For years I’ve seen these beautiful, modern address plaques on the front of houses in Palm Springs, and I knew I eventually wanted one for our own home. They’re so fancy!
We recently had our exterior painted white, and it COMPLETELY changed the appearance of our home. Now I get excited every single time we drive up. It’s much more modern and vintage all at the same time. It’s definitely the most shocking before/after moment we’ve had! We noticed our neighbors driving by veeerrry slooowwly. Haha!
So now that the paint is on, we’re working on tweaking the details of our exterior. This past week we planted two peony bushes, we’re creating a landscaping plan, we swapped out all the light fixtures for simple/modern designs, and of course—I wanted to add some fun GOLD details to the front of the house. I haven’t blogged about it yet (I will, I promise!), but here’s a photo where you can see the hardware we chose for our entryway—
That pineapple door knocker is vintage, and it’s one of the first things I picked out when we first found this house!!
Anyway—I could go on all day, but let’s get into the project!!
Supplies:
–modern brass numbers (5 inches tall)
-wood pieces (guide for measurements below)
-drill and drill bits
-hammer
-small nails
-wood glue
-white paint
Step One: Measure and cut.
Start by choosing what size you want your sign to be. You can customize it for your space, or if it fits, you can make yours exactly the same size as ours. Ours is 30″ x 16″ with a 17″ x 5.5″ planter. It’s fairly large, but it fits the space nicely. They can cut all the wood pieces for you at the hardware store if you don’t have a saw. Just make sure you take correct measurements with you!
Step Two: Assemble the box.
Using wood glue before the nails will create a more secure, sealed box. This is best for a planter. Depending on what you plan to plant in it, you can add drainage holes in the bottom of the box. We did not. When you attach the box to the front, be sure to drill pilot holes through the base. This will prevent your wood from splitting. Screw the box on from the back of the base.
Step Three: Paint.
We used the same white paint as the exterior of my house, to match. If your house isn’t white, we suggest bright white outdoor paint, but you can use any color you like!
Step Four: Add address numbers.
Place the numbers where they will go on the sign, then cover the numbers with a cloth and tap them down with the hammer. This will leave indentions where each hole should be drilled. After you drill the holes, just stick the numbers on the front of the sign by pressing them into the holes.
Step Five: Plant some plants in the box.
Depending on your climate or the time of year, you can choose what you want to plant in the box. I will probably do flowers next spring, but since cold weather is relatively close (like I’ll blink and it will be here), I decided to go for faux plants since they will last longer. Most craft stores have a pretty legit selection of faux succulents these days. If you need help finding places to buy them online, check out this post.
I know a lot of you REALLY hate faux plants, but I stand behind the idea that there is a time and place for them. Obviously I love real plants even more! But there’s no shame in using a few fake succulents here and there!
Here are a few more images of the finished project…
Isn’t it pretty?!
I’m so happy with this project! It looks a LOT more expensive than it really is, and it’s an afternoon project (meaning it only takes a few hours to make!). Win-win all around.
Credits//Author and Photography: Elsie Larson. Project Assistant: Collin DuPree.
50 Comments
I definitely need this house number planter. 🙂 So neat and pretty.
The ‘4’ is a bit off but thanks for the idea as I will be making something similar but with bigger, bolder numbers as my house have huge frontage and being able to see the numbers from any angle is a must!
This is very sleek and pretty. You can even change out the plants to anything you want and for holidays. Nice,
Anybody done this and have exact measurements of all 4 wood pieces on the planter?
Very nice. I like the white. We used a cedar stain on ours.
Love this tutorial. Now that the box has weathered a couple of seasons, how is it holding up? Did you end up planting in it this Spring? Did you water proof the box to help prolong life or did you use removable liner so you could water outside of box? Would love here here your followup review!
Oh, wow! Now, that is just lovely. It’s modern and classic all at once! I love the use of the succulents – that really furthers the chic feel. Also, succulents are just so darn easy to take care of, so that helps. I’d like to think that if I had flowers right there, it would be easier for me to remember to water them – not necessarily true!
Love this! I made it with things I had on hand, so all I bought were the flowers. Turned out a little different, but I still love it. Used the numbers I had, just painted them to match the lights and painted the plant box red to match my shutters.
