54 Design Ideas for Privacy Fences

Whether you’re looking to spruce up your yard, keep your pet from wandering off or need more privacy, check out these innovative wood, metal and brick fence designs.

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Upgrade Your Backyard With a Privacy Fence

Privacy fences are the catch-all solution to elevate your curb appeal, keep your dogs from their endless charades of barking and create an intimate outdoor oasis. While traditional picket fences usually have 3.5+ inches between each slat, privacy fences are solid and block out all the hustle and bustle beyond your backyard. The opaque fence creates a boundary between your outdoor space and surrounding properties, making it an ideal choice for parents, pool owners and anyone who prefers an added sense of security outdoors.

Ready to invest in a privacy fence for your backyard? The first step is contacting your local assessor's office or hiring a property surveyor to determine your exact property lines. Read up on your local building codes and height regulations before beginning construction. And finally, contact your neighbors to inform them of your plans. Good fences make good neighbors, as they say.

Click ahead and check out the best privacy fence ideas to recreate in your backyard.

From: Landwell Design + Build Co.

Street Smarts

The stylish entrance to this San Francisco residence includes an elegant ipe wood fence with a stain of Missmers UV Plus to guard against harsh sunlight. The streamlined fence provides owners valuable privacy from passersby and mirrors the home’s architecture, lending luxurious and intentional results.

Get the How-To: How To Care For a Wood Fence

Posied for Posies

Transform your traditional privacy fence into a statement-making garden feature by installing a pergola ledge across the top, as seen here. This crowning feature adds a custom look to otherwise simple wood fences. Better still, it provides the perfect spot to grow a blanket of climbing vines or posies like jasmine, bougainvillea or dreamy, draping wisteria blooms.

Find More Ideas: 50 Patio Ideas and Design Tips

From: Lisa Furtado

Change Directions

Break up the monotony of your wooden privacy fence by switching up the plank directions. This contemporary Los Angeles home shows how with mod, horizontal fence panels lining the paved courtyard paired with a vertical-plank fence gate. The contrasting planks break up the horizontal line, adding dimension to the space for instant visual interest and a fresh, of-the-moment feel.

Find More Ideas: Sensational Sliding Garden Gates, Doors and Fences

Turn Heads With Treillage

Take your privacy fence to the next level by incorporating traditional and stately treillage into your panels. Treillage is a show-stopping architectural feature that involves inlaid latticework. Take cues from this twinkling patio; install garden trellises into each fence panel and train climbing blooms for a designer-worthy, dimensional look.

Find More Ideas: 18 Valuable Vines to Plant in Your Garden

From: Williams Trew and Luxury Portfolio International®

Modern Curb Appeal

Curb appeal, anyone? This lakefront home takes on a distinctly modern look in this stunning creation that juxtaposes channel glass (on the upper portion of the house) against an ipe wood privacy fence with a custom stain.

Find More Ideas: 25 Ways to Get Instant Curb Appeal for Less Than $100

Add Integrated Seating

Use your privacy fence as a base to create custom features like an integrated flowerbed and bench. This contemporary outdoor lounge offers ample inspiration with a built-in booth for two, offering prime seating beside a pair of cushioned armchairs and a round coffee table. Apply the same technique with your privacy fence bench, or give it your twist by replacing the conversation pit with an outdoor dining table.

Get the How-To: How to Build an Outdoor Bench With Storage

From: Outside Space NYC

Weave a Wattle Fence

For a real DIY project, craft your own wattle fence. Dating to Medieval times, this woven fence comes together with nothing but sticks. You can use fruit tree or shrub trimmings, brush you’re clearing, or gleanings from your local yard waste pile. Fresh sticks work best for weaving because they’re supple, but you can use older, dried sticks, although they’ll break more easily through the process. Willow is a popular choice because you can soak dried branches and they become supple again. Other good woods for weaving include hazel, sycamore and oak.

Just Add Water

Our best tip for reviving an uninspired privacy fence? Just add water. Or, more specifically, a water feature. This dreamy Asian-inspired backyard features a charcoal-stained wooden privacy fence enlivened by a one-of-a-kind concrete art installation and fountain. Achieve similar soothing results in your backyard with a store-bought water feature installed flush to your existing partition, or connect with a local hardscape designer to create a custom piece for your home.

