By Antonia van der Meer

Almost nothing sabotages a home's curb charisma like badly selected fencing. "It's the first thing people see," said Raili Clasen, founder of Raili CA Design in Newport Beach, Calif. Concerns such as privacy and property lines can override aesthetics, though, and charmless chain link or white PVC blight even multimillion-dollar homes -- "akin to putting an engagement ring in a cardboard box," said landscape architect Jordan Clough. Here, the five design mistakes that spoil homesteads and muck up neighborhoods, and what designers suggest you do instead.

The Ill-Matched Game

When a house and a fence grate stylistically -- a stucco wall around a Georgian colonial, say, or a white picket fence in front of a modern glass house -- "it kills the vibe," said Clasen. "It's like wearing a really cool outfit with the wrong shoes."

Instead Relate the fence to the house. Clasen says a 1950s ranch generally pairs well with a rustic split-rail fence that hearkens to the original home-on-the-range. But an updated Del Mar, Calif., home with reddish-brown board-and-batten siding demanded a modern approach. She and Lisa Chestnut, a landscape designer in Marfa, Texas, corralled the property with square-top picket fencing that mimics the vertical lines of the house. Over time, its redwood material will gray but maintain a reddish grain.

The Great Barrier Belief

Privacy may be paramount, but solid walls can deaden pretty spaces and feel fortresslike, says Clough, a principal at Richardson & Associates in Washington, D.C.

Instead Steer clear of opacity. For a modern home in McLean, Va., Clough screened an outdoor shower with narrow horizontal slats of dark ipe wood set 1/2 inch apart. Outsiders can't see through unless at a precise angle. "It provides privacy but still has openness," said Clough. The result: "a space that's subdued, sleek and calm." If ipe is a budget buster, Clough recommends more-economical cedar or black locust -- both highly rot-resistant woods -- rather than synthetic lumbers.

When Hard Edges Meet

A fence that closely hugs a driveway or sidewalk can cramp curb appeal. "Any time a hard horizontal surface hits a hard vertical surface, it feels commercial," said Paul Neundorfer, founder of Aristotle Design Group in Cleveland. Besides, the tight spot catches dirty plowed snow and yard debris.

Instead Set the fence back. The landscape architect left 6 feet between a white picket fence and the driveway that sweeps in front of a rambling, white home in Gates Mills, Ohio. The breathing room allows for plants that bloom most months of the year. "Even 9 inches of ground cover makes the look less harsh," said Neundorfer.

Unfriendly Face

"A solid front fence turns its back on the street," said Mike Patterson, a principal and construction director at Marmol Radziner in Los Angeles.

Instead "Make the fence a welcoming element," said Patterson. He left a historic Hollywood Regency-style home visible to the neighborhood with an elegant, geometric-patterned wrought iron fence. The benefits extend to people in the house. "It's a nice experience visually from inside. The property actually feels bigger because you can see the street."

Prison-Like Safety

Fences meant to keep animals and children in or out, like those enclosing a garden or pool, can look "stockade-ish" according to Neundorfer.

Instead A black, welded-wire mesh disappears when integrated into more-open fence styles, Neundorfer says. Many people believe brown or green blend best in a landscape, but black dissolves more completely into foliage. To ring a grassy pool area surrounded by woods in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Neundorfer combined a split rail fence with black wire mesh, its openings 2 inches by 4 inches. It fulfills safety requirements, but from a distance the corral-like pen suits the surrounding horse country. Alternatively, black mesh can be hidden within plant material such as a hedge.

Barriers to Beauty / From glass shards to vinyl, fences that cross a line

"I was traveling in Asia and saw masonry walls finished with broken bottles on top, with the broken glass pointed up for security. Multicolored glass can be attractive, but this was quite menacing."

-- Paul Neundorfer, Aristotle Design Group, Cleveland, Ohio

"The worst fence I've ever seen was at a celebrity's house. It was 10 feet tall and made of cream-color painted sheet metal. It looked like a fortress."

-- Mike Patterson, Marmol Radziner, Los Angeles

"Some Manhattan penthouses use little rattan bamboo screens to separate their terrace from a neighbor's. Amid all the glass and steel and masonry, it looks flimsy and cheap. We're not in the tropics. It's the equivalent of hanging a bedsheet as a curtain."

-- Jordan Clough, Richardson & Associates, Washington, D.C.

"A custom home with a vinyl fence around it because someone told them vinyl is so good by the ocean. No! Vinyl stands out like a sore thumb. There is nothing organic about it."

-- Raili Clasen, Raili CA Design, Newport Beach, Calif.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 10, 2025 15:30 ET (19:30 GMT)

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