Galileo Galilei was an astronomer, physicist, mathematician and inventor. Among his inventions were the telescope, compass and thermometer …And the grandfather clock too.

He drew the first designs for a grandfather clock after making the discovery that time could be tracked using a pendulum.

Galileo based this design off of the verge-and-foliot control mechanism first invented around 1285.

He began investigating the idea of the time it takes a pendulum to swing back and forth in relation to the isochronism or arc of the swing. As legend goes, his fascination with the pendulum and the concept of time began after encountering a suspended lamp swing back and forth in a Cathedral. Galileo surmised that a pendulum could be used to track time.

He drew the first designs for a grandfather clock, though he did not build it.

In 1656, Christian Huygens built the first known grandfather clock, putting Galileo’s discovery and theories to use. Though the clock did not keep accurate time, it was a major breakthrough in timekeeping technology.  Finally in 1670, William Clement discovered that the clocks worked better with a longer pendulum. Of course, this required a taller clock. Clement named his newly designed clocks long-case clocks. This was the predecessor of the grandfather clocks that we know today. Through the years, various inventors tried to improve on the design but with little luck. In 1875, Henry Work wrote the song “My Grandfather’s Clock” and the name stuck.

Today’s grandfather clocks rely on a pendulum attached to an anchor. The swinging pendulum causes the anchor to turn a gear, which in turn causes the clock to tick. A pair of weights further helps power the clock and keeps it from losing time. Although the technology has evolved over the years, the grandfather clocks of today still reflect the ingenuity of our ancestors.

We expect a lot from our grandfather clocks. Actually we expect a lot from all clocks. We expect them to be breathtakingly beautiful. We expect them to make a strong statement about our status in life. They should brighten our home with their elegance. Their rich chimes should fill our life with music. Above all else, though, they should be reliable.

At some point, we’ve all heard the phrase that something works “like clockwork.” That is how dependable we expect our clocks to be. In fact, we put our lives in their hands, trusting them to keep us on time, on track, and on schedule.

What could be a better symbol of steadfast loyalty than the grandfather clock? Standing well over 6 feet tall and constructed of solid wood, they are the very picture of faithful duty.

In the world of grandfather clocks, German grandfather clocks are known to be well-made and valuable. They are among the most respected and trusted clocks of all. In fact, some of the most revered antique grandfather clocks are German made. Harfen-Gong grandfather clocks, for example, are German-made antiques. Many are still working today, which is further testimony to the quality of German craftsmanship.

German parts are often an intricate ingredient even in clocks made in other parts of the world. German movements are synonymous with quality and reliability. The oldest existing maker of mechanical movements is the Kieninger Clock Factory which was founded in Germany in 1912 by Joseph Kieninger. Today many of the world’s best clocks rely on the technology of German movements.

Although most grandfather clocks are not actually made in Germany today, the German technology is still the driving force behind some of the greatest and most valuable grandfather clocks on the market.

Well here is a place in the entrance of my kitchen where I had a wasted space that I totally love now.  It was easy and cheap to decorate.  What do you think?

Now here's a spot I need help with, its an empty space above our walk in closet.  Measurements are as follows it is 103" wide, 27" tall from the brown wood casing and 22" deep.  Now remember it's above our walk-in closet to it is about 7 feet high.  Our room is decorated in black and gold.  I am so looking forward to your ideas and suggestions and when I complete this space I will post my picture for you to see how your suggestions and ideas worked out.

I am also looking forward to helping you all as well!!!  To post your pictures please e-mail them to me at decoratingstyles@gmail.com so I may post them for you.

Happy Decorating,

Toula

Well I have been waiting for you all to help me out but apparently with Christmas around the corner you have been too busy.  But I will be patiently waiting for you all to help after the holidays.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a most happy New Year!!!

Toula

Update:  Al and I are now married!!!  I am now ready to resume my decorating for our home.  Would really like the help of my readers to decorated that empty space I mentioned above,  I am looking for your help!

Happy Decorating,

Toula

The cuckoo clock may have been invented around  1730 by Franz Anton Ketterer, a well-known Black Forest clockmaker.

The Black Forest region is famous for its clock-making, toy industries, music boxes and glass-making crafts.   Winters there are long, dark, cold, and characterized by deep snowfalls. With forestry and agriculture limited during this season, a cottage industry arose in the production of cuckoo clocks. Glass-making was a traditional craft, and clock-making sprang indirectly from a traveler who introduced a simple Bohemian clock operated by three wheels on a train (continuous drive), a verge escapement (the device that allows the train to advance a controlled amount by restraining it with weights), and a foliot (a balance bar).  The clock was not ornate. The local citizens learned how to copy the clock and make the tools to craft it. They also worked together as a group with specialists in frame-making, manufacturing the clockworks, making and painting dials, brass founding, making chains and gongs, finishing metal parts, and performing many supporting tasks. The clockmaker made his own patterns and styles; parts for his clocks were unique and not interchangeable with other makers. By the late 1700s, the clocks were a profitable export for the region. The cuckoo’s sound was simply incorporated in the contemporary clocks of the day. They had face shields—full front plates that were enameled with the face near the center—rather than the wood frame developed later. Ketterer’s clocks were driven by suspended weights shaped like pine.  That style is used to this day.

