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In 2006 Rob Forbes, founder of the furniture and design company “Design Within Reach” (DWR), commissioned me to design four different exclusive sets of housenumbers.

The results were Classic, my translation of Bodoni (designed by Giambattista Bodoni in 1788), Contemporary, based on my Meta Bold, Industrial, a negative stencil form with factory-charm and finally Tech, my attempt to construct figures without using any diagonals.

The housenumbers do not only vary in colors, but in materials; ranging from enamelled steel (Classic), to extruded, anodized aluminium (Contemporary), laser-cut, varnished steel (Industrial) and mirror polished stainless steel cut by water jet (Tech).

The numbers are supplied with drilling stencils, which ease positioning the numerals. DWR no longer lists the numbers in their range of designs and I was able to obtain the remaining stock from the manufacturer. Not all of the numerals may be available in their variants, but I can offer them below the original price.

Instructions

Mounting instructions

You’ll need:
Ruler, spirit level, pencil, sealing compound, drilling device 4.5 mm (0.157 inches)

Measure
Lay out the stencils next to each other on an even surface and make sure the triangular shapes evolve into diamonds. Then connect all stencils with tape.

Mark
Mount the stencils to the wall. Balance them evenly with the water level and really stick them together. Mark the drill holes and remove the stencils. Do not drill through the stencils!

Drill
Use a 4.5 mm (0.157 inches) drilling device to drill a 50 mm (1.968 inches) deep hole (minimum) at each mark.

Mount
Screw the metal rods into the backside of the house numbers. Check the position on the wall once more before sealing the drill holes with a compound. Apply a little bit of sealing compound on the rods and slightly press them into the drill holes.

Clean
Clean the painted house numbers with commercially available stain remover.

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