Wrought iron is a wonderful metal to work with, able to be warped into complex and intricate patterns. Its pliability makes it a popular choice for gates, which can be made to look both beautiful and imposing at the same time—security with style.
If you’re looking for a spectacular new gate for your home, here’s 5 stunning examples of wrought iron gate designs, which can add a sense of majesty and grandeur to your property.
This is a beautiful example of an Art Nouveau gate, a style made popular in the early 19th-century, inspired by natural forms. Its entire design is based on soft, looping curves, bending and twisting like new-born leaves as they reach for the cloudless sky. These decorative ornaments burst from the bottom corners of the gate, branching away from their source as they climb towards the sun.
The lack of spiked railheads makes it seem friendly and receptive. The elves of Middle Earth might place this across the entrance to Rivendell, as a symbol of authority and power, while also extending you an invitation into their home.
If you look closely at the middle section, you can make out a face, enclosed by the ascending shoots. He even has a cute little picador moustache. If you come in peace, this gatekeeper will happily let you in.
To achieve this look, ask your wrought iron balustrade designer to:
- Try to create a natural scene that mimics climbing plants, with gentle twists.
- Use as few straight lines as possible (aside from the vertical bars).
- Use a similar thickness throughout the design.
Image Source: Emilialua
Another example of an Art Nouveau gate, but a lot more simple and traditional. The sturdy gate is set in an arch of solid stone, is perfectly symmetrical (aside from the handle), and sits in the foreground of a gorgeous Meditteranean vista.
Repeated throughout the gate is a circular double-looped pattern that looks like the top of an old telephone handset, running around the perimeters of the stone wall, and across two areas in the gate itself. Spirals that accompany the top and bottom of the iron rods end with a sharp and imposing halt, and if it wasn’t for the looping swirls that make up the entirety of the section below the gate’s arch, would make it seem imposing. Perhaps this gate is the entrance to a sprawling Spanish villa, which needs to look a little intimidating to keep the crooks out.
To achieve this look, ask your wrought iron balustrade designer to:
- Design a single core pattern and re-use it throughout.
- Include some pointed-edged shapes, to lend an air of authority.
- Use a similar thickness throughout the design.
This Gothic style gate has been designed to fit with its awesome backdrop—the St.Joseph’s Cathedral in Rockhampton. The gate incorporates similar features to the cathedral that it protects, with a row of perfect circles running along its top and bottom, accompanied by spearpoint railheads that resemble the crosses sitting atop the cathedral.
The Gothic style often looks intimidating, but this design seems to embody Christian values of love and kindness, with its cross-shaped railheads and curved heart sitting at the pinnacle. It’s an entrance that welcomes you to the soaring Christian cathedral that lay beyond.
To achieve this look, ask your wrought iron balustrade designer to:
- Contrast sleek, vertical lines with a generous amount of circles.
- Use softer spearpoint railheads that look less intimidating.
- Try to incorporate similar features to the building behind it.
Image Source: Lamanaama
This gate would be stunning by itself, let alone without its incredible background. Located in Parco Civico in southern Switzerland, and on the bank of Lake Lugano, this Art Nouveau style gate uses a combination of solid leaf-shaped patterns, twisting swirls, and delicate bud-covered sprouts around its perimeter. The gate’s natural style blends with its breathtaking surroundings—a symbolic protector of the glacial lake and mountains beyond. At the same time, the dynamism and movement of the Art Nouveau style is incongruous against the stillness of the mountains and lake, making it seem more dramatic.
To achieve this look, ask your wrought iron balustrade designer to:
- Use a range of thickness for the ornaments, from broad to extremely delicate.
- Incorporate floral patterns throughout, like leaves, buds, and flowers.
Source: RMV.DE
This is the Baroque-style gate of Philippsruhe Castle in the western German city of Hanau. It uses intricate, textured detail to exhibit the baroque style, with golden-painted leaves and swirls, creating a sensuous richness that serves as a suitable entrance to its castle.
As the gate rises, its ornaments curve upwards to create a triangle shape, with a golden crown sitting at its pinnacle, which may have been a nod to the German monarchy that ruled when the gate was constructed in the 19th-century. The gate’s ornate style creates an unmistakable air of grandeur.
To achieve this look, ask your wrought iron balustrade designer to:
- Draw inspiration from Parisian and German designs from the 19-century.
- Highlight textured areas of the gate with golden paint.
- Include floral details like leaves.
- Create a rising pinnacle effect towards the top of the gate, using curved shapes.
- Grow a huge German moustache, and smoke an important-looking pipe.
Wrought iron remains a popular choice for gates, which become beautiful pieces of art with the right workmanship. If you’re looking for a spectacular new gate for your home, we hope our 5 stunning examples of wrought iron gate designs have given you some inspiration, so that you can create an entrance that is both authoritative and stylish.