Aside from plant life and patio furniture, garden design only offers a few opportunities to express yourself through decor. So when these chances come along, it would be wrong not to take advantage of them.
Garden gates are a prime example of outdoor decor you can customize to fit your exact taste. And from picket and modern fences to brick walls, no garden border would be complete without a matching gate.
Check out the garden gate ideas below for a little landscaping inspiration you can use in your own backyard.
1. Arbor Designs for Garden Gate Ideas
If you want your garden entry to feel like a portal to another world, an arbor gate design is a great option. Arbors are like small pergolas, providing a tiny bit of shelter and support for viney, climbing plants.
Arbor gates are quite common in cottage and English garden design–you’ll often find them swallowed up by beautiful climbing roses or wisteria in Great Britain. Filled with blooming flowers and lush greenery, an arbor gate will instantly transform your backyard into a secret garden.
You can utilize this gate style in any entrance or with any landscaping trend. Install a white, trellised arbor to match your existing picket fence. Or use a wrought iron arbor to bridge the gap between your stone garden walls. We also love the look of an arbor gate paired with weather-worn wood fencing for a rustic storybook aesthetic.
Your arbor roof can take any shape, but some work better than others structurally. If you plan to grow vines up the supports, you’ll want to stay away from a thin and flimsy gate. Some climbing species, like wisteria, are capable of tearing down their support structures–go with a strong cedar arbor for these plants.
2. Creative Metal Gate Ideas
Metal gates are easily one of the most popular styles around. While classic wrought iron is beautiful in its own right, your design options are so much greater than you probably realize. Metal garden gates range from poetically simple to ornate and abstract. It’s just a matter of finding the perfect style for your home.
For a regal, vintage-inspired garden entrance, choose a design with filigree accents. Some wrought iron gates can look dated–contrasting your garden gate with contemporary landscaping can help offset this. Or lean into the over-the-top aesthetic with stone walls and gargoyles.
Because of its structured lines and sleek finish, a metal gate will work perfectly with modern landscaping and architectural trends. Many homeowners pull inspiration from Asian design trends when selecting a garden gate.
If you want the look of metal but need a bit more security (after all, metal bars aren’t the best at keeping out rabbits and other small critters), consider a gate constructed of metal and wood. These gates offer a classic look while being a bit heftier than most all-metal ones.
3. Embrace Tranquility
The Chinese moon gate is a gorgeous structure that outshines most Western-style garden gates. Though moon gates have some spiritual associations, they’re widely popular in architectural and landscape design today.
Moon gates are circular entryways traditionally built into stone or brick walls. In more contemporary design, you can also find freestanding moon gates made of metal or wood.
While not a gate in the traditional sense, you can always add a simple gate or door if your garden entrance calls for one. When combined with cottage or English garden design, a moon gates give off a Tolkien-esque air that many fantasy lovers desire.
If you have control over your new moon gate’s location, think carefully about what sits behind it. When you or a guest walks through the gate, the gate’s circle will “frame” these elements. This is true for both kinds of moon gates, but freestanding ones offer more flexibility.
4. Charming Picket Gate Designs
The perfect white picket fence might be a cliche, but there’s absolutely a time and place to use this look for your garden gate. Picket gates mesh perfectly with cottage and English gardening trends. You can match your gate to an existing picket fence or coordinate it with a rustic stone or brick wall.
Per the cliche, white paint is the most popular option for a picket gate. If you go this route, opt for matte black hardware to maximize contrast. Natural, weathered wood is another favorite for those wanting the country look.
If plain pickets are a bit boring for your taste, play around with different cutouts and shapes. Rounded pickets give off a much different look and feel than ornately carved ones. You can also play around with the spacing of your gate’s pickets to achieve the perfect look.
Let your new picket gate stand on its own or frame the garden entrance with large flowering shrubs. Hydrangeas, rhododendrons, lilacs, and bridal-wreath spireas are just a few varieties to consider for the perfect picket fence aesthetic.
5. Embracing Nature
Rustic garden design encompasses far more than the farmhouse look. You can use anything from organically warped driftwood to perfectly symmetrical lumber to create a stylish rustic garden gate.
The best way to give any backyard gate a rustic touch is with a worn finish. You can speed up the process with an electric sander or let nature run its course over the next few years.
Whether you paint your wood gate or leave it natural, don’t underestimate the power of cast iron hardware to bring your rustic-style garden entrance together. Leave screws and supports exposed if you want to take the rustic aesthetic a step further.
Maybe a gate isn’t the right fit for your rustic garden entrance. Installing a wooden doorway in a tall fence or wall is a great way to make your garden space feel like a private getaway. Even better, a split Dutch door will give you the best of both worlds.
6. Minimalistic and Elegant
There are so many fun and interesting gate styles to choose from, but not everyone wants to make their garden entrance the highlight of their front yard or backyard. You might be in the market for a garden gate that’s simply functional, design aside.
