The Lilley Gate

Making gates is actually fairly easy. They are really just a rectangle with hinges or wheels. The tricky part is to bring a sense of belonging. It doesn't matter if the design is contemporary or more traditional, the end result should look and feel like it belongs there.   

In this case the family had just finished a lovely and tasteful renovation to their Bentleigh bungalow and went looking for gates. They couldn't find anything that did their home justice.  

I decided to use an original leadlight window in the house, as inspiration. Making a design work is more tricky than simply copying what’s there. Scale is critical. I needed to start again, only using the window as a style guide. I created an up-scaled, more robust design for the gates that evokes the art deco window that inspired them. 

The gates are made from 1/2 inch by 1 inch solid steel. Yes that’s right ‘inch’, old school, with  21st century hinges and locks made from heavy duty stainless steel. Finally everything was rust-proofed and powder-coated to match the trim on the house.

Installation went smoothly and all the owners had to do was have an electrician install a power outlet to the front garden. The driveway gate is remote controlled and has battery back up in case of a power outage. All done.