Oriental-Style Wrought Iron Gates

Our oriental-style gates grew out of clients’ love of the opulent architecture they had seen on their travels, from Southeast Asia to the Gulf. They are richer and more sculptural than classic European gates: heavy gilded acanthus, large crests and crowns, medallions and coats of arms set against deep bronze or black steel.

Many of them stand in front of white neoclassical villas and palaces, and they pair just as well with glamour-style interiors and gardens. Each design can be built as a double swing gate or a sliding gate, openwork or full.

Our oriental gate designs

Built differently from European gates

These gates combine artistic blacksmithing with other metalworking crafts: relief work, chasing and gilding. That is what gives them their deep, three-dimensional ornament. Most are made from very thick sections, so they feel solid and secure even when they are openwork.

A fixed crown over the opening looks spectacular when the gate is open, and we can add openwork forged pillars to create a complete entrance set. Sliding versions are popular on wide plots and where the drive slopes.

Oriental gates for Japanese gardens and Far Eastern architecture

Private Japanese gardens are appearing more and more often beside residences and modern villas. Carefully shaped trees, bonsai, stone compositions, water, timber and well-judged symmetry create a landscape that deserves a fitting frame from the very first step. Here an oriental gate is not an extra; it becomes part of the concept of the whole garden.

A Japanese garden is built on harmony, proportion and balance, so we design oriental gates with great attention to line, division and the rhythm of the detail. Asian-inspired patterns can be openwork and subtle, with delicate geometry recalling traditional lattice screens, or more massive, with a strong central motif.

Projects inspired by Japan usually favour calmer compositions based on symmetry and restrained detail, while gates inspired by other parts of Asia bring more ornament, gilding, elaborate crests and monumental forms. This lets us match the design to a minimalist Zen garden as well as to a grand residence with an exotic character.

Modern oriental interpretations

An oriental style does not have to mean a historic pastiche. More and more often we design in a modern-oriental spirit, where a traditional motif meets the simple, contemporary form of the house. The gate can then be solid, with a geometric division inspired by Asian architecture and no excess decoration.

This works especially well with modern villas with large glazed walls set in a carefully designed Japanese garden; the contrast between a minimalist building and oriental detail gives the property a character of its own. Unlike classic European forms, oriental compositions often use a different rhythm and different proportions: lines can be strongly vertical or, on the contrary, broadly horizontal, inspired by temple architecture, and the ornament can be central and symbolic rather than spread across the whole gate.

An oriental gate as part of a consistent space

We design oriental gates as part of a larger whole, together with the fence, the pillars, the paving and the planting. On properties inspired by the Far East consistency is everything: an entrance that is too European can spoil the mood of a Japanese garden, just as an over-decorated gate can overwhelm a minimalist space.

That is why every oriental entrance gate is based on the proportions of the plot, the style of the house and the character of the garden. It can be light and openwork or full and monumental, with a fixed crown, a symbolic central motif or a fine lattice inspired by Asian craftsmanship. An oriental entrance is a conscious decision to give a property a unique, exotic atmosphere, and it remains part of our wider range of wrought iron gates.

Oriental gate FAQ

Can the gilding survive a hot, sunny climate?

Yes. Under the gilding and paint the steel is hot-dip galvanized, and the top coats are chosen for strong sun, heat and humidity, which is why these gates do well in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Can you combine oriental ornament with a solid gate?

Certainly. Several designs here are full gates, and any of our solid privacy gates can be given oriental detailing.

Will an oriental gate suit a modern house?

Yes. A calm, geometric oriental design with a single central motif sits very well in front of a contemporary villa, especially one surrounded by a Japanese-style garden. For classic white palaces and glamour interiors we usually suggest the richer, gilded versions.

Can you add a matching oriental fence and pillars?

Yes. Most oriental gates are part of a set with matching wickets, fence panels and openwork pillars, so the whole frontage keeps the same character.