That looks really incredible.
MUST try this out at home.
Thank you so much for sharing!
This is so lovely! Would it be possible for you to share how you affixed it to the brick? Did I miss that? Thank you tons!
Great way to change flowers with the seasons (like Minnesota).
Good article…
nice article thanks for sharing!!!!!!!
Looks so good 🙂
I love the look of this! SO chic! 🙂
Nicole | In The Life of NM
What a cute idea! I wish I had a place on our house to put one!
=) Bridget | http://nuttyhiker.com
Such a cute idea!
www.petiteandhungry.com
Whoa, your house number is 412! That’s like my favorite Switchfoot song, so cool!
https://youtu.be/_sf9eVGSEgo
This is such a cool DIY I will have to do it http://www.hannamarielei.com
Wow. There’s a reason you guys are so popular….you do amazing things with such a simple, but lovely DIY! Would you ever maybe show us a street view of your front door?
Thank you for the answer, Collin!
I think fake succulents look much more real than fake flowers. The silk flower petals do not read as close as a waxy succulent.
Go to your local hardware store and pick up a masonry drill bit and masonry screw anchors! (you can usually find them together in a kit) Pre-drill your holes in your sign, hold it up where you’re mounting it and mark your holes, then drill the holes with the masonry bit, tap in your anchors and mount your sign!
-Collin
How did you hang the wooden planter on your brick front? I would love to do something similar for my house, which also has brick.
What a cute DIY! And that pink door on the white-painted bricks: just gorgeous!
xx
Renaud | xxmuchlove.blogspot.com
Thank you for sharing the creative idea! Love it, clean and simple!
graciabeatrice@wordpress.com
the faux plants totally does it for me! great idea to use them.
b
Oh wow, what a masterpiece, a beautiful container.
It looks gorgeous! Maybe this is also possible with the names of the people who live there? 🙂
That is so incredibly cute! I love it!
www.wanderfreeblog.wordpress.com
xx
Haha, I should make one for my dad, our family home has never earned its number 😉
Very pretty!
Holy moly, that’s gorgeous!
Its so cute 😀
This is so cute! I wish we didn’t live in a rental so I could do all these fun projects around here. I’d maybe put succulents in it since we’re in dry California.
I FINALLY took the plunge into fake succulents (the only plant I can’t keep alive!) and I’m so glad I did! I made these unique terrariums in 3 different sizes and shared the tutorial on my blog. I may never go back to real succulents! http://realitydaydream.com/make-this-cross-base-terrariums/
Very nice tutorial. My girlfriend is going to love this item. Thank you for the nice tutorial.
Sincerely,
Daryl Wilson
So cute! Do you mind sharing where you got your door hardware from? I’ve been searching for a good brass handleset, but they are so hard to find!
Thanks, and happy Labor Day!
Elle
www.heydandelion.com
I absolutely love it, Elsie! I’m obsessed with your home. Can’t wait to see the whole exterior and before and after! The faux succulents look great and I like that you can switch it up with the seasons if you want, too.
This planter is so fun and cute! I wish our house had a more modern vibe so I could make it work for us!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thank you so much Marilyn! :)) I’m so happy you like it!
xx- Elsie
Thank you so much Jenn!!!
xx- Elsie
This is beautiful and it’s easy enough that I could take on the project myself! Thanks for posting this!
Oh you guys that is the absolute cutest! Your home is so dreamy. I somehow wish I’m your neighbor. I’d gladly bake cakes and cookies for you just to get a house tour. Haha.
http://annescribblesanddoodles.blogspot.com
This is such a great idea. Great job on showing all the steps involved too. I agree, it looks very expensive and chic!
I love it! I am going to make this when I have my own appartment. This is so cool.
Adore this cute DIY, shame I don’t have my own house!
www.flareaforte.com
This is the coolest thing ever! Love it!
http://tandtblog.com
Wow, this is such a beautiful idea! Especially with the succulents!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
This is just beyond cute! Can’t wait to see more Larson House pics!!!
These are so cute! Thank you for sharing this amazing DIY.
Marilyn xx
www.marilynnassar.wordpress.com