EYE ON DESIGN BY DAN GREGORY

Time and Time Again

The return to school and work after Labor Day makes me think about symbols of continuity and change — like the conventional wall clock (and speaking of conventions in this election season: how about a gavel-to-gavel-coverage-clock!). It remains recognizably the same and yet it’s always being reinvented — just like the stock house plan. Here are some examples to think about hanging in your kitchen or family room as you count the days until you can move into your new home.

This classic George Nelson Mid-century Modern Clock from Design Public is an overscaled asterisk.

I like the idea that it’s always “footnoting” the time. Kenneth Wingard’s Cube Clock (below) lets you set the face along with the hour. It can be a circle, a square, or something in between.

This clock and Wingard’s Large Mod example use geometry simply and effectively.

They both give new meaning to the phrase “block of time.” The Frank Lloyd Wright Exhibition Typeface Clock adapts a typeface Wright designed for use in exhibitions of his work during the 1930s.

Each hour has an architectural character.

Homework

Back to school means thinking about where you and your family work at home. If homework or bill-paying is done in the kitchen or family room those spaces should include a work table, buffet counter, or built-in desk. You can also build a desk into a window bay, along a hall, or beside a balcony. A dedicated home office is often somewhat removed from the heart of the house. Here are some plans that show a range of options.

The second floor of this house includes a study area outside the kids’ bedrooms. It’s plan 48-265. Or here’s a house with a space you could adapt.

The loft overlooking the living area would be a good place for a homework center (plan 32-386).

For more examples explore our Homework Area Plan Collection.