33 Pretty House Number Ideas for Every Style

Use Oversized Numbers

If your home is pretty far offset from the street, or it's tricky to see from street-level, use oversized house numbers. Bigger numbers will be easier to read from afar, as will spaced-out numbers. Cramped or small house numbers will be less visible.

Place Them on a Post

If you don't have the space on your home's front exterior for house numbers, or you want to ensure they're visible from the street, place them on a post or small structure near the front of your lawn. This look works especially well if you have a fenced front or columned walkway.

Paint Your Numbers

Looking for a bolder way to display your address? Try painting it on. Painted house numbers give your home's exterior a stand-out and modern look that will be easy to see from afar too. For the best effect, pick number paint that's a contrasting color of the home's exterior paint or siding.

Use a Little Bit of Serif

Looking for house numbers that walk the line between uber-traditional and uber-modern? Pick some that are 'slightly-serifed.' Some numbers have a little projection or detail on the ends of them, while some don't. These blended numbers will help your home feel contemporary without feeling cold.

Use Similar Colors

The options seem endless when it comes to the coloring of house numbers. But for an easy win that blends in, pick house numbers that are a few shades darker or lighter than the home's siding.

Match Your Light Fixture

Another complementary combo can be found in house numbers and light fixtures with the same finish. Picking these features in similar finish creates a sense of cohesion and brings calm to a busy facade.

Use the Rule of Thirds

No matter what type of numbers you use or however you install them, consider the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds states that items in the intersections of top or bottom thirds (or left or right thirds in a bigger subject matter) look the best.

However, for homes, you'll want to ensure your house numbers are visible, so place them at the intersection of the top third of your home's exterior.

Go Wide

Many house numbers are tall, narrow and hung vertically. For something different, pick house numbers that are shorter and wider, and hang them horizontally, This drawn-out look works wonderfully on homes that have long, wide exteriors (like ranches) or extra white-space near the front door.

Match Your Home's Style

If your home is sleek and modern, you'll want minimalist, sans-serif house numbers that match that look. Likewise, if your home is elegant and traditional, you'll want serif numbers that are detailed and go the extra mile, like Pure Salt Interiors did here.

Try Out Floating Numbers

Your house numbers don't need to sit flush against your home's exterior. Instead, they can look like they're floating. This fun and fresh look comes from numbers that are installed a few inches on top of the siding and leave shadows beneath them, creating a mid-air look. To get this effect, look for numbers with floating mounts.

Place Them Away From a Door

The traditional placement for house numbers is often somewhere near the front door. However, sometimes the front door area may not have enough space for numbers, or it may be too difficult of an area to see from street-level.

In this case, don't be afraid to place them in another prominent spot on the front of your home, like Julian Porcino did here by installing them alongside the large front window.

Get a Light

House numbers can run into a serious visibility problem, especially when the sun starts to set. (And this problem is only amplified with the longer nights of winter.) To fix this, consider installing your house numbers near your front porch light, so that they can be seen all night long.

Consider Your Back Entrance

If your home has a prominent back entrance or a side street that's used to access the home, make sure you have house numbers there too. Your street-facing, formal entrance may not be the one you or your guests actually use, so add house numbers accordingly.

Use a Spotlight

Not all house numbers sit near a porch light or front door. Instead, some are installed upon posts, landscaping walls or columns. If this is the case for you, it's still important that your street number is visible come nightfall. In this case, you'll need a spotlight.

But not only do spotlights provide visibility, but their direct light also provides some visual drama to your house numbers, whether they're run-of-the-mill or one-of-a-kind showstoppers.

Use Siding as Your Guide

If you're installing your house numbers vertically on top of wood or vinyl siding, use the long lines of the exterior as your guide. If possible, install the numbers so that they fit within the height of a piece of siding. If your siding is extra-narrow (or your numbers extra-tall) hang them so that they're centered over multiple pieces.

Use Your Porch

Another good spot for your house numbers is found in the upper trim of your front porch. This option uses space that's easily forgotten in exterior design, and its height makes it easy to see from the street. Center the numbers over the porch trim that's above your front door for the best look.

Use Silver on Black

Contrasting colors make house numbers (and your home's siding) pop. And such is the case here, where Arbor + Co installed silver numbers atop deep black wooden siding. But even if your home isn't a cabin getaway, this look can still work for you. If you have any type of dark or deeply colored siding, pick house numbers in a light color.

