16 Sep From B&Q to Beautiful – Save £1000’s with a Gate Makeover/Gate Refurbishment

Refurbishing an existing gate is a fantastic way of adding a new feature to your home, creating something truly special and original while not breaking the bank like a hand forged bespoke commission from scratch might.

Whether you have bought a house that came with an uninspired driveway gate, or you needed to buy something off the shelf for security reasons, whether the gate is wooden or steel, galvanised or not, there are endless ways the functional gate can be transformed into a work of art for a fraction of the price of a new commission.

Case study – An Art Nouveau Gate Refurbishment

In this gate refurbishment example, the existing gate was a very simple, off-the-shelf, hollow tube steel gate with automation.

Gate refurbishment – the brief

The brief was to artistically transform the gate so as to partially obscure the view into the property from the road, but not appear as a solid barrier.  The Gate refurbishment needed to reflect nature and carry texture and should reflect the Art Nouveau movement.

Gate Makeover – Design

I chose to use the work of three artists from the Art Nouveau period from which to draw inspiration.  They were Klimt, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Aubrey Bearsdley.

For the organic/nature part of the brief I used my signature hammered leaves which also add texture.  The leaves slowly change into the very Klimpt style triangles.  On the opposite side, the leaves are balanced by the large expanse of sheet metal, with sweeping curves, which represents the big areas of space that is common in Art Nouveau art, especially that of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Beardsley.

Gate refurbishment – Fabrication

As the gate is already hung and fitted, much of the technical side of the job is already done. The gate did have a powder coat paint finish, so we had to send the gate off to a shot blasters to strip back to the steel.  Once the gate was back in the workshop, we simply had to make and fit the detail to the frame.  The gate was then galvanised and finished in a sprayed graphite black paint.  The gate was simply taken to site and rehung.

If you have an existing gate that needs an artistic makeover, then get in touch and we will talk you through the design options.