Mailboxes – more than just for mail

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Nowadays we are so accustomed to getting only e-mail that we barely check our “snail mail” box. Maybe that’s why so little thought goes into the mailbox.

It’s true that the primary purpose of mailboxes is to provide a safe environment for your bills and yes, even your junk mail. But it doesn’t have to end there. Consider it to be the first impression someone has of your home.

This is a typical Israeli mailbox. Secure but boring.

It’s true that these are both askew, but they have character and colour.
The same goes for these stand alones.

If you live in a multi-family dwelling you could personalize your cluster mailbox. Interestingly only one has a number on it.

Instead of this:

In Norway even postboxes (that’s mailbox in American English) get their own house. I wonder why two of them have the same number.

This postbox was made as a model of the house itself. You can see it in the background. That’s a bit too kitschy for my tastes.

This mailbox that has a  solar powered lighthouse. It’s made of synthetic stucco, painted windows and doors on the lighthouse with glass windows and curtains in the mailbox. Creative but maybe a bit too enthusiastic.

Here is a site where you can view more examples of creativity: http://uglymailbox.com/ I didn’t coin the name. There are hand painted wall mounted maiboxes available with flowers, butterfies, birds, deer and even cows!
Residential mailboxes include column mailboxes, wall mounted, postmounted and mail slots. Here are a few examples:


How regal!

This looks more like a scale.

This mail slot is made even more dignified with this added Egyptian knocker.
If you’d like to try your hand at making a mail “house” or a simple wall mounted mailbox go into HomeAid. It has step by step pictoral explanations with a list of materials, plans and a short video clip.