparing food or waiting for relatives to arrive. Thus, the kitchen clock must not only fit into the stylistic design, but also have distinct numbers and hands.
You shouldn’t place a huge type, as long as all the elements under the dial are clearly visible.
Types of mechanism. What types of wall clocks are there?
Three classic mechanisms that are used to make wall clocks:
- Quartz.
- Mechanical.
- Electronic.
Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. When choosing a wall clock based on the type of mechanism, you need to know about the features of each of them.
Mechanical watches
The source of energy and the engine of the mechanism is a charged spring. Unwinding, it sets the watch elements in motion. The hour and second hands begin to move. To keep it accurate, the spring mechanism must be tightened from time to time. A weight can serve as the “source” of movement of the device.
"Pros" of the mechanism
- No need to constantly change the battery. There is no need for constant maintenance. Costs for maintaining watches are reduced.
- Suitable for repair longer. Even if the watch is rare or exclusive, the watchmaker will be able to independently produce any part for it.
- Long service life. Mechanism parts are metal. They will last longer than the internal “filling” made from other materials. The minimum service life is 10 years. But if you regularly take them to the watchmaker for preventative maintenance - lubrication and replacement of worn parts, then they will last for many years.
- "Elite affiliation." Mechanical watches have always been considered an attribute of wealth and refined taste.
"Disadvantages" of the mechanism
- High price. High-quality mechanical watches are more expensive than quartz watches. They are assembled by hand, using high-quality materials. Hence the high cost.
- Less accuracy. They are not as accurate as quartz or electronic ones. It all depends on the quality of the spring, as well as how evenly it unwinds.
- The need to constantly rewind the spring mechanism.
- Sensitivity to shock and mechanical stress.
Quartz watch
The watch runs on a battery, which activates a quartz electronic unit. It transmits electrical impulses to the stepper motor. And he, in turn, sets the second and hour hands in motion. Watches based on a quartz element are very accurate. Some of the high-quality modifications can produce an error of no more than 5 seconds per year.
"Pros" of the mechanism
- High precision. The construction of a watch does not depend either on the quality of the spring or on its tension. Therefore, the hands move at regular and precise intervals, which are counted by the quartz movement.
- No constant need for winding.
- Acceptable price. Watches with quartz movements are not assembled by hand. The entire process is automated. Therefore, their cost is low and fits any family budget.
- Reliability. The mechanism includes fewer parts, which means there will be fewer breakdowns.
"Disadvantages" of the mechanism
- Replaceable battery. The need to replace the battery is the main disadvantage of such watches. No matter how high quality they are, there will come a time when the battery will have to be changed. This leads to additional costs of money.
- Low suitability for repair. If one of the parts breaks, it is often necessary to change the entire mechanism. Especially if the factory no longer produces such a watch model.
- Short service life. The design and internal structure are constantly changing. For example, watches purchased in the 90s of the last century are already difficult to use - it is difficult to find a suitable battery for them.
How long does a battery last in a quartz watch?
Modern models are equipped with batteries that can last for 3 years, in rare cases – for 10 years. But the longevity of the battery is influenced by many factors:
- The progress of the clock. He can be:
- Stepper (discrete).
- Smooth.
In the first case, battery power consumption is reduced. In the second it increases. The lower the consumption rate, the less often you will need to change the battery.
Arrow weight. Everything is simple here - the lighter the arrow, the longer the battery will last. Therefore, when buying a wall clock, it is important to pay attention to “lightweight” options with aluminum or plastic hands.
Battery quality. When selecting a battery, there is no need to save money and buy cheap Chinese goods. It is better to choose a more expensive option that will last a long time and fully recoup the money spent on it.
Hallway
Most people don't use walkers in this room. But if the choice helps complement the overall style, then why not hang the clock in a prominent place. They will serve as a decorative addition to the interior. The clock in the hallway will influence the opinion of guests as soon as they cross the threshold of the house.
Our article contains a selection of photos of clocks in the interior. The illustrations will help you make the right choice. After all, a clock should not only show the time, but also harmonize with the design solution in the room.
Placement in the interior of different rooms
Products must comply with the design concept. There are unspoken rules about placement in different rooms.
Clock on the wall in the living room
In the living room, decor is usually placed above the sofa, between cabinets, among other accessories. Clocks and paintings on the same wall look interesting. You can create a composition from several elements by correctly arranging the details.
The clock above the TV looks harmonious. However, this method will work if the equipment is on a cabinet. Decorative elements do not look very attractive against the backdrop of wall-mounted TVs.
Advice! If you plan to place a large clock on the wall, you should not complement it with other details. Such models are so original that they do not need framing.
Wall clock in the living room interior
Living room interior with wall clock : Zhedochi – Living room.
Clock in the kitchen
A clock wall in the kitchen is a great design feature for any interior style. The accessory can be placed above a table or doorway, in the partition between the windows - there the product will be difficult to miss. However, when choosing a model, it is worth considering a nuance - the case material should be as durable as possible and resistant to temperature changes.
Advice! Don't hang your watch too high. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the eye to find the accessory in space.
Wall clock in the kitchen interior
Our project with a clock in the kitchen : Vienna - Kitchen.
Clock in the nursery
Thematic models of wall clocks are suitable for children's rooms. For example, in a glass or plastic case with images of any heroes. Curly options that will decorate a free wall are also good. The products can also be placed above the bed, above the desk, between bookshelves.
Advice! For a children's room, it is better to choose the most silent mechanisms possible - the ticking of a clock can prevent a child from falling asleep. An alternative option is a designer musical accessory.
Wall clock in the children's interior
Design of a nursery with a wall clock : Imperial House - Children's room for a boy.
Wall clock in the bedroom interior
Do not place the product in close proximity to the bed. If the mechanism works quite loudly, you will have to forget about a serene sleep. Designers recommend hanging the clock in the space between the windows or on an accent wall.
If there is a lot of other decor on the walls or there is a textured design, the accessory will simply get lost. In this case, it is better to move it to a free wall or refuse to place it altogether.
Wall clock in the bedroom interior
Completed design project with a wall clock in the bedroom : Vienna - Children's room No. 1.
Clock in the hallway interior
Digital accessories are rare in this space. However, if you want to decorate your room with a clock, it is better to hang it where it will catch your eye when you leave. Optimal places: wall near a furniture set, near a large mirror. If the model is massive, it is worth allocating a free area on a long wall for its placement.
Wall clock in the interior of the hall
Our project with a clock in the hallway : Zhedochi - Hall of the 3rd floor.
Each design is individual, so when choosing and placing decor you have to be guided by actual capabilities. However, if desired, the accessory you like will definitely fit into the design.