Go with a simple garden gate idea if you have minimalist landscaping or want to let the surrounding garden design shine. A simple gate is an ideal companion to lush hedges or flower beds.
Simple gates are also an excellent option for a vegetable and herb garden. After all, the more standing between your precious produce and the outside world, the better. Opt for a revolving gate design for hands-free entry and exit.
Simple gate designs come in all shapes and materials. If security is a top concern, go with a solid gate made of wood, metal, or plastic–you can add a small, ornamental cutout to change it up.
7. Uniquely Captivating Gate Inspiration
Immediately opposite of functional gate design, we have countless examples of garden entryways that double as works of art. For example, a wrought iron gate can shape into nearly any design or image imaginable.
Iron gates are just the tip of the iceberg, though. You can add mosaic tiles to a wood or metal gate for a stunning effect. A vibrant coat of paint can do wonders to a standard fence gate or doorway.
You can also create a unique garden gate by choosing unusual materials. Instead of cedar, select a gate made of bamboo. Or repurpose old steel garden tools into a DIY gate unlike any other. If you have the resources, it shouldn’t be hard to find a local artist willing to create a custom gate for your garden.
While you can install one of these unique gates alongside a garden fence, they really stand out as patio or pedestrian gates. But there’s nothing wrong with shirking curb appeal in favor of enjoying your one-of-a-kind gate where you like it best!
8. Adding Depth
In certain parts of the world, garden walls are more common than gate posts or fencing. Even in contemporary design, we often see gates installed amidst oversized hedges or between two house exteriors.
Whether leading into a courtyard or serving as a driveway gate, the entry through your garden walls can be as understated or as dramatic as you’d like. Stick with a simple timber gate or invest in a painted, carved, welded design. Or, go for all of the above.
Small details can elevate a rustic wooden gate to a multi-use doorway. Install a screen door on one side of the entryway for days when you want full visibility looking in or out of your garden. If you want your garden walls to have the functionality of both a gate and a wall, go with a split Dutch door.
This is one scenario where security can be the chief concern. After all, a full-scale wall is a lot harder to climb over than a regular garden fence. Think carefully about the security requirements for your new garden gate before making a final choice.
9. Graceful White
You can paint your garden gate any color of the rainbow and beyond. But no finish goes better with more home exteriors and landscape designs than white.
For a classic white garden gate, stay away from ornate carvings or designs. Instead, opt for a gate with subtle geometric patterns incorporated into the wood planks or metal bars. Cutout designs will highlight the landscaping hidden behind the garden gate.
Plant vibrant flowers around your garden entrance to make the white gate pop. You can install an arbor archway to support vining flowers or plant oversized hydrangeas or bougainvilleas. Choose plant varieties with dark green foliage for the greatest contrast.
Whitewashed iron or cedar will give off a rustic, farmhouse-inspired aesthetic. If a white picket fence is too suburban for your style, pair your gate with weather-worn brick walls. Hang a planter from the gate to complete the look.
10. Natural Beauty
Most homeowners install a wood gate to match their garden fence. Even if brick walls or a hedge line your property, though, wood is a neutral enough material that you can pair it with anything.
Unless you’re going for an au-natural look, be sure to get creative with your wood gate’s finish. You can use countless stain colors on outdoor woodwork, and painting a wood gate couldn’t be easier.
While the vast majority of wood gates are of the simple picket variety, there’s nothing stopping you from using a stylish wood gate for your driveway. A sliding wood gate is heavy-duty enough to serve as a driveway barrier while being less imposing than a metal one.
If you’re feeling crafty and want to create a DIY garden gate, wood is the best material to start with. Choose a sturdy wood that will stand up to years of the elements and everyday wear-and-tear, such as cedar.
FAQs
How do you make a garden gate more secure?
First, you need to set reasonable expectations. Very few garden gates will keep out a determined intruder. Instead, divert resources toward other home security measures that make you and your loved ones feel safe.
On the other hand, you can absolutely use a gate to keep things out of or in a specific outdoor space. The most common example would be a dog.
Choose a gate with a secure latch (many are compatible with a padlock if that’s something you’re interested in). Make sure your chosen gate doesn’t offer any escape routes once installed. The last thing you want is for Fido to squeeze through or dig under your new garden gate.
If your garden is home to chickens or ducks, a secure gate is a must. Fill gaps in your garden fencing with chicken wire–go with extra-thick wire if you like its look. This tactic can also keep wild animals, like rabbits and weasels, away from your most cherished plants and homestead critters.
What is a standard sized garden gate?
A standard gate measures about three feet across, but if you’re building an arbor, you need to think about headspace as well. Installing an arbor at the typical height of an average door (80 inches) will look natural to your guests.
Should a garden gate open in or out?
If you’re looking for the traditional answer, your garden gate should swing inward. While this doesn’t necessarily matter most of the time, if your garden gate borders a sidewalk, you don’t want to swing a door open and strike a passerby.