DIY mailbox: 80 photos of original and stylish decor ideas

Functional items are actively used to create and maintain a unified composition in individual landscape design projects.

This will allow you to transform even the simplest territory, turning it into an exclusive project that will attract the attention of neighbors and other summer residents and delight the owners of the site.

The proposed photos of the mailbox and options for its construction will help you quickly and easily navigate the existing variety of design projects.

Refined and simple, original and standard, designer and unusual mail storage boxes can be made from all kinds of materials and decorated with decor.

Types of mailboxes for outdoor use

Simple instructions on how to make a mailbox with your own hands begin with recommendations for choosing a general idea, focusing on landscape design.

To decorate the exterior of any type of housing located on a plot of land, you can not limit your flight of imagination and choose the most daring ideas from a design with all sorts of features and a method of removing and laying printed materials and notices:

top tab of received mail;
side bookmark with closing door;
bottom tab with a special limiter.

The main requirement for the practical use of a homemade mailbox is its ease of use.

Such a design should ideally fit into the concept of landscape design and correspond to the design style of the house itself, other outbuildings and the local area.

General recommendations for making letter boxes

When planning to make a functional structure with your own hands, every owner wants it to last for more than one season without losing its attractiveness for as long as possible. Therefore, when creating a durable letter box, you should adhere to a number of basic recommendations:

It is advisable to install a canopy over the slot for lowering correspondence, which will protect the contents of the container from rain and snow.
The door for removing letters can be placed both on the front panel and in the bottom wall of the structure. With the first arrangement option, it is important to accurately calculate the dimensions of the hole and door in order to prevent the formation of cracks through which moisture will enter. When planning to place the door in the bottom wall, it is better to make this entire part of the box folding.
When building a wooden box, it is better to fasten all structural elements using corners. This will increase the strength of the structure and greatly facilitate future repairs.
Do not forget to provide a lock, the installation of which will prevent possible attacks by thieves on correspondence.

Some craftsmen equip their mailboxes with a simple alarm system. It is activated by contact plates, which can be taken from an old magnetic relay or telephone switch.

To equip a mailbox with an alarm system, you need to make an additional bottom in the container, which can be cut out of plywood or plastic, and then placed on springs.

The additional bottom is placed in such a way that the lower edge is attached directly to the box, and the upper edge rests on springs, between which contacts are placed that react to the box being filled with correspondence

As soon as the contacts are closed, a light bulb connected to them by wires, which is already installed in the house, lights up and thereby signals the arrival of new correspondence.

Design style: basic selection rules

To make a beautiful and practical decoration for your site, you should choose the type of mailbox design.

Most often it is placed at the entrance to private territory, which will provide convenience for the postman and the opportunity to always receive fresh mail; according to the generally accepted classification, such structures are divided into the following types:

classic mailboxes have a simple design, without any special frills; they come in rectangular and square shapes;
English mailboxes are characterized by a rather discreet design, built into a wall or gate door or installed separately;
American mailboxes are quite colorful in design, installed on a special support and supplemented with an alarm.

Traditional boxes for received mail can be replaced with original and unusual designer designs.

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For their manufacture, scrap or scrap materials are most often used, because a beautiful mailbox does not have to be constructed from valuable wood or made of plastic.

What types of boxes are there?

A mailbox can not only fulfill its main task - to serve as a receiver for paper messages, but also be part of the architect's design.

Today there are several options that can be taken into service:

Classic - placed on the fence or door of the house to receive letters. If the decor is done correctly, such a box will definitely attract the attention of a passerby and lift his spirits.

English manner - in films you can often see that heroes make a small copy of their house to receive correspondence.

American model - made mainly in the form of some kind of statue or object. Here you can give free rein to your imagination or use photos of mailboxes that have conquered the Internet for inspiration.

In our realities, there is no point in making the box too expensive. It can easily be carried away by intruders, so additional care must be taken to secure the structure.

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What to make a mailbox from: available materials

The most exclusive in design and original mailbox can be made with your own hands, using all kinds of building materials.
Often, a masterpiece for decorating the local area and complementing the landscape design composition is a converted simple thing intended for throwing away:

remnants of PVC pipes and plastic bottles of various sizes and shapes;
small pieces of branches and twigs, wood lumber;
building materials remaining after construction and repair;
linoleum and laminate, facing bricks and decorative tiles;
cardboard boxes and tins for food products;
tableware, porcelain tureens and teapots, saucepans;
leather goods, jackets and old bags, briefcases and satchels.

Often, a home craftsman can come up with an original idea that will help him make a mailbox with his own hands from available materials.

This is a great way to use waste materials and create a highly artistic box with original decoration and unusual design.

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Master class #1: designer cardboard box

A chic mailbox, decorated with elegant lace and looking like a dollhouse, can act as a bright accent in the exterior of a country house.

To make such a cute “house” we will need:

Cardboard for modeling (4 mm thick);
Drawer lock;
PVA construction adhesive (or hot glue with a heat gun);
Paper tape and a stationery knife.

We will decorate the box using decoupage napkins, as well as acrylic paints in white, black and silver.

We apply the template to a sheet of cardboard, transfer the dimensions of all the design details, and then cut them out with a knife

When making a window, it is important not to cut the cardboard to the end, this will prevent tears. It is advisable to secure the bend points with paper tape.

We glue all the parts of the box using hot glue or construction PVA, leave the box until completely dry

The box is ready, let's start decorating.

To create a visual effect of antiquity, we cover the outer surface of the box with napkins, and then cover it with black and white paint, finishing the corners with a silver tint.

All that remains is to install a miniature lock on the door, stick the selected napkins for decoupage and decorate the roof with lace ribbon

An original designer box, made by yourself, will become a memorable calling card of any suburban area.

Plastic bottles

A beautiful and original plastic mailbox can be easily made from an ordinary plastic canister or other container, bottle or jar.

When using such consumables, it is imperative to provide methods for filling and removing the finished box and ensure that the printing is protected from snow and rain.

Wooden boxes: variety of ideas and shapes, configurations

A classic mailbox in a country house, made of wood, will help you stylishly arrange the area of your private home.

To do this, the mailbox is decorated to resemble a cozy house or forest hut, a bundle of brushwood or other structure, while maintaining the pleasant structure and texture of various types of lumber.

Variety of models

Before you start making a mailbox, you need to think about its dimensions and design, decide on materials and location. If this is not just a design element, but an active device, it should be positioned so as to provide convenient access for both the postman and the owners.

Products can be presented in different images and forms, but three main types can be distinguished: traditional, American and English.

DIY photo of a mailbox

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