Modern Grandfather Clocks Online

Last year I visited the home of an uncle in Northern California and admired the stately looking grandfather clock in his living room. His wife told me she had given it to him as a gift for his fortieth birthday because my uncle had always wanted one.

The antique piece had intricate wood carvings and a gold face. It had a formal English living room style to it that I would never have in my home.

My taste in furniture are more in the simple lines more characteristic of Japanese style or modern style homes. But I do appreciate fine furniture pieces and, to my surprise, I came across this beautiful Howard Miller Urban Floor II Grandfather Clock - shown in the photo on the left.

Note it's simple and clean lines, the beautiful nickel finishes and the merlot cherry wood. I love the color of the wood as it plays off the nickel. The contemporary look of the grandfather clock would make it the perfect addition to my home office. I have this vision of an Asian-inspired office with simple lines, displaying life-size mannequins wearing different national costumes in glass cases with this contemporary grandfather clock and a formal desk with matching book shelves. I always thought grandfather clocks added formality and a distinguished air to an office. See the Oval Office's own grandfather clock in this blog post with a photo of President Bush congratulating President-Elect Barack Obama. Very distinguished-looking office, don't you agree?

My aunt told me that the grandfather clock she bought for my uncle cost around $10,000 - which is really out of my budget when it comes to buying a clock for my home. This Howard Miller Urban Floor II Grandfather Clock only costs $3,240 regularly and it is currently on sale for $2,268! Wow!

And like everything else nowadays, it is available online at 1-800-4clocks.com. Such a traditional piece of history available online. Isn't that just wonderful? Specially after the Cyber Monday sales where electronics were at the heart of online spending, it's nice to know there are other more traditional gift ideas you can find online - so you don't have to give grandma an MP3 player if she's not into music.

Happy shopping, everyone! Remember that Christmas is a season of giving and a great time to think of what would make your loved ones happy.