40 Wooden Gate Ideas for an Inspiring Backyard

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Modern metal house numbers on a white brick fence beside a rustic wooden gate in a transitional outdoor entry home design.

As gorgeous as it is indestructible, the wooden gate has proven its place throughout the years, guarding palaces and provincial estates correspondingly. Now, thanks to today’s inspirations, and maybe on a much smaller scale, you can protect your own modern domain.

There’s more to the wooden gate than the simple picket fabrication most of us are acquainted with; on the contrary, the latest designs seamlessly blend timeless significance and a modern appeal. Starting with every possible material, such as fir, pine, cedar, or cypress, and many more, a wooden gate is a perfect addition to your dream home and yard.

Exterior home features modern steel house numbers displayed on a white finished wooden house gate. Winding stone pavers sets a surface toward the wooden gate into a finished backyard.
Photo Credit: Kelly Nutt Design

From archways overgrown with and framed by your yard’s luxuriant flora and greenery to sleek woods, metals, and bamboo, there is no boundary to where the wooden fence can lead your home in its closing impression.

While the wooden gate serves a dual purpose–protecting your garden or lawn while also drawing the admiration of the people passing by — there’s no refusing the ease with which a classic wooden gate represents the best of both form and function. Your home is more than just a residence, but is a haven you work hard to perfect.

Brass door numbers are mounted beside a low wooden chevron gate opening to concrete pavers leading to stairs ending at a blue chevron front door.
Photo Credit: Lindsey Lane Design

While the intention of a gate is to protect the garden and all that’s growing in it, wooden gates do so much more than divide. Much like the front door to your house, the gate to your backyard should also be friendly and welcoming, so guests feel comfortable coming through it. Set the tone for your backyard with these wooden gate ideas, which are perfect for a range of outdoor spaces, from cottage-style gardens to formal lawns.

Just thinking of the concept of wood gates can bring about a sense of peace. We imagine an untouched English garden, a rural field, a stone patio at sunset, or a wandering tree-lined drive.

Modern metal house numbers on a white brick fence beside a rustic wooden gate in a transitional outdoor entry home design.
Photo Credit: Mindy Gayer

There’s tons of inspiration to be found for cool wooden gate designs you could try out in your own garden or backyard. From white-painted picket fences to rustic natural wood, gates seem to appear like magic from overgrown hedges.

Peek Through Design

Gates don’t have to be all concealing. This slated peek through white wooden gates allows for light to pour through and doesn’t block off this small patio space making it seem even more confining. By allowing the gate to have thinner diagonal slats, the space can feel larger than it actually is.

This lovely gray shingled home is accented with red brick herringbone pavers leading throw a white wooden gate.
Photo Credit: Lauren Leonard Interiors

A Swoop of Style

Rather than having a square or rectangular style gate, this designer added a swoop to the top of the gate. This slight curve in the gate gives this patio space more style and fluidity, making the space less boxy and more welcoming and charming.

Blue wooden chevron gate door completed with oil rubbed bronze hardware illuminated by vintage sconces flanked by a white brick wall.
Photo Credit: Mindy Gayer

The Traditional White English Garden Gate

There’s something so relaxing about a traditional white picket fence, especially one surrounded by rose bushes and vines allowed to grow wild. This gate is encircled by lush greenery and is doubly attractive thanks to the trellises overhead that will someday be covered with flowers and vines.

old english style wooden gate leading into a vine covered garden
Photo Credit: Peter Mason via Unsplash

Simple Garden Gate

Red brick herringbone pavers lead past a beautiful garden to a white Chippendale gate that is welcoming and quaint and keeps this space open and airy for a light romantic garden feel.

Red brick herringbone pavers lead past a beautiful garden to a white chippendale gate.
Photo Credit: Collins Interiors

A Short and Sweet Gate

This cottage-style home with a mini gray front wooden gate is the perfect look. The gate is short, allowing the beauty of the home to be seen, and the vintage mail slot completes the look like icing on a cake.

A cottage style home with a mini gray front gate boasts a vintage mail slot.
Photo Credit: Mindy Gayer

Rustic Wooden Criss-Cross Gate

This criss-cross gate is almost hauntingly gorgeous. The spider-like trees that line the dirt road add a storybook feel to this property, and we can only guess that it must look bright and inviting during the spring and summer months. We love that this gate doesn’t obscure any rural scenery and feels rustic and hand-crafted.

rustic criss cross wooden gate out in country tree lined road covered with leaves
Photo Credit: CCZero via Canva

Pretty and Quaint

This charming gate for this back garden really takes the cake! The florals growing around the oval arch are like something straight out of a magazine, creating a swoon-worthy space that any passerby would stop and stare at.

Climbing pink flowers accent a white trellis fence gate opening to concrete step pavers surrounded by grass.
Photo Credit: Pineapple Palms

Much like the gate we just shared, this gate also has an arbor, and in our books, there is nothing like a beautiful floral arbor on top of a white gate and picket fence.

