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Big Ben is 151 years old in May this year and has become an icon signifying London in everything from film to audio. Just like what Big Ben, with its rustic Augustus Pugin Victorian Gothic revivalist style, does for London’s image, a well-chosen clock transform a room in your house, or many rooms for that matter, whether it’s an antique oldie, newly restored, or a contemporary wall clock.

Choosing the right time-keeper

Depending on the design and feel of your house, the right clock does not only mean a more punctual you but even more personality for your house. It is important to choose a clock that suits the room and the wall you want to hang it on. A room filled with antique furniture and classic art would be destroyed by a big pink fluffy choice from the latest offerings of contemporary wall clocks.

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At the same time a minimalist, almost clinical, white room can’t have the tick tock of a dilapidated grandfather clock – ok, maybe it can, but the point is to choose correctly. And when you choose, think about functionality. The clock can be as amazing as anything but if you can’t really tell the time through all the pins and wire goodies jutting out everywhere, then so much for punctuality, and therefore so much for owning a clock. Think about the environment into which you will be introducing the clock and consider how it may fit in.

How clocks can give you a hand

Well, the most obvious benefit of owning a clock is that it will help you be punctual. There’s nothing like the tick tock of a clock to let you know you’re running out of time. At the same time, that soothing tick tock could be the very thing to help you close your eyelids at bedtime. And with a clock in the children’s room, they can start to pick up on the art of time management and being punctual from a young age.

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A really cool project is to build a new clock from recycled things, or restore an old clock yourself. You could go for the classic look or a crazy innovation that fits in with unusual modern décor. Either way, building a wall clock is good way to spend time with family. A cool idea is to stencil a clock face onto the wall with numbers, drill a hole big enough for the little time keeping mechanism, and voilà, a nifty clock that fits right in. There are great drills out there that will do most of the work themselves.

A striking clock could be a great addition to your décor – something that people will talk about and remember. Plus, being on time is never a bad thing.