How to Decorate With Clocks

Like an alarm clock but a lot more fun, this midcentury timepiece wakes up a traditionally furnished room. It's the opposite of a wallflower: In-your-face and graphic, this example of pop sculpture just happens to tell time.

Tip: For an online source that sells thousands of clocks, traditional and modern, analog and digital (not to mention atomic), try clockstyle.com.

Set clocks to the time zones of your long-distance loved ones and think about them whenever you check the hour. Hmmm, looks like Charlie is about to sit down for lunch and a latte in Seattle.

These vintage numbers serve a function, but not the one they were made for. Put a collection of old, pretty, on-the-fritz clocks to work holding up your books. What time is it? Who cares?

It’s playtime―or is it cleanup time? Kids can master months of the year, days of the week, dates, and the concepts of a.m. and p.m. with a multipurpose clock and flip calendar on the wall.

Make your own clock with these three easy steps:

• Step 1: Find an off-the-shelf piece of wood (most hardware stores sell them) and apply three coats of chalkboard paint.
• Step 2: Buy a kit containing battery-operated clock innards (Karlsson DIY Wall Clock, conranusa.com). Simply hammer a nail into the center of the painted wood piece and hang the clock mechanism (which has a hook) on the nail.
• Step 3: Write the numbers in colored chalk. Or draw squiggles or happy faces in place of numbers―whatever strikes you. The best part is you can erase and replace.