Artful Salvage: Old Doors Decorate the Garden
My local salvage yard is brimming with building materials — lighting fixtures, kitchen cabinets, tile, windows and doors. On a recent trip, I was thinking how I might possibly use one of its old doors as an entry gate for my vegetable garden. The blowsy sprays of Mexican verbena and orange calendula would look stunning with a half door painted a deep shade of eggplant, or the old patina of a weathered door would marry well with my rustic split-rail fence and tomato cages.
Every fence needs a gate or a door, and if you’re on a budget, the best solution might be to recycle something from a salvage yard that costs relatively little. So spend a Saturday scouting out what’s available; if you don’t find something you love on the first visit, remember that stock changes daily, so try again another day.
A beautiful gate is a focal point that leads you from one garden room to the other. Gates mark transition points, but they also create enclosure and make a room private. Close the door to shut out the sounds of the street and passing traffic, or just to feel like you’re secluded in your own little paradise.
If you’re looking to fence in your backyard, consider making the gate stand out. With salvage the possibilities are endless.
Here’s a great old door that marks a boundary between two different parts of a Toronto backyard. Maple and dogwood branches soften the opening, and the floor of the threshold is defined by bricks set into the ground.
Climbing vines like honeysuckle, clematis or rose would be good picks for the doorframe, which has an extended beam.
What can color do to a garden room? A lot. This sky-blue door in a Santa Barbara, California, garden is definitely an attention grabber amid the lush green foliage.
Removing glass panes from your salvage piece will make it safe and also allow plant to weave through the openings. Without a frame, a door can be stationary. Large, heavy doors like this are better used in this way.
If you’re making a custom door to fit a particular opening but want it to look old, consider using salvaged hardware like hinges, knobs or face plates. And if you love the patina of old wood, have your carpenter make the door from salvaged lumber — you’ll get an old-world look instantly.
Matching the fence and door style creates a stronger overall design aesthetic, as in this Southwest-style Denver garden, where adobe walls support swinging saloon doors with an Old West feel. Soft plantings frame the door and make an appealing composition.
For small spaces a door with real character can be a valuable accent piece — a set piece. Apart from being entirely functional, a door like this has a story to tell.
If your style is casual, then a cast-off door might be just the thing to use — weather-beaten, dinged or covered with peeling paint. It certainly gets the job done, and it won’t cost you a fortune.
And then there’s the door that leads nowhere. A piece of sculpture, perhaps. Something like this would look great in a kids’ garden or a playground. Knock, knock; who’s there?
More: Salvaged Materials Triumph as All-Stars of Sustainability
