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What are some tips for choosing a color for your address numbers?
Adding address numbers to your home’s exterior has a handful of advantages. But choosing the color and style will significantly affect their visibility. Not sure what to choose? Read on for some tips.
A Color That Will Shine or Illuminate When Lit
When you are trying to decide on picking a color for your address number we believe that something highly visible is best. It is best to pick a color or material that will shine or illuminate when headlights are placed on them. A reflective material is great. Or battery powered numbers again that are illuminated will truly help first responders find your residence or place of business when there is an emergency going on.
Another suggestion I have is not only based on color but location. In our area, metro Atlanta, most of the new construction is being built with no mailbox on the street. They instead have once central mailbox location for the entire neighborhood. This is making it hard for first responders to locate the residence like we used to. Instead they are placing numbers in various places in the front yard or on the house. This can make it difficult for the first responders to find you in a timely manner.
In closing we believe the best possible choice for colors of address numbers is that they are something highly visible either during the day or at night. They [should] be large enough to read from the vehicle and stand out from their background.
Choose a Contrasting Color That Complements Your Style
1. Choose a bright and contrasting color - A bright and contrasting color can help make your address number stand out from the rest of your home's exterior. Consider colors like red, yellow, white, or orange for maximum visibility. I chose yellow for my house, as it was a great way to make the numbers stand out from the dark blue siding.
2. Look at the style of your home - If you have a traditional colonial-style house, consider neutral colors like black, white, or bronze. For more modern homes, brighter and bolder colors can look great and make a statement. I used yellow to complement the modern look of my ranch-style home.
Consider Your House’s Color Palette
When choosing a color for your address number, more important than the actual color of the numbers is the contrast between the color of the numbers and the color of the surface the numbers are mounted on. The two colors need to contrast enough so that the house number will be easily readable by someone on the road in front of your house. You can google information on color theory to help you with this. Colors across from each other on the color wheel complement each other and would provide enough contrast to be readable.
Another thing to consider is the color palette of the exterior of your house. Either brick or siding color and color of doors and trim. It is best to choose house numbers that coordinate with this palette. Otherwise, it will look very out of place. For example, black trim and doors are currently very popular. Blackhouse numbers mounted on a lighter background (whether that is your house or a plaque) would go very well with this color scheme.
Another thing to keep in mind about house numbers is regardless of color, if you light them up with a bright light, they will be much easier to see at night. This will help people find your house. If your exterior color palette has a cool theme, choose a white light to light up the numbers. If your house has a warmer color palette, choose a warm light.
Contrast With The Background
The color of your numbered address should be a contrasting color to its background and large enough to be easily read from the street which the primary entrance is facing. Numbers should be in a plain font and of a color that is able to be read even in the dark with a light being shone on them.
Colors that are too closely colored to their background or overly fancy make it very difficult to read. Additionally, numbers should be mounted in a location which a person would expect to find them, ie. above or near the primary entrance, and if that area is obscured the numbers should be placed over the primary entrance or on the top right of the wall on which the primary entrance is located.
This is a crowdsourced article. Contributors' statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this website, other people, businesses, or other contributors.
rick mclain, author
Rick is a licensed architect at repp mclain design & construction. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona and an MS from the Department of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). When he’s not designing and fabricating he enjoys spending time with Brandy, Jack, Avery & Taylor and restoring his grandfather’s Ford pickup truck.
You can learn more about Rick on the Repp McLain Website, on LinkedIn, at the AIA Website, or on Facebook.
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