Inexpensive Swedish Mora Clocks

Antique Swedish Gustavian Mora Clocks

A reader wrote in and left a comment which I couldn't help but to respond to in a post.

Hi,

Do you have any recommendations on where I can find a reproduction Mora clock?  I’ve searched on line and cant seem to find any for sale.

Thanks,....  Lynn

Hi Lynn,

There are really fantastic antique dealers that have genuine antique Mora clocks with all sorts of painted finishes on the web.  One place that I love to look is 1st Dibs, as  many dealers list their very best furniture on this site.  Ebay doesn't have a lot of Swedish furniture.  In fact, I only recall one company, Scandinavian Antiques, that lists Swedish antique furniture on ebay.  I am not sure why more Swedish dealers don't list on ebay, because that is where many people purchase rare antiques.

Amazon is another outlet that sells a wide variety of furniture.  Often times if you look hard enough many companies will re-produce the beautiful lines of Louis XVI furniture without the cost of a genuine antique.  Although the downfall is they rarely give any indication to the general category of style it may pertain to.   A good example of this is Uttermost, and Horchow; their furniture is amazingly beautiful, and usually from season to season they reproduce the French and occasionally a Swedish furniture look.

Although if you are on a tight budget, and cannot afford a $5 thousand dollar clock (like most of us,) consider a Coaster Clock which has all the beauty of a Mora clock for only $230 dollars and it even comes WITH FREE SHIPPING!!

Howard Miller also makes a Swedish Looking clock, which features the rounded belly that you see in most Swedish Mora Clocks in Chili Red For $1,182.30.  The price is great, and you can easily re-paint it the color of your desire.

The La Rochelle Clock by Howard Miller LOOKS identical to the Coaster clock, but the price is $3,032.40 on sale.  Why the difference in price?  Why is Coasters clock so discounted?  I have no idea.....  

Inexpensive Swedish Mora Clock

Coaster also makes a really modern version of the Mora clock in a black finish for only 236.84!!  If you are wanting several Mora Clocks in your home, all with different faux finishes, Coaster certainly makes it very affordable.  AND, that price includes FREE shipping!  If you were to re-paint this clock, you could paint a base of gray, and then a lighter gray oil finish, and then a top coat of blue, or any color of your choosing. 

We just moved into a new home, and found our clock in a local antiques shop, which I believe is Coaster.  The purchase of my clock is what lead me to look up if reproductions existed.  Lynn, you gave me a kick in the pants to finally put this post together~

My clock came with a glass panel, which I exchanged out with wood.  Markus, a talented Swiss carpenter in our area made the front wood door which I think really makes the floor clock a bit more Swedish looking.

With the Mora Clock that I purchased, the bottom of the clock is entirely made of wood, although the rounded wood area that forms the clock face itself is made from a  thinner piece of wood, and I cannot tell if the sides of the clock are particle wood or real wood.  Although a person cannot complain at $200 dollars!  I painted mine, as I am sure you may consider painting yours to make it appear more antique looking.

If you do paint it, consider getting a tint-able primer, called Coverstain at your local Home Depot, which can tinted the shade you are hoping to paint.  I detail more of this paint on my Provence site.  Of course, when it came to the one piece of furniture I wanted to do well, I didn't use it.  Go figure....  I wished I sanded mine better before painting, because the paint didn't stick all too well.  I sanded down the first coat of paint lightly, and re-painted it again with the same color and it turned out quite nice.  I then painted on a brown glaze, (then wiped off the glaze with a damp rag) which took away the harshness of color.  I may consider a lighter blue in the future, and the layering of blue, only creates more of depth if I choose to distress it. 

I haven't explored Chalk paints such as the ones sold from Annie Sloan.  I hear they require no priming.   If you do try a few Gustavian colors, do email me, as I would love to see how they turn out. 

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Grandfather Floor Clock in Black by Coaster Furniture #    US $413.79

BEAUTIFUL !! Coaster Grandfather Clock in Cherry    US $465.99

Another detail that you will not want to consider skipping is gold leafing the gold details of your clock.  Spray painting just doesn't do gold furniture justice.  On my French site, I detail the gold leaf that I use, which makes gold leafing soooo much easier than fiddling with thin pieces of gold which often times gets lost in the air.  Gold leafed details will make your clock look that much more expensive. 

Swedish decorating can be soooo much fun.  When furniture is this affordable, it can be a joy decorating! 

Inexpensive Swedish Mora Clock

My Mora Clock Makeover