How To Hang A BIG Clock - In No Time

Are you a fan of the big clock trend? I recently bought one for a very small apartment and I love it. For me, it wasn’t so much about the trend, it was more about finding the right piece to fill a large wall space between two identical windows. After a bit of trial and error I was convinced that a big round clock was the right choice. 

My decorating challenge

I started with a 600 square foot apartment with an open concept foyer, living/dining room and kitchen. Although it’s a small space, this wall is fairly large and is the first thing you see when you enter the apartment – it’s definitely a major focal point.

I tested different wall décor pieces before buying the farmhouse clock. I tried a very large canvas but I felt it competed too much with the windows and made the wall look even longer and narrower. Next, I tried six black square frames with black and white photos. It looked great, but overall the look was a little too symmetrical for the small space. Then I had a EUREKA moment. By introducing a new shape, particularly something round, would help soften all the hard lines in the room: the windows, straight edge sofa and chairs. And it did! I chose a white clock to avoid competing with the other wood colors such as the casings, ceiling beam and dining table. 

How big is this clock?

As you can see it’s a big clock – 36″ high by 36″ wide. Remember this tip! When shopping for a clock, make sure to observe how loud it ticks before buying it. In this case, because the apartment I’m decorating is very small, it was important to have an almost silent ticking otherwise we’d hear it from everywhere in the space and it would most likely drive me crazy.  

Finding the right spot on the wall for my clock

• First, I held the clock up above the sofa to figure out approximately how high to hang it. Note that I did not hang it right in the middle of the wall between the ceiling beam and the sofa. It’s always best to hang your wall decor closer to your furniture. I ended up hanging it 9″ from the top of the sofa cushions. Having someone help guiding with the height is really helpful.
• Using my CenterFinder within seconds I measured the space between the two windows and marked the middle with a pencil.  I hung my clock on the centre of the wall and not centered with the beam. This might be hard to see from the picture, but the ceiling beam is bit off to the right.

How to hang the clock

• On the back of the clock there was a metal keyhole bracket. I used my Hang&Level tool and hooked it up in the keyhole.
• With the clock placed on the tool, I centered it with the pencil mark and positioned it about 9″ from the sofa.
• Next, I removed the clock from the tool while keeping the tool against the wall. I pressed the single button the clock was hanging from to mark the exact spot to drive a screw.

What hardware to use 

• I used our DécoScrew to hang the clock with. It’s super strong and can hold up to 30 pounds. Since the clock weighs only 5 pounds that was more than enough and I can be confident that my clock won’t fall on anyone’s head when they’re sitting on the sofa.
• All you need is a screwdriver to secure it into the wall.
• Next, I hung my clock on the screw and I was done.
• Tip: don’t forget to place a battery in the clock and to set the time before hanging it. Otherwise you’ll have to take it down.

At first, I thought the clock might overwhelm the small space, but thanks to the 9 foot ceiling the clock doesn’t look too big at all – it looks perfect. Not that I’m time obsessed but having a large clock like this in my space is so convenient – I can see the time from wherever I am in the room without needing my glasses. So I love that the clock is decorative and functional too.

I personally don’t see big clocks as a trend per se, because they’ve been around for a long time and featured in countless magazines for years. I consider big clocks more as a piece of art. Sometimes, a large clock turns out to be the perfect choice of art for a wall that is a challenge to decorate. 

Want to read more about decorating with clocks? Check out this blog post.

Liette Tousignant Co-Founder of Under The Roof Decorating