DIY Stick Fences - Beautiful and Practical

There are many benefits of using stick fences (see below) but there is no substitute for the easy-going and natural beauty they provide!

There are other kinds of natural fences using unprocessed sticks and twigs, like wattle fences and hurdle fences, but a basic stick fence (or a twig fence) has most of the same benefits plus they are even simpler to build and maintain. Consider stick fences, or at least appreciate them more, for the many worthwhile benefits they provide:

• Ease of maintenance: If and when parts of your stick fence need to be renewed it is a relatively easy and straightforward task, and since they are natural materials with varying colors and textures you don't have to worry about matching textures or colors. This same natural texture also makes them maintenance free when it comes to appearance, you do not have to polish/stain or paint them.
• Simple and inexpensive to build: They make and sell ready-made stick fences also, but if you just have enough sticks available of similar lengths and some stainless metal wire, it is relatively easy to build stick fences. (Even ready-made ones are inexpensive compared to most alternatives.)
• Natural and Beautiful appearance: time spent in nature has proven benefits to people and more natural-looking spaces soothe our souls and create more easy-going, chill, and relaxing spaces. Stick fences, with their natural forms and textures provide these benefits and look great doing it.
• Eco-friendly and efficient: Eco-friendliness of stick fences is multi-faceted: The materials; stainless metal wire and sticks, are both eco-friendly and harmless at disposal; the wire can be recycled, and the sticks will biodegrade. Also, the sticks are minimally processed so there is a lot of energy and chemicals saved in production. Sticks/branches of this size can't be milled and are mostly ignored by the wood industry so you'd be productive use out of materials that would not be used otherwise and you'd be reducing demand on more processed alternatives. Finally, since there is no paint, stains, or finishes involved you will avoid more exposure to harmful chemicals.

^Besides the stick fence in the foreground, you can also see a wattle fence/hurdle fence used as a privacy screen here.

The pic above and below show sturdier versions of stick fences using thicker sticks and horizontal beams instead of metal wires.

^Photo by Robert Mabic

All photos by Sinan Yucel, except the bottom two.

Doors - Cozy and Charming European front doors - V5

5th installment of pictures of front doors with lots of character, taken all in Eifel, Germany. Most of them are currently being used as residential front doors, and a few are front doors to apartment buildings.

If you enjoy these and would like to see more, see my other posts on doors with character (links below.)

All pics by Sinan Yucel @siyu_adam.

For more pictures of charming European front doors see:

Doors - Historic and current European front doors
Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V2

Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V3
Doors - Cozy and charming European front doors - V4

Natural stone retaining walls - Beautiful and practical

Retaining walls are sometimes a necessity, and sometimes optionally used on sloped lands to provide more useable flat space. Whatever your need and reasons are, consider using stacked natural rocks and stones. They offer significant benefits like:

• Ease of maintenance: Natural rock/stone retaining walls don't need painting, discoloration/moss growth/aging does not hurt the look, it actually enhances it
• Longer life: while subtle movements of the soil may crack or damage more rigid and concrete walls, stacked rocks can shift and work with the soil without needing difficult and pricey repairs, and if necessary any or all of the rocks can be restacked or adjusted without having to redo the entire wall
• Better drainage: Natural rock/stone retaining walls are more permeable and therefore less susceptible to issues that may arise due to poorly engineered or crafted drainage systems of less permeable solutions like concrete or mortared stones/bricks.
• Natural and Beautiful appearance: time spent in nature has proven benefits to people and more natural-looking spaces soothe our souls and create more easy-going, chill, and relaxing places. You can also easily add seasonal flowers, ground covers, hanging plants etc. between the rocks to soften the look add even more rustic appeal.
• Eco-friendly: Rocks are natural materials and don't need to be produced at a factory. And since there is no mortar or concrete involved, if you ever decide to get rid of your retaining wall you will just end up with clean soil and rocks that are ready to be reused in another project or even safely returned to nature, instead of construction waste and rubble.

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^image source

^image source

^image source

Natural retaining walls rock! :)

Doors - Cozy and Charming European front doors - V4

4th installment of pictures of front doors with lots of character, taken all in Eifel, Germany. As the title says, a few of them are from historic sites, such as churches, but most of them are currently being used as residential front doors.

All pics by Sinan Yucel @siyu_adam.

For more pictures of charming European front doors see:

Doors - Historic and current European front doors
Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V2

Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V3

Doors - Cozy and charming European front doors - V5

Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V3

3rd installment of pictures of front doors with lots of character, this time taken all in Germany. As the title says, a few of them are from historic sites, such as churches, but most of them are currently being used as residential front doors.

All pics by Sinan Yucel @siyu_adam.

For more pictures of charming European front doors see:

Doors - Historic and current European front doors
Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V2

Doors - Cozy and charming European front doors - V4

Doors - Cozy and charming European front doors - V5

Authentic Log Furniture; Efficient, Resourceful, and Beautiful

Nowadays, log furniture are usually overpriced, exaggerated (built with unnecessarily large logs, like a caricature of what log furniture is,) and often found in rich people's "thematic" cabins. But honest and authentic log furniture represent ingenuity, using branches that are too small to be milled or used otherwise, and used to be made by readily available branches without having to cut down trees. Log furniture also bring the warmth and the beauty of the outdoors to homes, often becoming treasured pieces. With their organic and minimally-processed appearance, they also age well and are comfortable to live with, making our homes more cozy and easy-going.

 Image sources: image 1, image 2, image 3

Real, small, beautiful, cozy kitchens

You don't need just the right counter-tops, expensive faucets, state-of-the-art appliances or anything fancy to have a beautiful, cozy, practical kitchen. A touch of a color that you like, or a picture or a plant that you enjoy will go far. Don't rip out perfectly good things to "update the look," that's a wasteful and a never-ending game. Appreciating and making the most of what you have, that's the ticket to peace of mind and happiness. Loving touches, and appreciation leads to beauty, not a bigger budget. 

Image sources:  image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4, image 5, image 6