Selecting the perfect gate style for your home isn’t always an easy decision. It’s not just about functionality (although obviously that’s a big part of it!) but also about enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of your property.
Whether you prefer a sense of modern elegance, traditional charm, or eclectic flair for your home, it’s always ideal to have a wrought iron metal gate or railing that complements and accentuates its unique style. So, this week on the blog we’ll be exploring a couple of useful ways to flawlessly match your gates to your home’s aesthetic.
Considering the landscape and architecture
Let’s start with something that a lot of people find it easy to overlook– the surrounding environment! Now, your home doesn’t exist in isolation, and its distinct sense of character will be (up to a point) informed by its surroundings – whether that’s a quiet residential suburb, or a busy urban hub, or a picturesque rural scene. So, when choosing a gate, you’ll want to consider how it integrates with the surrounding environment.
It’s worth paying particular attention to the architectural style of your home, as well as the natural elements present in your landscape. A gate should harmonise with its surroundings, enhancing the overall visual impact of your property. A more modern environment for example would make the perfect setting for a minimalist style like our Longridge range, while our Ribchester gates and railings are ideal for more rural settings.
Incorporating lighting and landscaping
To truly make your gate stand out, you may even want to incorporate lighting and landscaping elements into its design. Strategically placed lights can not only illuminate your gate at night but also add an extra layer of security to your property.
Surrounding your gate with lush greenery, colourful flowers, or decorative landscaping features can further enhance its visual appeal and create a welcoming entrance for guests – ideal if you’re planning on hosting some garden parties as we move into the brighter, warmer days of Spring!
Protecting and defining your space
Many buyers prefer wrought iron gates and railings largely for their sense of style over their practical value, but when it comes to practicalities, security and demarcation are amongst the many small benefits they provide. In fact, they can be a particularly attractive way to demarcate your property, providing a visual signifier of exactly where your space begins and ends (which can save you a few awkward discussions with neighbours or passers-by!). And while they might have an understandably limited ability to obstruct exceptionally curious passers-by, some types of gates can be very helpful at keeping out small animals, such as foxes.
So, if you’re looking at gates and railings largely for demarcation, you might want to go for something like our aforementioned Longridge or Clitheroe range. On the other hand, if you want to make it slightly more difficult for feral visitors to access your property, you might want to go for something like the Wilpshire or Great Harwood range.
Galvanised steel, or simply primed?
The choice of material is a fairly crucial decision you’ll need to make fairly early on when it comes to choosing your gates and railings – and if you’ve chosen wrought iron gates and railings from us here at SL Wrought Iron, then you’ll also need to ask yourself whether you want to go for galvanised steel, or primed?
Now, we’ve explained the difference between the two options in fairly intensive detail in a previous post, but in a nutshell, galvanised gates are given a protective layer by submerging them in molten zinc, before being finished with a powder coating that gives them a durable, long-lasting finish.
Primed gates and railings on the other hand don’t go through this process, and must be painted afterwards. This means that on the one hand, you can paint primed gates and railings in any colour you want. On the flipside though, it means they don’t have the durable finish of galvanised gates, and they must be repainted regularly.
If you have a specific vision in mind for the aesthetic of your home, then painting your gate yourself might be worth considering, as long as you’re mindful of all the effort that will be involved. But it’s probably not surprising that so many of our customers here at SL Wrought Iron tend to choose a galvanised finish, whatever the style of their home!
Maintaining your gate’s appearance
Once you’ve chosen and installed the perfect gate or railing, it’s then worth thinking how to maintain its appearance over time. (This is why galvanised options tend to be such a popular choice, as the powder-coated finish is electrostatically sealed.) After all, all the effort you’ve taken to choose the perfect gate or railing to match your home’s appearance is all going to be undercut if it quickly doesn’t end up looking its best!
If necessary, it’s worth developing a maintenance routine that includes tasks such as cleaning, lubricating hinges, and inspecting for any signs of wear or damage. By staying proactive with maintenance, you can ensure that your gate continues to enhance your home’s aesthetic appeal for years to come.
Those are just a couple of our top tips – you may well be able to think of one or two of your own! Whatever style you’ve envisioned for your home, you can count on us to have a range to match it. You can take a look at our full range on our homepage, or if you’re looking for something in particular, you can always contact us on 01254 236994 or info@slwroughtiron.co.uk, and we’ll be happy to advise!
