Playing with time + From the archives
The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 6 of 13, SS25 *
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As a lover of typography, it's no surprise I've already written about numbers as decor. There are many ways to include numerical flourishes in your home, from your entryway onward – and I just discovered a new one this past week.
Bronze Home Decor, a vintage shop in Leslieville, is carrying some factory leftovers that are both familiar and startlingly new: clock faces that have never made it into an actual clock. We're so used to seeing the numbers one through twelve in a circular formation that it hardly registers anymore – but stripped of hour, minute and second hands, clock faces are weirdly compelling:
There's a feeling of nakedness, as if time itself has abandoned any sense of propriety. Without hands, these artifacts are shockingly bare:
It's tempting to assign meaning to these unusual discs. Could we interpret them as images of what it's like to lose track of time? Or encouragements not to run our lives by counting the minutes, or racing to deadlines?
I'm reminded of a proverb by my favourite poet:
– William Blake, from "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"
These clock faces may provoke thought, but they're also invitations to play. Liberated from their original purpose, they suggest new uses. The staff at Bronze are onto this, using one of the discs as a base for a candelabra:
I've continued experimenting, with the four clock faces I brought home with me:
Photos: Guy Koolhof
Like so many vintage objects, these finds are affordable. Bronze is asking ten dollars for the large clock faces and five for the small. It's not a stretch to assemble a small collection.
But it's possible to get into the spirit without buying anything at all. If you have at least two clocks at home, try keeping one of them stopped. It will still be right twice a day, and the rest of the time it will prompt reflection, its stillness a reminder that the best experiences in life take us – briefly – outside of time.
From the archives
When the mercury rises, ice cubes are your friend. They're not just heat-beating devices, they're also a kind of temporary sculpture in your drink. Get a deeper appreciation of their properties by diving back into this article from three years ago:
Thank you for reading.