A front gate adds privacy, safety and security to your home. That’s why it’s often best to consider the functionality of your entrance gate first and foremost.
Yet, beyond functionality, you should consider aesthetics. You’ve spent time beautifying your home; you don’t want to install a front gate that will take away from it’s facade and create design dissonance.
10 Tips to Choose The Front Gate of Your House
A well-designed front gate should create a distinctive barrier, but it should also blend with the overall aesthetic. Of course, achieving both functionality and an eye-pleasing design isn’t an easy task. These 10 tips can help you choose a front gate that accentuates and blends with your home’s natural beauty.
Use Recurring Geometric Patterns to Create Harmony
Whether you choose an iron wrought gate or stainless steel gate, you can create flow by repeating similar patterns in the gate and the facade. For example, the geometric circles of an iron wrought gate can be repeated in a balcony railing or window grills. This trick will create instant harmony – your gate will look like it was made for your home.
Colour Can Also Help Create Flow
Utilising similar colours can also help create flow. Choose colours that match the exterior colours of your home. For example, if your home uses a blue and white paint scheme, a blue or white front gate would be compatible. The key is to stay tasteful; too much colour can be overwhelming. If you use a bold colour scheme on the exterior, a neutral colour like steel grey or black may be more appropriate.
Don’t Clash Styles
What design style is your home? Contemporary? A farmhouse? Your front gate should match the style. A barndoor-esque or cross-rail style front gate, for example, would look great with a farmhouse, whereas an ultra-modern stainless steel gate just wouldn’t fit.
Don’t Ruin the View
If privacy is your primary reason for installing a front gate, you might be tempted to slap up a privacy fence. But this can obstruct and even diminish the kerb appeal of your home. Instead, choose a front gate that keeps your home visible. Iron rails or a vinyl rail system will create privacy and a distinctive barrier, without obstructing the view.
Use Pillars to Frame Your Home
Gate pillars can help to direct visitors to your front gate; they’ll know exactly where it starts and ends. But front gate pillars also help to create a natural frame for your home. You have numerous options: Stone, stone-clad, wooden pillars with ornamental toppers, and even marble or marble-clad pillars.
Lights Will Help Your Gate Pop
Accenting lighting will create a welcoming look for your front gate, as well as help to light up the drive up to your home. Forgetting to light your gate can create dissonance between your home’s façade and the gate.
Landscaping Creates Depth
If you don’t use big pillars, shrubs and planters offer an alternative, which can help to frame the gate. Landscaping will also help to create space between the gate and your home, adding depth and making your property appear larger.
Carry Textures Over from the Façade
Adding textures to your front gate – like corrugated steel, frosted glass or louvred wood or vinyl – that match the exterior of the home, will create a natural blend between the two.
Use Design Details from Your Home’s Entrance
Another way to create natural balance: Utilising similar design elements from the entrance of the home within the gate. For example, if your entrance features a large double radius door, use a gate with an arch to match. If both the entrance to your home and front gate match in style and design, you’ll add flow to the overall design.
Use Materials That Match
Finally, just like the style and colour, the materials you use for your privacy gate should match those used in your home’s exterior. For example, if you have a brick house, natural wood clashes. Instead, an iron wrought fence is a better choice.
Adding a front gate to your home instantly boosts your property’s kerb appeal, and will ensure privacy, security and safety. The key though is designing a front gate that meets your functionality needs while improving the overall design of your home. Hopefully, these ideas give you some inspiration for designing the front gate of your dreams.
