Trend Alert: Black Fences

Offering privacy where it's needed and an impressive backdrop for bright spring greens and wintry goldens as the seasons shift, black fences in the garden seem to be enjoying a special moment in the spotlight.

We've rounded up ten recent favorites that have us itching to pull out our paint brushes and give our tired garden fences a modern update:

Above: Maria of the gardening blog, Almbacken, installed a black fence to serve as backdrop to her Swedish garden and a clever cache for her garbage and recycling units. Photograph by Maria Dremo Sundstrom.

Above: In this Chetwynd Road garden in Highgate, North London, Adam Shepherd of The Landscape Architect Garden Design Consultancy installed a slatted softwood fence stained black atop a brick garden wall. To complete the look, Adam recommends planting a trailing star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). Photograph courtesy of Adam Shepherd.

Above: To recreate the slatted look, Silva Timber Products sells Western Red Cedar Primed Trim Board; £1.33 per linear meter. Photograph courtesy of Silva Timber.

Above: Dutch landscape architect Martin Veltkamp uses black fencing in many of his garden designs. This simple wall he designed for his Moderne Villatuin project is one of our favorites. Photograph courtesy of Martin Veltkamp.

Above: Susan Cohan of Susan Cohan Gardens notes that a black garden fence can make for winter garden drama as golden grasses pop against the dark background. Photograph by Susan Cohan.

Above: In Sydney, Australia, landscape designer Anthony Wyer built scaffolding against a black fence and trained bougainvillea to grow on it. To learn how to recreate the look, see Design Sleuth: Espaliered Vines. Photograph courtesy of Anthony Wyer Associates.

Above: Gundry & Ducker Architecture used black stained larch boards in the siding, decking, and fencing of their modern expansion project at Dove House in London. Photograph by Joe Clark.

Above: In this Medina Residence project, landscape architect Randy Allworth of Allworth Design included an impressive black wall and pergola to delineate the space between home and garden. Photograph courtesy of Allworth Designs.

Above: Landscape designer Debora Carl installed a black privacy wall to create an intimate sitting area in an Encinitas, CA garden. Photograph courtesy of Debora Carl Landscape Design.

Above: Brooklyn garden blogger James Golden planted his backyard garden just 15 months before this shot was taken. The plantings themselves are impressive—but we're especially drawn to his simple black fence. You can read more about his paint color decisions on the archived version of his blog. Photograph by James Golden.

Looking for the perfect shade of black? Consider on these 8 Black Paint Picks from Architects in the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory.

Not ready to go whole hog with black paint? Take baby steps with a Black Planter instead.