The Herringbone Address Sign: A Pattern With History, Built for Modern Homes
There’s a reason the herringbone pattern has endured for centuries — and a reason it’s become our best-selling address sign design. Here’s what makes it work on almost any home.
Our herringbone house number sign is our best seller.
Not by a small margin, it consistently outsells every other design in our catalogue, across home styles, regions, and seasons. That kind of staying power doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when a design gets something fundamentally right.
Here are the reasons why:
A Pattern With a Longer History Than You Might Expect
Herringbone is one of those patterns that feels simultaneously ancient and current, because it is both. The zigzag arrangement of rectangular forms dates back to Roman road construction, where the interlocking geometry distributed weight and resisted shifting under heavy use. From there it migrated into textiles, appearing in high-end tailoring and woven fabric for centuries before becoming a staple of interior design, hardwood floors, subway tile, brick pathways, and woven textiles all use the same underlying logic.
What makes herringbone endure across so many applications and so many eras is its structural elegance. It creates visual rhythm and depth without requiring color, contrast, or ornament. The pattern does the work quietly, in the background, which is exactly why it translates so well to address signage.
What it offers is sophistication without period specificity, the kind of design that feels at home without announcing itself. Homeowners who want something more considered than a plain sign but less decorative than a floral or ornate border tend to land here almost instinctively.
It’s the choice that communicates taste without requiring explanation.
Quality Materials to Match the Design — Weatherproof HDPE
A pattern this considered deserves a material that holds up. Every Thomas Design Co. herringbone sign is precision-crafted from high-density polyethylene — HDPE — the same category of material used in marine applications and outdoor infrastructure engineered for decades of exposure.
Unlike wood, which warps and loses detail over time, or painted metal, which chips and rusts, HDPE is inherently weatherproof. It doesn’t absorb moisture. It doesn’t corrode. UV exposure doesn’t degrade it the way it does lesser plastics. The herringbone pattern you install today will look the same in fifteen years — the fine detail of the texture, the crispness of the numbers, the finish of the border.
Pre-drilled, countersunk mounting holes come standard, with black stainless steel screws and masonry wall anchors included. Installation is straightforward regardless of your exterior surface.
Is our Herringbone Sign Right for Your Home?
It works on almost any home, but it works best when at least one of these is true:
You want a sign with visual character that doesn’t require bold color or ornate decoration to achieve it. You have a home with traditional or craftsman influences and want a modern address sign that doesn’t feel out of place.
You’re drawn to pattern-driven interior details — herringbone tile, hardwood floors, woven textiles — and want that sensibility to extend to your exterior. You want something that reads as a deliberate design choice rather than an afterthought.
If you’re still weighing horizontal versus vertical orientation, our guide to horizontal vs. vertical house numbers covers that decision in detail, the herringbone design is available in both.
Ready to Explore More?
The herringbone is our best seller for good reason — but it’s one of many designs we’ve crafted with the same attention to detail, material quality and lasting curb appeal. Whether you’re drawn to a clean minimal look, a bold framed design, or something with a more traditional character, every Thomas Design Co. sign is handcrafted in the USA from weatherproof HDPE and made to order for your home.