Find More Ideas: 70 Wonderful Water Features for Any Budget

From: Zeterre Landscape Architecture

Put Your Garden Wall To Work

Here’s your sign to put your privacy fence to work. Take notes from this welcoming contemporary garden space and build an expansive, integrated potting bench along your partition. Here, the patinated metal fence is rich with character and provides a sturdy anchor for two stacked floating shelves for storing pots, planters, soil and more.

Plexiglass Panels: Durable + Customizable

One of the newer materials on the scene for fencing is plexiglass. Framed by wood, the durable sections can be clear, like glass, or fully opaque, as they are here, or any variation between. Other decorative options, like reeds or designs that resemble embedded leaves or feathers are also available.

Find More Ideas: 40 Gorgeous Landscaping Ideas for Small Front Yards

Add Decorative Accents

If you heard the words “gray privacy fence” you might think that sounds boring. But if you were talking about this fence, you’d be totally mistaken. These floral-patterned panels take this backyard barrier up a notch with style and elegance.

Border With Built-In Flower Beds

Outline your basic wooden privacy fence with lively color and texture to achieve a landscape designer-worthy look in your backyard. Take cues from this modern bohemian backyard and mix up your materials. Use matte concrete or natural stone pavers to build your fence-flush planter box. The opposing materials bring contrast and interest to the design. See more of this inspired space in the next slide.

From: Molly Wood

Hide Behind the Hedges

Can’t bear to look at your wooden fence another day? Hide the planks with a slew of shrubs or trees. While the wooden fence creates an impenetrable border around this yard that its resident doggo cannot easily escape, its manicured hedges create a natural backdrop that lends a relaxed, organic feel to the deck.

Get the How-To: Planting Hedges as Screens

From: Molly Wood

Give Wood Boards a New Look

Wood fences don't have to be boring, outdated or rustic. To lend a more modern style, this homeowner opted to showcase the gorgeous cedar boards on a horizontal rather than the traditional vertical look. The end result creates a visually interesting backdrop to the landscape's layered plantings.

GET THE HOW-TO: How to Build a Horizontal-Plank Privacy Fence

From: R Design Landscape Architecture

Add Artful Touches

Who says your art collection should be reserved for indoors? Bring your interior design style into your outdoor living space by turning your privacy fence into a makeshift art gallery wall. The best part: You can recreate this high-end look on a dime with our DIY abstract painting video tutorial in the link below.

Get the How-To: Credit Card Painting

Think Vertical vs. Horizontal

Horizontal fences have a chic, modern look that works very well with contemporary and midcentury-style homes. Bonus points if you get outdoor furniture to match your fence. But a word of caution: the longer, thinner boards required for a horizontal fence tend to make them more expensive than a vertical fence.

Find More Ideas: 38 Stylish Outdoor Lighting Ideas

From: Project Groundwork

Privitized Entry

Instead of traditional bamboo screens, this ranch home features cedar fence partitions to border a flagstone pathway and create privacy from the busy street. The result is a Zen effect that is warm and welcoming.

Find More Ideas: 25 Ways to Get Instant Curb Appeal for Less Than $100

Mixed Materials

This Los Angles backyard took an artful approach to a traditional privacy fence. The modern concrete wall is topped with resin-core panels that have a real wood overlay surround.

Find More Ideas: 67 Dreamy Pool Design Ideas

Join the Dark Side

Warm cedar hues and crisp-white paint are mainstay privacy fence finishes, but this espresso-stained setup makes a case for joining the dark side. Coat your wood privacy fence with a deep chocolate, charcoal or black stain to lend your partition an understated look in your outdoor space. These dark, shadowy hues will recess against your landscape, allowing your garden or outdoor living space to shine. By contrast, lighter or brighter finishes draw attention and distract from your lush surroundings.

Get the How-To: How to Stain or Paint a Wood Fence

Say Hello to Stucco

A fan of Southwestern style? Then, say hello to stucco! Everything about this landscape and hardscape is gorgeous, but the real showstopper is the stucco wall. By color-matching the wall's material to the home, the property has a cohesive, Old World feel that is only enhanced by the beautifully weathered wood lintel and reclaimed door.