Use the Space Above Your Door

Many homes, especially newer farmhouse-style ones with high ceilings, have an empty space above the front door. It can be an awkward spot to decorate, as its height makes it difficult to regularly access.

However, this otherwise forgotten space can be the perfect spot for house numbers. Install them above your door to give that empty space some purpose, and free up some wall space on the rest of your front porch.

Wide Siding? Use Big Numbers

If your siding is extra wide, make sure your house numbers are not extra-small. Too-small house numbers on large siding will look lost and out-of-proportion. Instead, use larger house numbers to accompany your larger siding for a perfectly proportional look.

Try Out Tiles

Your house numbers don't need to be just numbers—they can be tiles too. For a stunning and handcrafted street number look, use house number tiles. These beautifully crafted ceramics add personality and taste to nearly any home, especially craftsman or southwestern-style ones.

Use Wood

Ready to break out of the mold of metal house numbers? Try out wood. This oft-forgotten street number material can give your exterior a back-to-nature look, and it pairs nicely with front yard landscaping. However, if you choose to go with wood house numbers, make sure the wood is treated and sealed to protect from the elements.

Try Floor Tiles

Another unique house number solution can be found in floor tiles. This is a great way to add some extra style to your front porch, and it gives your home's exterior a custom-made feel.

If you go this route though, make sure you have your house numbers installed somewhere more visible elsewhere too, as you wouldn't be able to see these numbers from the street.

Add in Something a Little Extra

Looking to fill a little extra space next to your house numbers? Add an accent. Whether it's a tiled leaf, like what's pictured above from Rookwood, or it's a flourish or small nameplate, an accent can be the finishing touch to your house number look.

Place Them on a Plate

Another way to make your house numbers stand out (both from afar and design-wise) is by placing them on top of another surface, rather than just on your home's exterior. You can use a metal plate, a piece of wood, a large ceramic tile, or anything else that's large enough to hold the numbers and durable enough to resist exposure to the elements.

Match Your Siding

If your home's exterior trim is large enough (and a distinct color from the rest of the exterior), you have the unique opportunity to match the color of your house numbers to the color of your siding. This is an easy way to provide a cohesive look to your home's exterior and use more of a color you love.

Line It Up

Looking to cut down on the chaos of all the things that need to go near a front door? Keep your house numbers looking neat and tidy by lining up your numbers with the top of your door and a nearby window. This straight-and-narrow look gives your house numbers a professional (and simplified) touch, even if they have been DIYed.

Pair Numbers With a Planter

For a street-side way to display your street numbers that also incorporates some greenery, use a planter with your house number displayed on the exterior, like what's pictured here from White Sands Design/Build.

For this to work well and be visible from afar, both your house number and planter will need to be quite large. Add in a few plants to the planter that are found elsewhere in your landscaping, and you're all done.

Use Your Mailbox

Another good spot for the placement of your house numbers is found near your mailbox. Whether you're placing them on your actual mailbox or just next to it, like White Sands Design/Build did here, this convenient spot provides street visibility and a little something extra to your mailbox.

Don't Forget Landscaping

Once you've figured out the placement of your house numbers and what they'll look like, you may still have one more step—landscaping. If your house numbers are on a post, column or wall in your front yard, highlight them even further by adding a few plants. A few accents plants will do the job well here—you don't want anything too large or show-stopping that would block or overshadow the house numbers.

Use Your Door Frame

Still searching for the perfect placement of your house numbers? Try your door frame. This is a great option if you're tight on space and if your house numbers are small enough. Hang them at eye-level, like Simply Painted White did here, for the best look.

Try Stained Glass

If you're lucky enough to already have stained-glass house numbers above your door, give yourself a pat on the back. For the rest of us, if you're looking for a vintage-inspired house number look, look no further, Stained glass numbers in the transom (the window above the door) give your home's exterior history and so much style.

Use Your Door

House numbers don't have to be installed anywhere except the door—rather, they can be a great fit when they're simply installed on the door. For a picture-perfect look, match their finish to that of the front door's hardware.

Try Red and Black

Beautiful and simple black matches well with plenty of colors, and one of them is red. A bright red door, planter or flag is a wonderful complement to matte black house numbers.