Gotta Build a Gate... So it got me thinking.

What makes a good gate? Sure, form and function, right? But the first thing you have to decide is the gate's purpose. Is it gonna keep the dogs in and bad guys out?


Is it supposed to welcome someone to your garden? Is it merely a giant testament to your wealth and privilege (and lack of taste)?



My head hurts. So here's some that I found in the hood that got me thinking. 


This big ole guy is kinda foreboding. I like the shape and the material, but it's so solid that it doesn't feel very welcoming, which is probably the point. I do like the little Judas trap though, and the hammered wood is cool. No doubt these guys are a week away from having their copper mailbox stolen and sold for scrap, copper is a bundle these days...

This gate is so ugly that it makes me want to punch a kitten. 

In the face.

Is it the brass doorknob on the faux wrought iron? Is it the because of the beige paint that looks like Satan's sallow complexion after a weekend bender? Or maybe it's the wagon wheel ovals under that cheap arch. Hard to say. But taken altogether this is a truly good example of terrible design. It's also on a big house in Glendale that's gotta be 3 million dollars. So, you know, at least it was expensive.

Good thing they dressed it up with a very attractive garden hose...



This gate is good looking. It's relatively understated, on a Spanish revival house that they have modernized a little bit to really good effect. It's a metal frame with tongue in groove slats. The cutouts on top are in steel as part of the substructure.

Here's a big antique (probably Indian) door on a Spanish revival house. These repurposed doors were huge a few years ago. This one is proportioned just right for the house but is maybe a little busy. I'm buying it though, I think the global vibe of the two ethnic styles is working.


I have to build three garden gates. They aren't super secure, although they will lock, and should be more cottagey than anything else. I want them to have arches and be of similar design but not exactly the same because they are all different sizes. Maite' and I will draw up some ideas and I'll post em as I get closer to building.

Posted by Daniel Kucan on 30 November, 2016 0 comments
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