A winding stone pathway flanked by a white picket fence leads through a flower covered front gate arbor.
Photo Credit: AGK Design Studio

Gate and Stonewall

This stylish and exquisite wood gate by Jeffrey Gordon Smith is more of a door, but we’re not ones to split hairs. We love the distinction between the heavy wood and the rough stones—it creates a lovely passageway leading in and out of an idyllic outdoor location.

old stone wall with rustic wooden gate door leading into patio garden
Photo Credit: Jeffery Gordon Smith

Small Rustic Gate

Rustic stone pavers lead to a salvaged wood gate accenting a light gray shingled beach cottage home. This gate is perfect for this space. It adds some much-needed character without going over the top. It keeps with the simplicity of this space but also allows for some rich texture.

 

Rustic stone pavers lead to a salvaged wood gate accenting a light gray shingled beach cottage home.
Photo Credit: Brooke Wagner Design

Quaint Modern Farmhouse Gates

The farmhouse “X” gate is sometimes all you need for a space. These simple and quaint gates do not detract from this home’s beauty but set a distinct frame for keeping the patio sectioned off.

Stunning navy blue shingled cottage home boasts a gray gate opening to a backyard fitted with a walnut stained back door framed by glass panels lit by modern iron and glass sconces fixed beneath a second floor pergola.
Photo Credit: Lindye Galloway

Hidden Garden Gate in a Lush Hedge

The blogger behind Coco Cozy photographed this hidden garden gate at the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs. We love how it seems to have emerged out of nowhere in this overgrown and exceptionally high hedge. The Parker is a favored hotel in the Palm Springs area because of design elements like this that make you feel like you’re a world away from the hustle and bustle.

hidden wooden gate in overgrown garden area
Photo Credit: Coco Cozy

In Amongst the Pergola

This ivy-wrapped pergola leads to a brown wooden gate that creates a serene and relaxing space. This vertical, slender wooden gate perfectly complements this humble garden space.

An ivy wrapped pergola leads to a brown wooden door.
Photo Credit: Barclay Butera

Asian-Inspired Pergola-Style Gate

We love noticing how design leverages from around the world and how it can be translated and intermingled with other types of architecture and local flowers, and unique gardening preferences. This wood gate with a pergola reminds us of some of the ancient and historic architecture of China and Japan, which inspires a soothing, zen vibe in your outdoor space.

asian inspired gate with pergola
Photo Credit: Donald Tong via Pexels

A Sweet Garden Gate from Joanna Gaines

By now, we have surely all heard of Joanna Gaines, so it’s no secret that we would look to her for design ideas, and her simple yet stunning wood gate completes this space and gives us all the scope for imagination that we need.

white garden gate with square chicken wire fencing and pergola
Photo Credit: Country Living

A Statement-Making Oversized Wooden Gate

​Definitely not subtle, these oversized wood gates serve as much as a piece of art as they do an entrance. We love the daring, statement-making size and magnificence of these gate pieces. Just keep in mind that you need to have a large enough property, like a farm, to adequately support such an eye-catching architectural feature.

large oversized wooden gates leading out into green space
Photo Credit: Pexels

An Ivy-Covered Gate

Framed with lush ivy, this arched gateway looks like it leads to a magical secret garden.

ivy covered gate
Photo Credit: Getty Images

Wrapped Up in Grape Vine

A lovely grape vine climbs and curls around this rustic wooden gate, hiding compost bins on the other side and providing its owners with delicious grape jelly.

grape vine wrapped gate with green grass in garden
Photo Credit: Three Dogs In A Garden

A Small Wooden Gate In A Stucco Wall

There’s a lot to love about the definitive architecture of the Greek islands, from the remarkable contrast of white stucco walls, bright blue doors, and blooming pink bougainvillea. Perhaps more modest but still substantial are the waist-high gates that line the cobblestones streets—sectioning off stairways, homes, and hotels but not daring to conceal the miraculous views of the seas and further islands in the distance. We love to see these low gates and fences in locations where you still want to be capable of seeing the scenery or neighborhood around your home and property.

small wooden gate with stucco wall ocean in background
Photo Credit: Matt Artz via Unsplash

Climbing Clematis

Autumn clematis climbing across the top of this white garden gate provides an elegant and romantic vibe. There is nothing like seeing a picturesque view like this when you walk into the garden.

white picket fence gate with oval arbor covered in clematis
Photo Credit: Bumblebee

Green Hyacinth Gate

This attractive, mint green gate is gorgeous enough on its own, but a covering of hyacinth bean vines adds a splash of purple and a truly exceptional look.