Learn More: Southwestern Style 101

From: Tate Studio Architects

Go Gabion

For a sustainable and eco-friendly fence, consider gabion cages. Filled with stones, these metal cages form a durable fence that’s an easy DIY project. Alternating stone-filled gabions with a secondary material, such as corrugated metal panels, customizes a gabion fence and also helps maintain views from your yard. One downside to gabion cages is that the stones do attract small critters, which can, in turn, attract snakes. Elevating cages on a concrete exposed aggregate base lessens its appeal to rodents like mice or chipmunks.

Find More Ideas: 26 Sturdy Retaining Wall Ideas for a Sloped Yard

Elevate a Privacy Fence

Take a wooden privacy fence from drab to fab by placing brick pillars between the panels. This homeowner went one step further by painting the rails a contrasting green for an effortlessly elegant look.

Find More Ideas: 50 Beautiful Backyard Landscaping Ideas

From: Aesthetic Gardens

Fences: For Cities, Too

On this Chicago rooftop, a stunning panel made from durable Corten steel is cut out in the shape of a tree to accent the surrounding metal fencing. The panel also offers some privacy without completely blocking the surrounding city views.

Scene Stealer

A Craftsman-style cedar fence with a bordering garden provides an eye-catching complement to this natural landscape. Peek-a-boo diamond-shaped windows on the gate allow for a little look-see into the yard beyond.

Find More Ideas: Garden Edging Ideas to Prevent Weeds and Grass in Flower Beds

Line With Color

Are you working with a gray-washed or bright-white privacy fence? Add some pep to your perimeter with a row of pigmented posies like this manicured backyard. Vibrant pink, yellow or ruby blooms look spectacular against airy fences and bring a warm, welcoming vibe to a space that may otherwise be lacking because of the solid structure.

Find More Ideas: Butterfly Garden Flowers

Glass Panels: Privacy + Pretty Views

Let's be honest: When buying an oceanfront home in Malibu, California, what you're really splurging on is the view — so why cover it up? This modern home solves that problem with tempered glass panels creating a barrier between the homeowner's private patio and the public beach, beyond. The clear glass panels allow sweeping views of the Pacific and also act as a buffer on windy days.

Find More Ideas: 45 Creative Ways to Add Backyard Privacy

From: Katherine Carter Design

Or, Just Split the Difference

Want to add a little privacy to your landscape without completely shutting yourself off from the world? Then take your cues from this beautiful midcentury home’s brick privacy walls. Instead of opting for a full-on privacy fence, the homeowner installed disconnected, solid brick walls at varying heights. This visually appealing approach adds strategic privacy without completely blocking the gorgeous architecture.

See More of This Home: Curb Appeal: Midcentury Home With Courtyard

From: R Design Landscape Architecture

Make the Fence Part of the Garden

Blending in with the surrounding greenery, this garden arbor gate and border fence make you feel like you're entering a peaceful magic garden. But this exotic portal was not created from expensive material, just standard pressure-treated lumber that was painted with marine-grade black gloss.

Get the How-To: How to Stain or Paint a Wood Fence

Cedar Pleaser

Alternating plank sizes give this privacy fence charm for days. An example of a sturdy, reliable fence that works well in both sunny and shady areas, this handsome border was created from knotty-grade cedar.

Get the How-To: Cedar Fence

Palo Alto Chic

This California home spotlights the natural beauty of redwood in a stylish natural-wood fence. The horizontal planks speak to the linear architecture of this midcentury ranch, lending the partition an integrated feel and the house striking curb appeal.

Find More Ideas: Curb Appeal Tips for Midcentury Modern Homes

Make the Fence a Focal Point

A jaw-dropping home and landscape like this deserve nothing less than an equally jaw-dropping fence. This beautiful installation features a brick border tying into the home’s exterior, but the real eye candy comes in the form of thin horizontal wood slats. The stained wood slats give this fence massive appeal while decoratively hiding things like the unsightly HVAC system yet still allowing light to filter through.

Find More Ideas: Hip Horizontal Fences Expand Your Horizons

From: MESA Design Group

Agreeable Incline

Don’t let your sloped lot stop you from building a head-turning privacy fence. Our tip? Skip traditional vertical slats because they require endless cutting to create one seamless line. Instead, achieve a cohesive streamlined look by building a horizontal slat privacy fence using our step-by-step tutorial in the link below.

Get the How-To: How to Build a Horizontal-Plank Privacy Fence

Shapely Barriers

Lattice normally has a diamond pattern, but the square-opening lattice has an elevated look that is perfect for cottage-style landscapes. While this won’t necessarily provide a ton of privacy, it’s a great option if you're looking for a more open and airier look. On this home, we love the way the square in the lattice contrasts with the rectangular bricks and diamond pattern on the gate.

