Good Chime For a Change

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Looking for a signature decor item to bring your room into the new year?

Then think timely -- think sophisticated, whimsical, elegant, fun -- think 24 hours of fashionable and highly functional decor -- ponder a clock.

If there was any one particular item that I have been overly impressed with lately at furniture and design shows across North America, I would have to say it would be with clocks.

Clocks today are as much art as they are a necessary commodity and the selection of designs, styles and price ranges is enviable.

Large, oversized wall clocks can sit above a fireplace mantel in the living room, above a hood fan in the kitchen or on any dedicated wall.

Other wall clocks are at home just about everywhere -- a group hung in the office displaying the various time zones, a Harley-Davidson clock for the garage, a rocking clock made from an old LP for the rumpus room.

And then there are the floor clocks, or Grandfather clocks -- handsome timepieces that can sit anywhere in the home.

Desk and table top clocks are also making stylish and chic appearances.

Novelty, fun-loving clocks can also go along way in a child's bedroom.

With anything from cuckoo clocks to musical clocks, these timepieces make the morning fun for your kids.

Decorating with clocks is not new.

Fashionable decorators and home owners have been using clocks to make their homes chic for hundreds of years.

Clocks have been a decorative item since the 1600s, when Christian Huygens invented the pendulum clock, which used weights and a swinging pendulum.

But how do you select a clock?

One hint is to put style and fashion first. I look for clocks that make a statement.

For French Country style, choose a wall clock that reflects a country style -- patina finish on the face and wrought iron details or a whitewashed distressed wood base.

If you have a contemporary style, choose a clock with sleek minimal lines and chrome or stainless detailing.

Your clock should reflects everything that is going on in the room.

Today's clocks are more about style than the time. Good time-keeping is basically a given thanks to modern technology.

I also tend to choose large, oversized clocks -- perhaps it is the monumentalist in me, but I love the look of a large time piece as opposed to a smaller clock which may be lost in the clutter.

Large clocks need their space, so hang or place them as you would a beautiful piece of art.

Give them room to breath by allowing them to stand or hang on their own.