Good Fences, Good Neighbors — and Good Views

See-through vertical fencing connects a yard with its surroundings while keeping children and pets safely inside

Good fences make good neighbors, Robert Frost instructed. Good fences can make even better neighbors when they keep the vistas and sight lines open, even as they establish a boundary. The fences below masterfully set property or area limits while maintaining permeability. In place of an imposing, solid mass of wood or stone, these modern constructs allow outsiders visual entry into the space and enable those inside to view the surrounding landscape, maintaining a relationship between outside and in.

While many of the fences here are custom jobs, they demonstrate that materials in a range of prices can be effectively used. The key is the spacing of the verticals. They can be left wide open for border plants to wander through, or placed more tightly to keep children and pets in and deer out. They can be anchored belowground or set into low walls. When done properly, they become a sculptural element all their own, blending style and function.