How To Choose House Numbers & Letters

In order for them to stand out and be easily spotted from the road, you should choose house numbers and letters in a color that creates a light and dark contrast against their background.

If there's a specific accent color on the outside of your house (for example, a bright yellow fence), you could consider keeping it consistent and using it for your house number, too.

However, if your door or house has a busy texture like a red brick wall, it might be better to have your house number on a backplate.

Are you aiming for a specific feel or taking inspiration from a particular décor style? Here are some ideas to make sure that your house number complements your vision:

• Minimalist and modern: pick metal colors, either as individual numbers or on a plaque;

• Rustic: choose light pastel colors and a painted style that gives your house number a handmade feel, or white numbers on a black natural slate plaque;

• Country cottage: steal the layout of French signs, with white numbers on a dark blue plaque;

• Art-deco: if you have a dark door, opt for warm-toned metal to achieve a 1920s-30s retro feel.

As a general rule, the best size for house numbers & letters is 4 inches in height. However, it also depends on how far from the road your door is:

• If it's right next to it, 3 inches will do;
• If it's 130-160 feet away, aim for 6 inches or more;
• If it's over 300 feet away, it should be at least 10 inches high.

To be on the safe side, you might want to consider adding the house number to your front gate too, if your house is really far from the road.

To maximize visibility, don't forget about the kerning, which is the space between letters and numbers: they might be the correct size, but, if you mount them too close together, they could still be hard to spot.