45 Garden Gates and Arches We're Obsessing Over

There are many reasons to use a gate or arch or combination of the two at a home or garden entrance. Gates provide privacy, security, and a way to keep children and animals safe. There are aesthetic attributes to these architectural features too: an arch offers a sense of welcome and a threshold from public to private space, enhances curb appeal and when combined with a wall or fence, defines the parameters of one's property.

A metal gate with a geometric pattern marks the entrance to this patio and sets a contemporary tone. Not just the material of a gate — wood, metal, bamboo — creates an effect, but the height, the width, weight and the design of a gate can convey an idea of strength, barrier, whimsy, privacy or openness. This particular gate also blends nicely with the heavy metal patio furniture beyond.

This slim, vertical handcrafted wooden gate features a timeless "Z" bracing pattern and a weathered gray finish that dramatically contrasts with the white painted brick in this walled garden. The combination of the tall gate and steep ivy-covered wall creates a sense of privacy and slow revelation in this classic manicured garden.

A brick pathway leads to an iconically American white picket fence that gives crisp definition to this garden. Offering an inviting welcome to visitors, the arched white trellis and gate add a touch of charm and curb appeal.

This unique sidewalk entrance blends welcoming, humble details like a simple wooden picket gate with a more substantial low garden wall that incorporates a garden bed for plantings. The combination of hardscape and plants allows for a softening of the garden and home entrance while the layering of low wooden fence and stone wall gives a feeling of privacy without cutting off the homeowner's view of the street and sidewalk.

This waterfront vacation home in Osterville, Massachusetts exudes quiet luxury. Instead of a foreboding, tall entrance wall and gate, the low wooden fence softened with small shrubs and a simple, rustic gate beautifully complement the neutral, shingle-style house. The soft gray gate is unintimidating for visitors while also disappearing into the landscape.

This single-story modern home is well served by a short gray fence with horizontal boards that echoes the long, low lines of the house itself. The simple but striking gate protects the front yard and pathway from the street.

This Southwestern style home in Scottsdale, Arizona feels private and secure thanks to the high pueblo walls and a reclaimed wooded gate with a dark stain handcrafted by local artisans. A dramatic beam of wood at the top of the gate echoes the roofline of the home itself. The tall gate leads into the home's central courtyard.

This gated property in Tiger, Georgia in the northeast corner of the state ensures that residents have complete privacy and an enhanced sense of safety. The stone walls surrounding the cabin are substantial, but the unique design of the wooden gate feels secure without sacrificing style.

Wrought iron can sometimes feel cold, but this gate benefits from floral design elements and a "window" between the arch and the top of the gate that softens the look. Thought the house it guards is grand, this well thought out gate strikes a balance between protection and decoration.

This traditional garden comes with a sense of discovery. A stone arch and wall obscures the view of the garden beyond, but the creamy white garden door offers a glimpse inside via a circular cut out. Some of the best garden arches and gates offer an appealing balance between privacy and discovery through design choices.

Stucco walls and a dramatic wooden gate that opens in the middle creates an air of mystery and an old world feel at this California home. The gate offers a separation between the motor court and the courtyard. Making the gate taller than the surrounding wall creates an even greater sense of security and privacy.

In Nantucket, Massachusetts, pretty picket fences surround many of the island homes. The addition of a climbing rose, and arched entry trellis makes every garden entrance grand. If you don’t want the upkeep of a wood fence, opt for a maintenance-free vinyl fence. A garden arch can offer a wonderful opportunity to grow roses, star jasmine, honeysuckle and create a charming entry point into the garden.

The peaked roof of this whimsical gatehouse instantly signals a sense of delight and serves as a more solid version of the classic arch complemented by the medium-height metal gate below.

Nestled in a historic neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, this home includes a main residence and a detached garage apartment. To give the garage a greater sense of privacy, it's separated from the main house by a fence and a custom gate featuring a colorful frame and decorative pattern that was designed by a local artisan. Homeowners can purchase premade gates from garden shops and big box retailers but almost every city has artists and craftspeople who can create a one-of-a-kind, custom gate in wood or metal.

An adorable white picket gate leads to this home's backyard pool and pool house. But it is the addition of layers of landscaping that adds dimension to this garden entrance.

Arches and pergolas are not only ideal structures to provide an architectural welcome at a home's entryway. They can also be used to designate and separate outdoor rooms, moving guests through the space and creating different experiences. This elegant, simple Tuscan arbor in this large outdoor space separates and defines an entryway to a new outdoor room. When an arch does not include a gate, it can create more of a sense of flow and movement in the garden.

A Craftsman-style trellis tops a bright white gate in the garden entrance to this home. The crisp white offers a pleasing contrast to the gray stone wall and hardscape accented with a bowl-shaped fountain. Lavender, ornamental grasses and other plants fill in the garden beds around the walkway, softening the space's hardscaped elements.

A peek-through gate seems straight out of a fairy tale. The classic white picket fence and garden gate bring a classic look to this lush backyard garden.

A high wooden fence with a modern look delivers both privacy and a distinctive look at this Los Angeles home's entrance. The addition of a charcoal black wall only adds to the edgy curb appeal.

This home in Corona del Mar, California mixes a more traditional Cape Cod style with the addition of a more contemporary horizontal gate and beyond that, a stone wall. That doubling of barriers offers security without impeding the view of this striking house.

When your property features a garden that resembles a tropical paradise and a stunning coral stone wall, your garden gate needs to be equally impressive but not detract from the surrounding beauty. A black iron gate is perfect in this setting. It's durable, strong and bold, but is subtle enough not to steal the show.