One Day Hand-Carved Cuckoo Clock with Five Maple Leaves & One Bird - 9 Inches Tall

The cuckoo’s sound was simply incorporated in the contemporary clocks at that time.  The variety of cuckoo clocks reflects clock-making styles driven by consumer preference. For instance a clock dating from 1770 may have a painted face shield with roses and castles which may have been influenced by English preferences and was eventually popularized throughout southern Germany and Central Europe. The decorations were continually modified to suit the targeted market. For instance, the French liked large bouquets of bright flowers and called the cuckoo clocks “Swiss clocks” even though most were made in Germany.  Scandinavians preferred hexagonal or octagonal faces, while the Dutch and Belgians liked tin or porcelain dials. In England, they were simple mahogany rims with glass held in place with brass bezels.

By the mid-eighteenth century, cuckoo clocks moved from the “cottage” industry to factories. By the 1850’s, a style called the “chalet” style dominated; the frame shows a lodge at the base of the clock, the clock dial over the roof with carved trees and animals rising above the dial to the top of the frame. Usually, the cuckoo clock had two drive trains, one for the clock movement and the other for the so-called striking train used for the sounds and actions produced with the striking of the hour.

Modern cuckoo clocks have retained the suspended pine-cone weights. Some large cuckoo clocks made at the end of the nineteenth century also housed barometers. Later clocks from about 1900 have wood frames, brass wheel works, and a wooden carved cuckoo on a sweeping stand that shifted forward to chime the hour. In the twentieth century the cuckoo clock manufacturers began equipping some models with quartz clocks that play twelve different tunes, one for each hour with a shutoff to silence the bird for a programmable number of hours during the night.

Wood is the critical raw material for the manufacture of cuckoo clocks because the wood casing is the primary feature that distinguishes the cuckoo clock in appearance as well as resonates the sound much as the sound board does for the piano. Cuckoo clocks are made from the wood of the linden tree, a hardwood that grows in Europe. Some parts of the housing may also be made of walnut. Skilled wood workers purchase the linden and walnut woods well in advance so the wood can be aged for several years.

The cuckoo clock is distinguished by the cuckoo bird and its ‘song’. The pipes and bellows that make the cuckoo’s call are also made of wood. Clocks that play tunes are fitted with music boxes. The pine cone weights and the leaf-shaped weight on the end of the pendulum are made of lead and are produced in metal foundries to the clock-maker’s specifications. The foundries that produce these weights are also experts in small, detailed metalwork.

As the history of the cuckoo clock suggests, design of the clock and its highly recognizable parts is based on tradition. Clock manufacturers have developed their own styles of chalets and forest scenes for the wood work as well as particular “casts of characters” for the cuckoo bird itself or the villagers or animals that may share “action scenes” with the cuckoo. Many customers buy cuckoo clocks for their traditional style. The addition of digital features increases the variety of music and bird songs that the clocks can produce.

The Manufacturing Process

1. Manufacture of the cuckoo clock begins in the hands of the wood worker. The craftsman selects the pieces of wood to be used and cuts them to the approximate lengths and shapes he will need. Power tools and hand tools are both used.  Hand tools may include measuring tools, saws, rasps, hammer and chisel, files, abrasives such as sandpaper, and clamps and adhesives. The box-like case or cabinet for the clock   is cut, fitted, and glued together.
2. The outer frame—the decorative part of the clock featuring the traditional forest and chalet scene—begins with a stenciled design on paper. The craftsmen make and collect sets of stencils based on their own drawings and those that have been handed down. The sets of stencils are made for specific sizes of clocks. After choosing the stencil for the size and style of clock, the wood worker draws the design on the wood and begins carving and shaping the frame. Much is done by hand.
3. When the frame and the case are complete, both are stained and left to dry.
4. When the frame and case are fully dried, the clock is assembled by first mounting the movement within the case. In the old days of village manufacture, the craftsmen who carved the wood and assembled the clock  probably lived in the same village as the music-box maker and clock-maker. The clock-maker poured and handcrafted the internal workings of the clock himself and assembled them. Today, manufacturers buy preassembled clock movements, and the process is reduced to fitting it in the case and properly fixing the movement into place with wood screws or other fasteners.
5. The sound-making devices are attached to the top of the clock. These include the pipes and bellows for the cuckoo sound and the music box. Attachments that are usually extensions of drive chains are linked to the sets of wire hooks and metal cams and pins that activate the cuckoo and any other moving figures and the doors. The cuckoo is connected to its bellows operation, and the other figures are mobilized by the strike movement. A third movement initiates the playing of the music box. Finally, the pendulum and weight chains are connected to the movement and the lead weights are clipped to the chain ends.
6. The assembled clock is carefully packaged to protect the moving parts and the delicate carved framework. Individually boxed clocks are packed in cartons for shipping and distribution.

Quality is built into every cuckoo clock because each one is hand made. Quality is the mark of the craftsman, and, as with all handcrafted products, gifted and highly trained wood workers will not risk their reputations on poorly made clocks. The final quality step is a complete examination of the finished piece and a trial operation.

