6 Most Beautiful House Signs

Here at Selene Signs we regularly keep an eye on the competition, and have to admit that while there are house sign designs we admire, nothing much comes close to our own when you’re talking about beauty in an artistic sense.

Yes, there are top quality slate signs where the quality of the engraving is impressive, and the same can be said for some wooden signs. But these are almost always monochrome – one colour only – and if other decorative elements are added, they can be a little simple and crude.

Call me biased, but I have every right to make claims for Selene’s signs – they are colourful, they can be highly decorative, and the reproduction of detail is sharp and accurate. They have the power to make you and your guests go ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ in the same way that an attractive painting on your internal walls might do.

In no particular order, here are our nominations for six most beautiful house signs:

Rowan berries: we’ve only recently launched this design, following a request from a customer, but don’t the berries look so wonderfully luscious? The artist, Kate Rose, has managed to capture their shiny redness and make them look edible, although that’s not to be recommended. One for you if you live in mountain ash country – Scotland, Wales and the Lake District.

Art deco fruit: I’m lucky enough to own the original 1930s wash jug decorated with this design, and long knew I wanted to reproduce it on a sign. The colours are so saturated and all the fruit, leaves and flowers have a border that gives it a retro look. The graduated yellow background adds the finishing touch.

Stretching cat: think of brushed silver signs and a dentist’s or doctor’s sign might spring to mind, with discreet black lettering or engraving. But what we’ve discovered is how enchanting coloured designs can become when printed on our silver finish - everything takes on a different dimension. This adorable stretching cat design, from illustrator Francesca Grace of Brighton, acquires a subtle gold border and number, and adds an extra sheen to the flowers.

Sea bass: ok, the seahorse is streets ahead in popularity, but I’m so fond of this friendly, er, sea bass (not totally what fish this antique image is depicting, but a bass is the closest I can find and no-one’s corrected me yet). Printed on our silver finish, Billy Bass himself appears in silver, and the blue-to-aqua background shimmers like the sea.

Wild rose: “Can you do a pink rose,” asks a customer and in browsing through options we came across this charming design. It’s actually a wallpaper sampler, in an Arts & Crafts or William Morris style, and you can see as well as the basic rose pattern there are borders and even a ceiling roundel. We found it irresistible and had to add it to our range.

Blue Lotus: this sign is exclusively licensed to us by Ashcroft Designs and has a sister version in pink, (which runs the risk being rejected by male partners, sadly). The designers are inspired by the patterns, colours and tattoos of the east, and the lotus is the symbol of renewal and new beginnings – appropriate if you’ve moved house. As it’s printed on our silver finish - when taken out of the packaging you’ll go ‘ugh’, but hold it up to the light and it becomes magical. 

Don’t agree? Let me have your own suggestions and we’ll feature them in a future blog post.