I’ve been noticing a trend in shops and vintage stores around town: typography used to embellish everyday objects. Whether it’s a painted stencil, a re-purposed metal house number, or a simple tag tied on with ribbon, letters and numbers can add interest and even help organize basic home furnishings.
Here are some photos I’ve taken of local examples:
 Galvanized pails with number tags from Slate Interiors |
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 Stenciled stool from The Depot at Gibson Mill |
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Another interpretation (as well as several other ideas) on this website:
There is all sorts of DIY potential with this idea – I’m thinking of food canisters, notebooks, photo boxes, a child’s mobile…endless possibilities. While you could paint or stencil letters or numbers, an even simpler idea would be to use vinyl decals, which can be found online. Here’s one such resource at the Etsy shop thisthatandourmother:
Bureau with numbered drawers; photo courtesy of Etsy.com
The ideas were so inspiring, I decided to get crafty myself. I had some basic wood file boxes from IKEA that were crying out for a little something. After a quick online search I found some vintage house numbers (4, 5, & 6) in a font I liked and at a bargain price. I bought a can of red spray paint, which I sprayed on the numbers. After masking off the boxes with painter’s tape, I also sprayed the bottom portion of each box. Then affixed the numbers with a little glue, and voila – my project was complete! Here is the result:
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Now they really brighten up my home office. But what about 1,2, & 3 you ask? That will have to be my next project!