What's currently considered the modern style actually has roots that date made to the early 20th century. Designers at that time reacted to then-current trends in architecture to create a new, industrial aesthetic. Today, modern-style homes are very popular. If you have a modern-style house, you'll want to complement it with a modern-style fence.
The term "modern" referring to architecture isn't as clear-cut as, say, Cape Cod. However, modern houses still feature some of the same characteristics. The hallmarks of modern design are an emphasis on function. Indeed, ornamentation is stripped away, leaving behind clean lines and even a minimalist ambience.
With modern architecture, designers typically use manmade materials such as metal, concrete, and glass. Indeed, they strive to exploit the utilitarian nature of the manufactured materials. For example, modern architecture often features concrete poured into unique geometric shapes that wouldn't be possible with natural stone.
As suggested above, any obviously manmade material is the ideal for a modern fence. Steel, aluminum, and chain link probably come immediately to mind. Though less common, it's possible to have a fence constructed of tempered glass or corrugated metal.
Just because wood isn't a manufactured material, you don't have to give up on having a wooden fence installed. They key is to emphasize other aspects of the modern style with the natural material. For example, contractors can enhance the clean lines of board pickets by varying their width or installing them horizontally instead of vertically.
Corrugated metal fencing may seem a little extreme for your property. You can keep your metal fencing subtle while still promoting the modern style. Steel, aluminum, and even wrought iron can present modern profiles. Both steel and aluminum fencing consist of metal tubes, welded for steel and screwed together for aluminum. Wrought iron consists of solid pickets welded together.
As with wood fencing, the key is to showcase modern stylistic choices with your metal fence. In this case, you should choose straight pickets with no ornamentation, meaning no medallions or scrollwork. Likewise, finials should be the plainest version available, of you could look for geometric styles. You could opt for a double rail with geometric circles as an alternate topper.
Another method for incorporating natural materials into your modern fence is to mix them with their modern counterparts. So, you could match brick or stone with the minimalist metal fencing. Likewise, you could choose a bold metal framework for wooden fencing, which will emphasize the geometry of the fence construction.
Decoist describes a creative take on the idea of mixing materials. Contractors start with a base of concrete cinderblocks. They top the blocks with horizontal wooden planks. The orientation of the planks emphasizes their lines, while the cinderblocks give a nod to the industrial roots of modern design.
Your gate can serve as a simple extension of the rest of your fencing. For example, if you've chosen a minimalist aluminum fence, you can pair it with a matching aluminum gate. That said, homeowners often use the gate as an area for displaying creativity.
One option is to choose a premade modern-style gate. For instance, you can choose an aluminum gate with geometric inserts or cutouts. Sometimes these prefabricated gates feature mixed materials, even incorporating tempered glass into the design.
Another option is to choose a custom gate. Designers can start with a sheet of metal and cut it with geometric patterning to create a stunning modern gate.
Despite the lack of ornamentation, modern style lends itself to a lot of creativity. Let your fencing complement the unique properties of your modern-style house. Talk to the fencing experts at
AAA Fence LLC
about your fencing ideas.