Find More Ideas: 20 Garden Gates and Arches We're Obsessing Over

Create a Cozy Backdrop

Take advantage of your opaque privacy fence and use it to create an intimate backdrop for an outdoor conversation area. Use this horizontal wooden fence in this contemporary courtyard as your muse. Nestle a pair of all-weather cushioned chairs against your fence and pop a shared end table between the duo for holding wine glasses, snacks or morning coffees. And yes, bonus points are up for grabs if you hardwire outdoor sconces to add ambient lighting overhead.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Outdoor Lighting for Every Style

From: FineLines Design Studio

Make a Grand Statement

At first glance, this stately fence looks like stacked stone, but it's actually constructed from concrete pavers installed in a standard brick-run pattern, topped by vertically spaced pavers for a really nice decorative effect. Bullnosed concrete caps lend a rounded finish to the fence's top. Available in a wide variety of colors and textural finishes, concrete pavers are just as durable as natural stone but a bit more affordable.

Corrugated Metal Fence

Corrugated metal is a budget-friendly option that you might not have considered. Sheets of metal can be easily cut to size and paired with either horizontal or vertical wood posts (or both, as seen here). It’s a great choice for a more modern home.

Find More Ideas: 50 Deck Design Ideas to Express Your Style Outdoors

Asian Influence

Lattice fence panels give a small yard a sense of privacy without restricting views. This fence design features Asian inspiration by topping latticework with open space and crosspieces. You could also adapt this look using bamboo poles and crosspieces to create your own customized fencing.

Learn More: How to Design an Asian Garden

Step Up From Chain-Link

Want the open, airy feel of a chain-link fence without the less-than-beautiful looks? This vertical patinated steel fence is the perfect alternative. The inherently strong steel is still perfect for holding pets in, yet from certain angles, you may even forget the fence is there.

From: Kurt Kraisinger

Inside Scoop

There's no need to make awkward eye contact with your next-door neighbor in this backyard. An outdoor BBQ grill and countertop area stand out against the custom-made redwood privacy fence and overhead trellis in this detail from a Mill Valley, California, renovation. Use this handsome outdoor kitchen as your inspiration and install similar privacy panels above your beloved grill to enjoy privacy while manning the meal.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Outdoor Privacy Screen Ideas for Every Space

Unique DIY Privacy Fence

Need a little privacy from those nosy neighbors? Our unique take on the traditional privacy fence will have you relaxing in peace in no time. Use found objects including window frames, doors or shutters and a simple wooden frame to create privacy and separation between your yard and the neighbors.

Find More Ideas: 36 Backyard Pergola and Gazebo Design Ideas

West Coast Style

If your privacy fence plays a lead role in your home’s curb appeal, it may be worth investing in a custom design that will rise to the occasion. Case in point? This head-turning contemporary design with high contrast materials. A unique combination of stained Mangaris lumber and Kynar-painted steel posts defines this Manhattan Beach, California, fence.

Get the How-To: How To Care For a Wood Fence

Schoolyard Wonder

Take cues from this playful schoolyard fence and gate combination. A traditional wooden privacy fence surrounds the playground to ensure kiddos are secure during outdoor activities. To balance out the solid partitions, a whimsical yet rustic tight-knot cedar fence and gate provide a side entrance for the preschool that creates an imaginative setting for inquisitive minds.

Find More Ideas: Cedar Fence

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Working with limited space in your backyard? Put your privacy fence to work. Cap off a portion of your partition with a custom pergola, as seen here. Dangle bistro lights overhead and train potted vines to climb in the corner to create a designated entertainment space in your cozy backyard. And keep in mind this addition accomplishes all the above without taking up your limited floorspace. That's a win, friend.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Outdoor String Lights for Every Space

From: Native Edge Landscape

Bring Your Fence to Life

The clipped privet hedge surrounding this luxurious backyard swimming pool is the ultimate privacy fence for those who don't like traditional fence materials. This living fence look can be achieved with a variety of evergreen shrubs, but we recommend pairing it with an internal or external fence material if you plan to keep pets in.

learn more: Planting Hedges as Screens

From: Odd Job Landscaping

Design Styles Matter Outdoors, Too

Matching the style of your fence to your landscaping is a surefire way to give your yard a polished look. These homeowners created a cohesive Southwest vibe with the desert plantings, clear-coated oak fence panels and rusted metal garden edging.

