12 Great Fences and Gates
Add Texture and Structure to your Garden With Fences with Flair
Houzz contributor & founder/ principal designer at KitchenLab | Rebekah Zaveloff Interiors. We're a Chicago based interiors firm specializing in kitchens & baths – the rooms which often begin as the focal point of many of the projects we design & manage. We create a link for our clients between the design process & the construction process which is often missing & we offer tailored interior design services for adjacent rooms or whole houses depending on the scope of the project. We love to mix styles and make our spaces feel like they "grew there" and were collected over time. We also offer e-decorating services through our company Design in a Bag.
Visit me at http://kitchenlabdesign.com http://designinabag.com
Our work has been featured in Kitchen and Bath Ideas Magazine, Dream Kitchens,...
Houzz contributor & founder/ principal designer at KitchenLab | Rebekah... More »
Gardening is my love, second to kitchen design, so when we bought our dilapidated old farmhouse in Michigan, the first item on our agenda was to install a fence. Our one-acre lot was nothing but dead grass, a gravel parking 'pad' right off the road, and 1/4 acre of tall weeds that concealed the barn.
We immediately hired someone to cut the circular driveway and install our fence. My husband and I debated over the design: I wanted a picket fence for charm and practicality; my husband wanted something simple and with open sight lines, such as a split-rail fence. The problem was, split rails won't help keep in Mr. Darley, our rascally golden retriever. We decided to settle the debate with a wire grid along the bottom half of a split rail, with picket gates. It's taken five years for the yard to grow into what it is today.
Fences and gates don't have to be merely functional. They are wonderful ways to define your property or to provide structure for garden plants to grow up against. And they can be as interesting as the plants surrounding them.
We immediately hired someone to cut the circular driveway and install our fence. My husband and I debated over the design: I wanted a picket fence for charm and practicality; my husband wanted something simple and with open sight lines, such as a split-rail fence. The problem was, split rails won't help keep in Mr. Darley, our rascally golden retriever. We decided to settle the debate with a wire grid along the bottom half of a split rail, with picket gates. It's taken five years for the yard to grow into what it is today.
Fences and gates don't have to be merely functional. They are wonderful ways to define your property or to provide structure for garden plants to grow up against. And they can be as interesting as the plants surrounding them.
The fence behind this row of trees makes them stand out all the more. Not all fences have to be natural unstained or unpainted wood. The contrast of the dark painted fence against the bark of the trees ties in with the color of the flagstone path.
Tip: Painted fencing can need more maintenance than natural cedar. There are opaque and semi-opaque stains on the market as well.
Tip: Painted fencing can need more maintenance than natural cedar. There are opaque and semi-opaque stains on the market as well.
I love the simplicity of this weathered gray painted fence with wide chicken wire. It's practically see-through but still provides all the benefits of a fence. This is a great solution if you want and need a taller fence, but don't want to block the view.
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| For backyards where you're looking for a bit more privacy, tall solid wood fences are great when paired with an open top section. A bit of negative space at the top of the fence line is a nice decorative element as well. I love the level of detail in this fence pattern mixed with the curved wood gate. |
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| Simple panels with open sections at the top allow for privacy without making you feel caged in. The upper section of this fence feels inspired by clerestory windows. |
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| Here's our split-rail fence and picket gate. My husband won our little fence debate. It was the right decision for our property, and for Mr. Darley, our curious golden retriever! |
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by HOPE DESIGNS
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| A classic white picket fence never goes out of style. It's a great way to add a cottage feel to any home and garden.
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by ROOMS & BLOOMS
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The pattern, line, scale and spacing of the boards and type of wood make fence design possibilities as endless as the imagination. I love the clever use of an interior door missing its glass panel used as a gate in this garden.
by Milieu Design
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Lattice is a classic choice for fencing, whether used by itself or mixed with regular boards. I particularly like the graceful curve of the gate on this classic white fence.
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| What looks like a vintage decorative metal fence and gate adds a ton of character and patina to this yard. |
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| Not all fences have to be made of wood or metal. I've always had a thing for hedges with gates in them — they're so whimsical. |
If you're more of a modernist, the fencing design options can get really interesting. Playing with line and scale allows a minimal fence to make a maximum statement.
| Here's a kid-friendly fence: an outdoor chalkboard within the fence panels. Now let's see if you can get the kids to pretend they're in school while on summer vacation!
More: Enduring Design: The Picket Fence 12 Inspiring Garden Gates Garden Edging: Clean Lines for Your Landscape |
Comments
Dirt Digger Great idea book....love your yard! I have an acre too....lots of work, but I love it! Thanks!
23 months ago · Like
diana123 Love the "door gate" it's so Alice in Wonderland!
23 months ago · Like
lindseyakin we found what we think is the original front door to our 1915 house burried in the back yard weeds. The glass was cracked, so we removed it, and are going to use it like that photo, as the side-yard gate, with a hanging basket in the gap.
23 months ago · Like
cluelessintheyard Question on construction re: the contemporary fence. Seems you must decide whether the "uprights" will show to the street or the interior. Your thoughts on that?
23 months ago · Like
Donna Comstock Love these options, all different and wonderful!
23 months ago · Like
catrine36 I'm going to do the door/gate idea on my side yard! I love it!!! I have the original exterior door to the basement of my 1920's home and have been hanging onto it for some reason - now I know why! I even have bricks from the house when a wall in the basement was removed, I couldn't through them away - they were almost 100 years old! Possible edging in the garden? Post??
14 months ago · Like
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Aleko Gates Rebekah, indeed you really have a nice collection of fence and gates. Loved them all.
7 months ago · Like
Ideabook updated on Aug. 2, 2011.
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