Wall clocks are part decoration, part daily tool. Two things decide if you will live happily with one. One is the movement, because a ticking clock is hard to ignore in a bedroom. The other is the size, because a clock that is too small for the wall looks lost and is hard to read across the room.
Our first pieces are on their way. We are choosing them one by one from European workshops and makers. Tell me when they arrive.
Buying guide
A sweep movement turns the second hand smoothly and makes almost no sound, which suits bedrooms and studies. A standard quartz movement ticks once a second. Radio controlled wall clocks set themselves from the UK time signal and change for summer time.
A 30 cm face suits a kitchen or a narrow wall, 40 to 50 cm a living room, and 60 cm or more works as a statement above a sofa or a fireplace.
Choose the face before the frame. Clear numbers or bold batons read best from a distance, while a minimal face suits a calm living room. Kitchen wall clocks should be easy to wipe, and in a bedroom the hands should stay visible in low light.
Hang the centre at about eye level, around 150 to 160 cm from the floor, so the hands are easy to read.
A sweep movement is close to silent, though you may hear a faint hum in a very quiet room. It is far quieter than a ticking quartz clock.
Around 30 cm for a kitchen or small wall, 40 to 50 cm for a living room, and 60 cm or more as a feature piece.
With the centre roughly at eye level, about 150 to 160 cm from the floor, or 20 to 30 cm above a piece of furniture.
Rooms:Living roomBedroom