House Plaques
Showing Pride in Your Home
House plaques are signs that show off your home's address. They may also have the family name (e.g., "The Wilkinsons") or the street name, though these are a bit less common as they tend to be more expensive. House plaques displaying only the address are also referred to as house number plaques, and they're coming back into fashion.
With the advent of rapid construction and apartment-style housing, house number plaques fell out of favor for some time. They became seen as an unnecessary aesthetic detail, not worth the small amount of additional time and effort to design or install. Now, however, they have become a luxury item - a way to show pride in your dwelling, whether it's a tiny one-bedroom loft or a spacious million-dollar estate. Perhaps due to the changes in the housing market or increased awareness of the homeless population, house number plaques are restoring people's pride in their homes in a very visible and customizable manner.
The Appeal of Pride
For people living in apartments, home signs plaques might seem silly. Consider this: what better gift to give to a recently independent young adult than a tangible symbol of their independence? Much better than throw pillows or useless knick-knacks that will only clutter their new home, the gift of house number plaques (perhaps one for outside and one for inside?) will serve as a loving and supportive symbol of the beginning of their adult lives. Just as some people keep old license plates from their favorite car or a treasured time period of their lives, so too will your family member come to cherish the house number plaques they've called their own.
The appeal of purchasing house numbers for new homeowners is more readily apparent. First-time homebuyers are eager and excited to show off their success, as they've achieved the challenging but common dream of homeownership. These are the people who will not only purchase house number plaques, but customize them to the fullest extent, sometimes to excess. Luckily, house number plaques can be replaced!
The Luxury Goods Market
Finally, the other category of people who most commonly have house number plaques are the very wealthy and the retired. For these people, similar to first-time homebuyers, house number plaques are more than just home decoration; they're a mark of status and an outward sign of their pride in their home. It's only fitting, then, for a gorgeous and sprawling estate to display large, distinguished house number plaques in several areas: at the foot of the drive or beside the mailbox, by the front door, and occasionally by the back door as well. House number plaques for this set are often understated, in bold "power" colors such as black, hunter green, and navy blue, with gilded lettering and delicate details.
Of course, among the retired, there are also those who enjoy slightly silly or eccentric house number signs, such as those with a picture of their favorite dog. These can be a welcome change from the comparatively bland (but stylish) variety of house number plaques seen in the same neighborhood. House number plaques with flamingoes, lap dogs, and even silohuetted smiley faces are frequently found among the happily retired, whose home pride seems to be coupled with a sense of whimsy.