Byproducts/Waste is usually kept to a minimum. Some wood scraps and shavings do result from crafting the case and carving the frame, but attentive selection of the right pieces of wood for the project and stencils that accentuate the character of the wood limit the volume of scrap. The wood is also too expensive for the wood workers to waste.

Newly manufactured cuckoo clocks are still among of the most sought-after souvenirs of vacations in the heart of Europe and especially in Germany’s Black Forest region. In America, many families can trace their roots to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other European localities where cuckoo clocks are traditional ornaments for the home. Consequently, there is a market in America for clocks that represent the best traditions of cuckoo-clock making.

Cuckoo clocks are also highly prized antiques. Hand-crafted clocks with a traceable history are sought by collectors, but antique hunters also search for factory-made cuckoo clocks. Those dating from the 1850s are highly sought after based on the name of the maker; names like Gustav Becker, the United Freiburg Clock Factory, Winterhalder & Hofmeier, Kienzle, Junghans, and the Hamburg American Clock Company (which copied American-made clocks for sales in Germany) are among the most collectible. Typically, the antique market also injects life into sales of newly manufactured collectibles because they are more affordable.

Even though some models of cuckoo clocks are now outfitted with quartz movements and electronics, part of the cuckoo clock’s charm may be its old-fashioned mechanical movement. When paired with beautifully carved wood and rustic style, the spell of the cuckoo’s song on the hour is guaranteed to bring smiles to those who prize childlike delights and exquisite craftsmanship.  In my case a smile still comes to my face when I remember my aunt’s cuckoo clock adorning the wall of her kitchen.

Happy decorating,

From Al & Toula

Hermle St. Francis Grandfather Clock

Hermle 5th Avenue Floor Clock

Clocks?  They can be the eye-catching piece in a room when placed in the right  location and with careful consideration in choosing the correct piece.  There are a variety styles to choose from, such as the traditional, contemporary and futuristic design.  Where would you place the most classic style clock of all?  The Grandfather Clock or also known as the Long-case Clock seems to be best suited in a foyer or entry way of your home. It also works very well in a large room such as the living room, dining room, study or den, even the bedroom for some.   It also works very well  at the reception area of your office.  The grandfather clock generally measures in height around 7 feet,  give or take a few inches either way. Considering the height of this clock it would be best to have an eight foot ceiling or more so that you don’t  overwhelm the room.  So if you have the space for a large beautiful classic “Grandfather Clock” it will bring a touch of elegance to your home or office and is a beautiful heirloom to pass on for generations to come.

Is it a home full of old furniture?  It could be if that is what you like, or it could be a home with old and well preserved pieces incorporated with your new furniture.  Antiques is not only furniture it also includes lamps, clocks, doilies, paintings, hand made quilts, grandma’s favorite china, and many many other things as well.

In these days of the pre-fabricated furniture made from particle board that you buy in a box and have to assemble yourself at home and it falls apart as soon as you move it.  It is wonderful to have furniture crafted by artisans that has endured the test of time.  Antique furniture adds a depth of warmth to your home and it doesn’t come in a box with assembly instructions.

To get that antique look you don’t necessarily need 100 year old furniture, there are services out there that will give your furniture that aged look or you can do it yourself.    You can also buy reproductions, or find antiques at a garage sale where you can find those hidden treasures, our home has beautiful pieces that we found at garage sales that we have refinished.  Also go online and get info on where to go to and antique fair or check grandma’s attic.

Happy Decorating from Al and Toula

Boy and Girl Turn Heads to Kiss

Wouldn’t we all like to start an heirloom for our family.  My choice is this cuckoo clock.  It would symbolize mom and dad or grandpa and grandma sitting close and enjoying each others company.  It’s a little something that I can hand done to my child and then he or she can hand down to theirs and so on.  I wish I had something from my grandparents that I can hand down to my grandkids one day.

Anyways here’s just a little something about this cuckoo….

This detailed German cuckoo clock features wooden hands, a wood dial with Roman numerals, and a warm light yellow hand-painted and hand-carved cuckoo bird.  The cuckoo clock case features country scenery with a boy and girl that turn heads to kiss every hour and half-hour.  This clock also has a moving waterwheel and plays music on the hour & half-hour alternating between two different twenty-two note melodies: Edelweiss & The Happy Wanderer.  Three cast iron pine cone weights are suspended beneath the clock case by three separate brass chains.

Cuckoo Clocks

1880's Reproduction

This 1880′s Reproduction Cuckoo is my favorite.  This cuckoo fits in so beautifully in our home because of the antique wood furniture in our dining room, it compliments the room!

This beautiful chalet style German cuckoo clock features wooden hands, a wood dial with Roman numerals, and a warm light yellow hand-painted and hand-carved cuckoo bird. This cuckoo clock is modeled after cuckoo clocks that were made in the 1800′s.  The clock case has intricate hand-carved vines with maple leaves around its perimeter.   Two cast iron pine cone weights are suspended beneath the clock case by two separate brass chains.

This Cuckoo clock was hand carved by artisans following the German clock makers of the 1800′s.

clocks4you