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.

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! :)

Mediterranean casual style of Provence and Tuscany

Stone walls, colorful shutters, easy-going gravel, and plants that are allowed to grow into their natural forms make for a pretty and cozy setting. This approach is also low-maintenance and ages well. When people, especially in the US, try to recreate this look they often create an unnaturally pristine version and miss out on the perfectly imperfect charm.

^ Even fully-paved narrow alleys can be charming with colorful stucco, shutters, and wild and free potted plants.

Image sources: image 1, images 2 & 3, image 4, image 5

Thomas Jefferson quote on a good, simple life

I fully agree with Thomas Jefferson's quote below. I used only the essential parts of it on the image, highlighting a simple life with friends and books being preferable to power and luxury. Here is the full quote; "I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give."

Background image is from here and I added the quote to it.

Cozy, homey, and practical home

When unpretentious elements like natural colors and textures, things that age well, and can take wear and tear come together in a practical way, you get a comfortable, cozy and a very livable home.

Creating a similar exterior may not be an option in cities but the interior elements would make welcome touches in any setting.

^ That green door, the covered porches, the easy-going landscaping, with the gravel and flagstone path are all cool touches.

^ I love the saltillo tiles, the kilim rug, and the big practical benches in this mudroom.

^ That rooster rug is nice. I also love those fabric covers. You don't always need the structure and the strength of rigid doors. Sometimes you just need a dust blocker, and efficiency is a good thing. The fabric also adds a warmer/softer touch. I like the painted cabinets and the DIY-ish kitchen island, too.

Image source

Gravel for natural garden paths

Along with a mixture of plants and boulders, gravel is a "natural" choice for relaxing and easy-going landscapes. Gravel is:

• easy to live with, you can move it around, adjust it's path/shape/size easily
• will keep dust and mud under control
• inexpensive compared to other options
• it is permeable so it keeps the soil under and around it more healthy, and
• looks great as part of a natural looking landscape.

Gravel generally does better in relatively dry climates, and it has been used extensively in Mediterranean landscapes and in the American South-West for good reason.

Image 1 from houzz.de, image 2 from bhg.com, image 3 from houzz.de, and image 4 from markweaver.com

Easy-going & natural

Look at how beautiful but how low maintenance that pool and its surroundings is. That's the idea. The bottom image of the colorful window shutters makes a good argument against putting a fresh coat of paint on everything.

Top image from Paul McClure's flickr stream, bottom image from lesapea.tumblr.com

Natural & beautiful forms in landscapes

Don't trim your plants into geometric shapes or force them to meet otherwise unrealistic expectations. Allow them to show you their natural beauty. Compose beautiful spaces with nature, don't work against it. I love the look of rough-cut stone steps, casual roof gardens, and (climate-allowing) moss.

Top image from .free-hdwallpapers.com, middle image from westphoria.sunset.com, and the bottom image is from frustratedgardener.com

Natural & serene

Nature's imperfection is perfect. Include natural materials & sights of nature for serene, casual, and relaxing environments.

Top & bottom images from ignitingenergy.tumblr.com, middle image from crapte.tumblr.com

Fantasy

Top image from life1nmotion.tumblr.com, bottom image from hippyness.tumblr.com

Comfort over style

More than anything else, make your place liveable and comfortable.

Top image from hemingwaycool.tumblr.com, bottom two from landofthefree.tumblr.com

Natural landscaping with native plants

Don't be in constant battle with your yard to keep things under control. Wherever you happen to live, takeyour plant selection and design clues from the natural surroundings of your area. This way, your plants will be better equipped to handle your local weather, require much less water and maintenance. Your yard will also attract local birds. A natural arrangement of plants and letting them grow to their natural shapes and sizes will not only look amazing, it will also minimize yard clippings/waste and save you a lot of time.

Top image from planobluestem.blogspot.com, 2nd image from suzybalesgarden.com, 3rd image from julieorrdesign.com, 4th image from lifescapecolorado.com, the bottom image from businessinsider.com