green wood garden gate covered in hyancith
Photo Credit: Nibs

Add a Shining Detail

To add a pop of color to your garden, drill small holes into your gate’s wood and seat vintage marbles of varying sizes in the holes. As an added bonus, the marbles will glow like multicolor constellations when the sun illuminates them from behind.

marble detailing in wooden garden gate with sun shining through
Photo Credit: Garden Drama

A Large Farm Gate Overlooking a Field

Few things are more pastoral and picture-perfect than a well-worn wooden gate flanked by wild trees, rolling fields, and hills. If you’re fortunate enough to live on an extensive amount of property or a farm, you might have one of these gates dividing fields and crops or the wildland from your maintained lawn and gardens. We like how big gates like this are as useful as they are visually attractive.

large farm gate in front of pasture field
Photo by Leonie Wise on Unsplash

An Arch Gate

This sleek white door with a pointed arch is built into a brick wall with Boston and Virginia creeper ivy. The two components work together to evoke an old-fashioned, gothic feel suitable for a secret garden.

white door arch shape garden gate with trellis window
Photo Credit: Andrew Renn Design

Celtic Knots

Add a touch of whimsy to an otherwise simple wooden gate by carving a fun, decorative accent like a Celtic knot or other fanciful design.

large fence with wooden gate celtic knots design
Photo Credit: Jane’s Backyard

A Peek-a-Boo Gate

If you’re looking to keep your garden or backyard fairly private but don’t like the look of solid wood, try adding a peek-a-boo insert. Here, an intricate black Nuvo Iron decorative window insert adds a bit of flourish without surrendering functionality.

peek a boo accent iron piece in a wooden gate close up
Photo Credit: Confessions of a Seriel DIYer

A Pop of Red

Express some barnyard style into your garden with a small red door beneath a crisp white vine-covered arch, a variety that shows just how refined country style can be.

little red garden gate door with with arbor covered in moss
Photo Credit: Tales From Carmel

A Sturdy Wood Gate in a Lush Hedge

large wooded gate surrounded by hedges
Photo Credit via CCZero via Canva

Wooden gates cradled in large, dominating hedges always make us think of The Secret Garden. A gate like this can’t help but encourage wonder and curiosity from anyone who passes by. This design feature makes a garden or outdoor space feel truly magical and special, no matter what lies on the other side.

Repurposed Garden Tools

This garden gate was built by attaching second-hand garden tools as diagonal “rungs” and “slats” on a swinging cedar frame. Though this gate won’t afford you much privacy, it will certainly give you a chance to showcase your creativity.

garden gate made out of garden tools
Photo Credit: Montana Wildlife Gardener

A Touch of Willow Sticks

This family’s gate was designed to deter chicken-eating dogs, but we think it’s so darn cute! The willow sticks were gathered along the Animas River. This is a great example of how you can add uniqueness and style to your gate without sacrificing function.

willow stick stained wood fence and gate
Photo Credit: 6512 and Growing
purple flower covered arch garden gate
Photo Credit: Hometalk

DIY Wooden Gates You Can Make

If you’re of the DIY mindset and you want to make your own wooden gate, here are some DIY ideas that you may love!

easy DIY deck gate wood
Photo Credit: ManMadeDIY
black picket fence diy plans
Photo Credit: Build Basic
picket fence unstained leaning on wall
Photo Credit: Makezine
diy unstained fence gate in garden
Photo Credit: Black and Decker
wood slat modern gate
Photo Credit: The Cavender Diary
wooden gate in backyard
Photo Credit: Two Feet First

Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ

What is the best gate size for a driveway?

The gate needs to be a little wider than your driveway entrance. For example, if your driveway measures up to nine feet, six inches, the ten-foot gate will fit best. If your driveway measures between nine feet, seven inches and eleven feet, nine inches, opt for the twelve-footer. And so on up the scale.

How wide should a wooden gate be?

You will always want to set your opening first. It is recommended that your gate area be no wider than four feet when building a single wood fence gate. Anything wider than that, and you will need to measure and build a double gate, which meets in the middle.

How do I determine my gate size?

Simply measure the distance between the walls (the gap size), which will give you your ordering size. When taking measurements, it is strongly recommended that you measure the opening in 3 places (top, middle, and bottom). Should there be a deviation in size, it is suggested you use the smallest width for ordering purposes.

Which way should gate open?

The convention is that gates open in the direction visitors will be traveling, just as doors open into the house or a specific room. The thought is that it is more welcoming to have the gate swing away from rather than toward the visitor. So gates tend to open into the area that the fences enclose.

How long do wooden gates last?

On average, you can expect to get seven to eight years out of your wooden gate.  You will want to make sure that you are treating your gate to keep it looking and functioning at its best.

How wide is a normal fence gate?

If only people are going to be walking through, they are usually from 32 to 36 inches wide. Their height and material often correlate with the fence they happen to be connected to. Manufactured gate heights are usually 4 to 5 feet but can also be made higher or lower depending on the attached fence.

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