A dramatic ivy-covered brick archway leads to a stone patio at this sprawling circa 1930s Montecito, California estate. Brick and stone walls and arches are a great way to add charm and an established feel to your outdoor spaces.

Gates can block out the view or frame it. This garden features a well-built wood and wire fence that offers connection to the landscape beyond. The garden gate at this French country estate is perfectly positioned at the end of a gravel path, sandwiched between two pyramid trellises with vines spilling from their tops.

What better entrance to a classic New Orleans parterre garden than this green wrought iron gate? The muted green color softens the gate and fence in a way that a traditional black finish wouldn't, and ties into the green hues of the home itself.

Privacy doesn't have to be all about tall walls. Here a sleek horizontal wooden garden gate creates a streamlined entrance to this contemporary outdoor patio space. In order to not block off the view completely, the designer opted for the white walls to be short. But another layer of privacy is added in a subtle, more natural way, with the addition of planters built into the wall that soften the wall's stark white so reminiscent of Mediterranean islands.

A gorgeous living archway requires patience to grow to maturity but the reward for the effort is clear. This verdant, magical portal from shade to sun, and pathway from the home into nature shows how entrances can set a mood. This beautiful, living arch is complemented with an elegant cobblestone walkway to create a harmonious landscape design.

Fill your garden with fragrance by including an arch covered in a pretty climbing rose like ‘St. Swithun’ shown here. Growing flowers like clematis or ivy on an arch is also a great way to disguise a relatively basic, inexpensive arch and transform it into something special.

Garden arches and gates don't have to be expensive and don't have to include a stone wall or wooden fence. Pretty metal gates and arches like this one are available online and in stores at a fraction of the cost for a wooden, metal or stone entry way. Here the arch and pathway lead the eye to the garden beyond whose borders are defined by shrubs and other plantings rather than by the usual fence.

If your house is a story, then a gate is the opening chapter. A wrought iron gate with an imposing, spiked form offers security for any home. But when a gate is as patinated as this one, it also imparts a sense of history, investing the home beyond with even more presence and gravitas.

This garden arbor gate and border fence, created from pressure treated wood and painted marine grade black gloss, suggests an interior element transposed outside. Though white is a popular, classic shade for fences and gates here the use of a dark, glossy color lends sophistication and a feeling of stepping through a portal into the natural world beyond. A darker hued fence color also has the advantage of hiding dirt and stains more easily.

Two strong, utilitarian metal gates hang from substantial wooden posts to keep pests out of this raised bed garden and away from the array of ornamental and edible plants. The combination of the wood and metal imparts a modern rustic aesthetic that looks perfect alongside the building at the back of the garden capped with a galvanized metal roof.

The curving, naturalistic garden gate and arch at The Swag resort in Waynesville, North Carolina, is made from repurposed limbs and branches. Instead of perfectly milled and painted wood, this hobbit-worthy entrance has a bohemian, romantic look that is right at home in the resort's Smoky Mountain setting.

This subdued gate and arbor with its soft, gray patina, blends nicely into the background, allowing the fall garden to shine through. The gray color suits the low stone wall that flanks this entrance charmingly decorated with a fall bounty.

A very similar shape to the previous weathered gray gate and arch, this gate and arch creates a very different effect. Painted a crisp off white and ornamented with tailored lines, this custom garden gate feels stately and traditional as a passageway from the home's driveway to the garden. The arch also provides a sturdy structure for a bounty of fragrant roses and frames the client's Gaelic obelisk located directly in the center of the path, creating a sight line in the distance framed by the arch's perfect symmetry.

A striking blue-black wooden gate provides passage through this tall ivy-covered privacy wall to the pristine brick pathway in this garden. The tall gate maintains the garden's privacy, but the cut-out design connects the space to the world beyond.

A quaint, very low wooden garden gate is the perfect charming element to pair with this quirky cottage-style home whose peaked roof and skinny dormer windows give it a fairy tale vibe. Think about scale when planning your garden gate and know that bigger is not always better.

For this garden arch, designers used a large metal sculpture as a gate into this garden setting a contemporary, unique tone. Garden arches help delineate space and, in this case, usher visitors into a distinct garden room with bench and patio.

A low garden wall separates this Spanish bungalow from the street, making the home feel secluded, even in busy, crowded Los Angeles. Poured-in-place concrete steps and a custom laser-cut metal gate created by Salvador Delgado mark the entrance to the courtyard. This impressive balance of hardscape and landscaping comes from the architectural work of Koffka/Phakos Design; landscaping by New View Landscape; and luxe pool/spa and masonry created by Darin Marten Construction.

Surrounded by heritage trees and lush Southern vegetation, this unique red brick arch is right at home in the garden of this historic South Carolina home. The classic look of the red brick against the bold green of the garden draws the eye. Brick is an enduringly popular material for garden hardscaping — durable, eco-friendly, fire resistant — and tends to take on a more beautiful patina with time.

This thoughtfully landscaped cottage-style garden is surrounded by tall flagstone walls topped with slate shingles to form a charmingly storybook-style effect (and soften the imposing quality of a stone wall). The wooden gate features a small wrought iron window that offers a peek into this quaint secret garden. A tall gate and stone fence not only creates privacy, it also increases a home's property value.

One way to bring romance to a garden or home entrance is to use a variety of materials in both hardscaping and landscaping — to add character. Here, an ornate wrought iron gate invites visitors forward. An imposing stone wall is softened with swags of ivy. Planters in bright cobalt blue break up the space and create a focal point in this romantic space dripping with old world appeal.