16 Sleek Designs For Contemporary Garden Gates
Set the tone for your garden with a sophisticated entrance of wood, glass or metal
Lauren Dunec Hoang
3 October 2017
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
Whether they mark the entry to the garden or separate one outdoor room from the next, gates define transitions in space, signaling that one is passing from an outer public space to an inner private area. This threshold can be an opportunity to set the tone for your garden with a stylish entryway.
For a contemporary look, choose gates with straight lines and geometric shapes, and use materials often seen in modern buildings, such as wood, glass, steel or aluminum.
For a contemporary look, choose gates with straight lines and geometric shapes, and use materials often seen in modern buildings, such as wood, glass, steel or aluminum.
Integrated design. Garden gates provide an opportunity to tie together different materials, colors, trims and other details used on the exterior of the home. Consider this metal and glass gate in the front yard of a home in Palo Alto, California, for example. The frosted glass panels mimic the rectangular shapes of the garage door, and the color ties in with the pale gray concrete pavers. The metal shade structure above the gate is made from the same treated metal as the gate frame and relates in form to the larger pergola inside the courtyard.
Private retreat. Gates and walls that leave no gaps in their construction offer the most privacy to homeowners – and, perhaps, are also most likely to pique the curiosity of passers-by. Lush foliage and tropical ginger flank the sides of a wooden gate to a private garden in Austin, Texas. We’re given a glimpse into a gravel courtyard with climbing vines but left to wonder what else the garden holds.
Soft edges. Contemporary garden gates, with their sleek lines and materials, have the potential to come across as a bit cold and industrial. Lush plantings, trailing vines and billowing grasses can soften the hard edges of a contemporary gate to create a more inviting entrance. Pairing cool materials such as poured concrete with warm-toned wood also adds balance to the gate design.
Free-standing portal. You don’t need to set a gate into a wall to delineate different garden areas. Mark the transition from one garden space to the next with a free-standing gateway. This steel pivot gate is all the more dramatic as a stand-alone doorway. Leaving the gate open invites a visitor to explore the garden down the slope.
Windowed gate. Cutting out sections of a gate provides an opportunity to frame a view of the garden beyond. Plant a tree with stunning foliage or place an empty urn as a focal point for the view through the gate. To create more privacy, narrow the windows or offset the path as it continues past the gate, and plant a living backdrop of foliage behind the gate.
Understated entry. In this garden in Collingwood, Ontario, a gateway connecting the front drive to a backyard pool and dining area hits just the right balance of privacy and invitation. The slatted fence and gate are dropped low enough to look over but kept high enough to screen a car parked in the drive from anyone relaxing in the backyard. The gray wash on the wood relates back to the weathered gray siding of the home and roof of the pergola covering the outdoor kitchen.
Sculptural aluminum rings. A gate made of custom-cut aluminum rings welded together provides a playful entrance to a garden courtyard close to Puget Sound, Washington. The design feels both contemporary and whimsical – almost as if soap bubbles have been caught suspended in the door frame.
Rustic contemporary redwood and metal. A contemporary metal gateway provides an entrance to a fenced-off edible garden on a ranch in the hills of Santa Ynez, California, which protects crops from nibbles from wild deer. The metal gate swings from redwood posts and was constructed with wire mesh welded to a rectangular metal frame. The open-weave of the mesh allows a clear view to the seating area and maximises light and air circulation to the raised edible beds.
Slatted wood. Narrow, tightly spaced wood strips provide privacy while offering a blurred view into the garden beyond. Laying the wood slats horizontally has a unifying effect on the home and garden, echoing the home’s wood siding, horizontal fence boards and the poured concrete pavers.
Asian inspired. Showcase traditional Japanese woodworking techniques with a handcrafted garden gate. While the style is by no means modern, the simple geometry and clean aesthetic have a timeless design that fits in well with contemporary architecture. While this particular example is from a tropical Hawaiian garden, a Japanese gate would also work well as the entryway to a meditation garden, woodland side yard or inner courtyard of an Eichler home.
Artistic desert spiral. In sparse landscapes, interesting gates can shine as one of the main features of the garden. In this desert garden outside of Scottsdale, Arizona, a pivot gate made of metal mesh overlaid with organic curves looks almost like the unfurling of a blossom or an eddy of water.
Open invitation. Skip the gate altogether and create a doorway from one area of the garden to the next. The lack of a barrier gives an invitation to explore where the curving path may take you.
Read more:
9 Door Designs for a Traditional Welcome
10 Refreshing Ideas for Internal Doors
Tell us:
Which gate design did you most like? Write in Comments below.
Read more:
9 Door Designs for a Traditional Welcome
10 Refreshing Ideas for Internal Doors
Tell us:
Which gate design did you most like? Write in Comments below.
What are you working on?
Related Stories
Working with professionals
What is the Role of a Landscape Architect?
Discover the multiple roles played by a landscape architect during the design and beautification of the outdoor spaces
Full Story
Outdoors
7 Expert Tips for a Lush, Green Terrace Garden
A gardening expert gives insightful and essential steps on how to go about setting up a thriving rooftop garden
Full Story
Outdoors
8 Best Sun-Loving Plants for Indian Gardens
Want carefree colour? Fill your garden with a wide range of plants that thrive in full sun, and enjoy the colour show
Full Story
Balconies
8 Climbing Plants Great for Indian Balconies & Gardens
Wish to add some vertical interest to your balcony garden? These eight climbers & creepers can be your pick
Full Story
Outdoors
8 Most Effective Water-Saving Techniques for Your Garden
Is your garden water-conscious? Adopt these strategies to save a precious resource and lower your water bill at the same time
Full Story
Outdoors
Outdoor Plant: A Guide to Growing the Golden Bamboo
Introduce this gorgeous plant in your garden as a soother for sore eyes and tired minds
Full Story
Outdoors
Covered Terraces, Patios & Balconies: 10 Outdoor Ceilings to Love
An outdoor space can be more than juts an outdoor space. Which of these spectacular ceilings are your favourite?
Full Story
Balconies
7 Magical Ways to Enhance Your Garden With Orbs & Mirrors
Here are clever hacks that use the versatility of reflective surfaces to transform garden spaces
Full Story
Outdoors
Add Volume to Your Garden With These Fast-Growing, Hassle-Free Plants
Plump up your garden's flat look with these beautiful, enticing grasses
Full Story
Outdoors
A Guide to Landscaping With 5 Types of Gravel & Stones
Give your garden design some textural bam with pebbles, granite, river rocks and other permeable materials
Full Story
Where do you source your lumber for these gates? I bought kiln-dried lumber, stained it with exterior opaque stain, and it's STILL cracking and warping. Some of these designs have very narrow pieces of wood in them. Are they made out of exotic hardwoods or something?
Thanks for sharing these beautiful designs. They all are
amazing but the rustic contemporary redwood and metal gate design is the best
to give your garden a contemporary look!
I love the look of horizontal fencing, but I really question how long it would look good.