From sleek, simple, and modern blank canvas to custom-painted characters, the appearance of your mailbox says a lot about you. But what if you are not sure what it is that you want your mailbox to say?
If you have never put much thought into what your mailbox should look like, you’re not alone. In this article, we’ll share some of our favorite mailbox ideas that will leave you feeling inspired and ready to receive parcels and letters in style.
Mailbox Design Ideas
Flowerpot
Flowers are a great addition to any front yard space. Low-maintenance and high reward, decorative flowers have the power to bring a great degree of curb appeal to your front yard. Anyone who loves to garden should consider installing this mailbox that sits in a large planter with just enough space for your favorite perennial or annual flower. Plus, by adding more plants to your outdoor area, you are helping the planet. Flowers not only help to remove air pollution, but they also provide a source of food for bees, an endangered species.
Garden Style
This mailbox also provides a gardening opportunity, but this time it’s for tall plants and vines. It will require a few woodworking skills to make this unique mailbox holder, although you may also commission from a carpenter. Aside from the wall for vines to grow upon, there is also a space for plants at the bottom of the mailbox holder.
Sleek and Contemporary
If you have a modern house, you’re going to want a have mailbox to match. But what if your house’s style is somewhere between modern and classic? That’s when you’ll want to have a look at this contemporary mailbox. Streamlined and glossy, this unique mailbox mixes a stylish modernist style with classic white wood. Definitely a head-turner!
Stone Mailbox
Here’s an easy idea to spruce up a mailbox that sits on a regular-looking piece of wood! Instead of going as far as to replace the mailbox entirely, you can give it new life by covering the wooden stake with faux bricks that you can purchase at any hardware store. The best part? You don’t need to be a professional bricklayer or even a particularly crafty person. This is an easy project that can be accomplished within a day or weekend.
Shiny Copper
Metallic colors have been enjoying a lot of popularity throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s, and it’s about time that this trend has made its way as far as mailboxes. But before you run out and buy an expensive silver or rose gold mailbox, did you know that you can transform any regular mailbox into a metallic mailbox with the use of spray paint? Just make sure that you follow spray paint best practices (spray paint in an outdoor area and wear a mask if necessary), and you’re good to go. See an example of what the result can look like here.
MCM
Are you familiar with MCM-style furniture and accessories? While it is often known by its acronym MCM, you may know it better as mid-century modern. And if you thought that mid-century modern was only for sofas and house designs, then you would be wrong. We present to you the mid-century modern mailbox. The perfect addition to any stylish house!
Miniature House
Hear us out: instead of a mailbox in your front yard, why not put up… a miniature version of your house that can catch your mail? It might sound gimmicky, but if pulled off effectively, it will have passersby “oohing” and “aahing.” If you’re artistically inclined, you might be able to pull off a painting of your house’s likeness yourself. Otherwise, you could commission a talented local artist who would be happy to do it! Here is an example of what this mailbox could look like (although, of course, it’ll look a bit different if you end up decorating it to match your house.
Stucco Mailbox
Sometimes stucco gets a bad rep in the world of building construction. However, we are here to say that this attitude towards stucco is not warranted — not only is stucco an inexpensive building material, but it can also have an understated, polished look if applied correctly. This giant mailbox is made of stucco and works great for large properties with wide driveways that can accommodate a larger mailbox.
Thank You, Mail Carrier
Our mail carriers work hard for us every single day! From delivering letters in inclement weather to walking tens of thousands of steps per day, there is no denying that a job as a mail delivery professional is a hard one. While there are certain things that we can all do to help brighten their day—waving at them every time they walk by and giving them cards and trips during the Holiday season come to mind—there are other special ways to thank your mail carrier that might be a bit outside of the box. For example, we love the idea of painting a little thank you message on the inside of your mailbox. It’s the little things like this that can help brighten somebody else’s day.
Branches and Birds
Tree branches and birds are two of the most beautiful symbols of nature that are out there. While you can certainly paint a beautiful picture of birds or branches on your mailbox, it’s even better to do some basic ironworks to make your mailbox a beautiful work of art! If you’re not up for a DIY project, you might be able to find a mailbox like this at your local craft market or high-end gift shop.
Vintage Bicycle
Do you have a vintage bicycle laying around that isn’t very practical but is still very lovely to look at? If you do, we have got the perfect mailbox holder for you, and you can see for yourself here. As you can see in this example, you can park the bicycle backward and hang a flower pot to the bike’s front. Then, you can attach a mailbox to the back of the bicycle, behind the seat. Of course, if you’re concerned about somebody (literally) riding off with your mailbox, you’ll want to make sure to secure the bicycle to the ground.
Barrel Mailbox
Earlier on this list, we gave the example of a mailbox that sits in a barrel used as a flowerpot, but here is a mailbox that uses a barrel as the actual mailbox! We love the way that the barrel leaves space for a family name. This is the perfect mailbox option for anyone running a winery or restaurant, but it looks great on a regular property.
Farmhouse
Farmhouse-style decorations are in and are known for their homey and bright qualities. However, this farmhouse decoration brings the meaning of “farmhouse” to the next level by featuring an actual farmhouse in its design. Bright red and show-stopping, having a mailbox this prominent is a surefire way to make sure that the postman or woman never walks by your house. It’s a must-have for anyone who lives in a rural area!
Die Dye VW Bus
Are you a fan of all things from the 1960s? If the answer is yes, here’s some good news: it’s now possible to pay homage to your favorite decade with your mailbox of all things. This creative mailbox idea shows how you can paint your mailbox to look like a tie-dye 1960s Volkswagen van, a symbol that is strongly associated with the counterculture era of the 1960s.
Paint Poured Mailbox
Jackson Pollock has finally met his match, and it’s your new mailbox design! This creative “paint poured” style mailbox is a super fun undertaking for the kids if you want to make the decoration of your mailbox a family affair. You will just need a blank canvas of a solid color mailbox and variety of paint colors that you can then methodically pour on top of the mailbox!
Cat and Dog
Animal lovers are always looking for an opportunity to pledge allegiance to their favorite furry friend, whether it’s cats or dogs. If you are an example of somebody who loves all animals — including cats AND dogs — then we have the perfect mailbox for you. This adorable mailbox features the cute silhouette of both a cat and a dog.
Warning: one of the side effects of a stylish mailbox is the sudden surge to write snail mail, so don’t be surprised if you want to start exchanging letters with your friends and family just for fun. Regardless of whether or not you begin to send and receive more letters, you will be happy that you will have a beautiful mailbox — even if the only things that you receive are bills and flyers.