Ballard Design/Mora Clock Hack!

A few years ago, I discovered an image of a Mora Clock and instantly fell in love with it. The clock gets its name from the Swedish town of Mora, which faced a period of drought in the late 1800s, causing the residents to migrate to Stockholm to acquire new skills, including clockmaking. I was drawn to its unique shape, charming patina, and overall quirkiness. Upon researching the pricing of tall Mora Clocks, I found them to range from $3,000 to $12,000. I even looked at a similar piece the Katerina Floor Clock from Ballard Designs.com, priced at $2,999.00. Realizing I couldn't afford an authentic clock or even a reproduction, I decided to store this want in the back of my mind, hoping to stumble upon an alternative that could be transformed to resemble the clock of my dreams.

Below are examples of what a Mora Clock looks like: The one on the right is an authentic Mora clock, and the one on the left is the reproduction Katerina Clock from Ballard Designs.

You will not believe where I found something to transform into a Mora clock lookalike.

"Good Will" is where I found the perfect item (pictured below).

I know, I know, my husband had the same reaction. He kept asking me if I really wanted it, and I said yes, yes, yes. I didn’t like the color or the painted flowers, and it was short, but I could see the possibility. Like when Linus picks the sad little tree in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and says that all it needs is a little love, I bought this clock with the potential spinning in my head. All it needed was a little love! 

The clock had some really nice features like the round face, the moldings, and the detailing, but none of it would matter if I couldn’t increase the height of the clock (which came in at 3 feet one inch).

We were able to make a pedestal to increase the height to a whooping five feet and one inch.

With the clock now looking like an adult clock and not a child's clock we were ready for the next step.

Before getting started, I thoroughly cleaned it. I went with a gray base coat to make sure the painted flowers wouldn't show through, all the while hoping that painting it a single color would give the appearance of a one piece and not a small clock on top of a pedestal.

I was thrilled to see that after the initial coat, it appeared as one cohesive unit. Hooray! After it dried, I applied a second coat. 

I the final coat I chose Annie Sloan Aubusson Chalk Paint. Using water to thin it out, I gave it two coats, letting the first one dry before applying the second. I didn't paint the trim because I want it to be a different color.

I used Waverly Chalk Paint in Moss for the trim color.

To give it a more aged look, I used a chip brush to apply Annie Sloan COCO Chalk Paint, then spritzed it with water and wiped it with a lint free cloth rag. I repeated this process until I achieved the desired look. After it was dry, I sealed it with Annie Sloan clear wax then went in with Waverly Antiquing wax in areas that would naturally age more, such as around the trim, clock face, handle, etc.

I used my acrylic paints to cover the flowers on the face of the clock, then replaced the broken mechanism with a new one.

I found the perfect place for my clock. It is right between the transition from the family room to the kitchen, and it is the first thing you see as you enter our house. It’s funny, as I was looking at this picture, I noticed a full circle moment: the drapes in the background are Isabella drapery from Ballard Designs. I may not have the Katerina Clock from Ballard Design, but I have their beautiful drapery that goes perfectly with my clock.

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Below are links to products used:

• Annie Sloan Aubusson Blue Chalk Paint

• Annie Sloan Clear Wax

• Waverly Antiquing Wax