11 Fences to Match a Modern Mood
Pass on the picket — steel, glass and other materials let fences make a perfect union with modern house mates
A house's character is determined by its exterior form, materials and color, but that character also extends to other features, including fencing. What is appropriate for a modern or contemporary residence is not as easy to determine as what is suitable for a neocolonial or other traditional residence. Modern materials, such as expansive glass, can't really be replicated in fences, which need to be sturdy and fairly private. (Though a couple of fences shown are exceptions.)
This ideabook highlights some modern and contemporary fences that are striking in their own right.
This ideabook highlights some modern and contemporary fences that are striking in their own right.
This fence, which appears to be made from glass panels, is very sleek, owing to the way the panels extend past the slender upright supports.
Translucent glass panels are used for the fence in this update of a 1950s residence. The soft appearance of the glass surfaces, which admit some light through them, works well with the modern character of the house.
Glass is used selectively in this fence as well, giving an outdoor spa some privacy.
Translucency can also be achieved with other materials, such as the LUMAsite (reinforced acrylic) used for this cedar-framed fence.
The Cor-Ten steel in the previous photo defined a planter bed, but in this residence it is used as the primary fencing material. Cor-Ten provides maximum privacy and contrasts strongly (yet naturally) with the grass and plantings.
Cor-Ten is used in horizontal planks here. The thin sheets allow the material to follow a curving plan.
Metal fences, with their ability to have slender profiles, are very good as armatures for ivy, creepers and other climbing plants. Behind this school-turned-home in Chicago, we see a fence in the early stages of plants taking hold. As they climb, the plants will create more privacy.
Wood slats also work well with climbing plants. This urban roof deck lets plants climb the fence as well as a canopy over the dining area. The mix of different types of plantings is well considered alongside the three-sided fencing in the intimate space.
Last is this fence that is strongly connected to the exterior design of the house. Rough-faced blocks are used in both the fence and the house's columns. Wood slats cap the fence and define the entry's gable end. They combine to give the entrance and the approach a solid cohesion.