Learn More: Drought Resistant Landscaping Ideas

Less is More

Take the minimalist approach to put a modern twist on your outdoor privacy fence. Swap standard-sized planks for closely set wood slats to achieve a sleek, striped effect. Up the ante by lining the base of your privacy fence with contemporary planter boxes and train climbing blooms against the wall for a lush, lively result.

Get the How-To: How to Build an Outdoor Living Wall

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Home Grown Privacy

Liven up your old, unsightly privacy fence with a wash of lush greenery a la this inviting garden entry. Use dense, fast-growing vines like Boston ivy, star jasmine or clematis for an organic, overgrown appeal, or you can espalier leafy fruit trees to wrap your fence in polished charm.

Find More Ideas: 18 Valuable Vines to Plant in Your Garden

From: Bill Bocken

Rainbow Shades

Why settle for one fence stain when you can have five? Here’s your sign to take the leap and add a little color to your backyard, a la this whimsical, bohemian privacy fence. Taking a playful folk-art approach to the traditional fence, this stained-board delight is made from recycled tight-knot cedar and boasts a brilliant mix of gold, red, green and purple pickets.

Get the How-To: How to Stain or Paint a Wood Fence

Line and Angle Poetry

A western red cedar fence makes a bold impression against this modern homestead. The fence’s lateral line pairs perfectly with this style of architecture. We love how they also made a matching box to cover the utility meter.

Learn More: Modern Architecture

Stained Backdrop

Make your plants and posies the focal point of your outdoor space by using a deep and moody finish in the background. Different shades of green in this thriving natural space are set off by this handsome cedar fence with its dark semi-transparent stain.

Get the How-To: How to Stain or Paint a Wood Fence

How to Make an Entrance

A cedar gate, pergola with veneer stone columns and a grape-stake fence of split redwood make a striking first impression in this Mill Valley, California, renovation.

Find More Ideas: 20 Garden Gates and Arches We're Obsessing Over

Soften With Grass

Balance the sharp edges and angles of your privacy fence with movement-rich landscaping. Ornamental grasses are ideal options as they add ample texture and have an airy quality that creates a nice contrast against a solid fence.

Find More Ideas: 16 Ornamental Grasses You Should Grow

From: Karen B Wolf Interiors

Gates and Cranes

Create continuation in your outdoor design by incorporating the same materials used for your fence throughout your yard via accessories or furniture. Here, two crane sculptures stand out against double gates made of cedar and copper, with a border fence mirroring the same style.

Find More Ideas: Create Garden Art with Recycled Materials

54 Design Ideas for Privacy Fences

Related To:

Shop This Look

Upgrade Your Backyard With a Privacy Fence

Street Smarts

Posied for Posies

Change Directions

Turn Heads With Treillage

Modern Curb Appeal

Add Integrated Seating

Weave a Wattle Fence

Just Add Water

Put Your Garden Wall To Work

Plexiglass Panels: Durable + Customizable

Add Decorative Accents

Border With Built-In Flower Beds

Hide Behind the Hedges

Give Wood Boards a New Look

Add Artful Touches

Think Vertical vs. Horizontal

Privitized Entry

Mixed Materials

Join the Dark Side

Say Hello to Stucco

Go Gabion

Elevate a Privacy Fence

Fences: For Cities, Too

Scene Stealer

Line With Color

Glass Panels: Privacy + Pretty Views

Or, Just Split the Difference

Make the Fence Part of the Garden

Cedar Pleaser

Palo Alto Chic

Make the Fence a Focal Point

Agreeable Incline

Shapely Barriers

Create a Cozy Backdrop

Make a Grand Statement

Corrugated Metal Fence

Asian Influence

Step Up From Chain-Link

Inside Scoop

Unique DIY Privacy Fence

West Coast Style

Schoolyard Wonder

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Bring Your Fence to Life

Design Styles Matter Outdoors, Too

Less is More

Home Grown Privacy

Rainbow Shades

Line and Angle Poetry

Stained Backdrop

How to Make an Entrance

Soften With Grass

Gates and Cranes

How to Build a Horizontal-Plank Privacy Fence

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