While this post details how to give a Mora clock a makeover with paint, let me get straight to the moral of the post.  If you find something that you love, with great bones {structure}, and the price is right, but the color or finish is wrong, don’t be deterred!  The shape, size, and price are much more important in decorating than the color, because with a little paint, it can be transformed….

I was browsing Target.com one day, searching the keyword “French”, when I spotted this beauty {affiliate link: you can find it HERE}.  My heart skipped a beat.  Okay, so she isn’t an authentic Mora clock, but she sure looks it!  The color wasn’t at all my style, but the price for such a large clock was within my budget, so I bought it and anxiously awaited its arrival.  When she finally arrived, I was in love!  Is this solid wood?  No.  Is it hand carved? No.  Does it have mechanical movement?  No it has a battery.  Does it matter to me?  NOT.ONE.BIT.  Her shape is lovely, she keeps exact time, and her pendulum swings in perfect rhythm.  Her color?  Well that’s a different story.

The clock has a dark brown, almost black, crackle finish with gold highlights.  There’s also a white powder dusting over certain parts.

This color might work in some homes, but it was just too dark for mine, so it was time for a change {pun intended}.  :)

I first painted a coat of CeCe Caldwell’s Myrtle Beach Sand.  This step was just in case I wanted to do some distressing, because I didn’t want the black finish to show through at all.

Next, I painted two coats of Annie Sloan French Linen mixed with Old Violet in a ratio of 4:1.  You can see that at this stage, before distressing and waxing, the paint has a very flat look to it.

I then decided to highlight the trim with CeCe Caldwell’s Antique White.  Ready for the final result?  {And there’s a glimpse of the new rug I scored on Clearance!}

After painting the trim, I covered the entire piece with a light coat of CeCe Caldewell’s Aging Cream, wiping most of it off but leaving it darker in the corners and crevices.

Here’s the clock face before:

Here’s the after:

The final result is a blue gray color that looks differently depending on the light and depending on what else is in the room.  Here in my dining room, it looks more blue than gray.  This isn’t actually where I’m going to put the clock, as the dining room is just too tight for yet another piece of furniture, but I do like how it looks!

And 10 minutes after I took the picture above….I decided to change the look….again….

To be continued…

P.S. – If you want to purchase one for yourself, you can purchase it online from Walmart HERE.

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5 Comments

  1. Coincidently, my mother in law just gave me her old mora clock. I’ve been thinking about painting it but I didn’t settle on anything yet. Thank you so much for your tips, I’m gonna keep this bookmarked =)

  2. A piece of art! BEAUTIFUL!

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