Privacy

How to screen

Having chosen—for excellent reasons—to orient the new house towards the side fence, the question of privacy screens leaps to the fore. I’m keen to plant appropriate foliage to act as a screen, but plants take time to grow.

What interesting screen options are there in the meantime?

Hornsby Council’s DCP, as we learnt, has something to say on this question. According to the DCP, a privacy screen means ‘a screen that is at least 1.5m high, measured from the floor level, and has no individual opening more than 30mm wide, and has a total of all openings less than 30% of the surface area of the screen. A privacy screen required to protect an adjacent residence is to be fixed.’

Mid-Century Modern Inspiration

Plenty of Mid-century houses used privacy screens, including the Rose Seidler House. Some were simple angled slats, others were far more adventurous.

Oo la la! Mid-century privacy screen options [image from Pinterest]

The slatted privacy screen at the Rose Seidler House, hiding the Hills Hoist

Architectural Screens

Looking for interesting architectural screens, I found that bespoke designs are possible with decorative laser cutting and perforating. Metals, timbers and acrylics are all possibilities. One manufacturer, appropriately called Cut Out, has 38 finish options and will custom-design whatever you want.

Shall we go with a lovely nature-inspired screen, like these cut out native grasses?

Or something really wacky and colourful, befitting the Mid-century inspiration?

Or a choice that falls somewhere in between: a geometric design, not unlike the front gate of the house I live in?

My courtyard gate, Turramurra, 1955

The more I look at the options, the more I’m drawn to the rustic look of rusted steel. Cut Out offers ‘Mild Steel, Stainless Steel, Corten Rusting Steel, Aluminium, Copper, Brass and more for your architectural screen or laser cut sign project. Our finishes include raw metals, powder coated; in hundreds of colours and finishes, electroplated, spray finished, hand painted, antiqued, anodized and more.’

Decisions, decisions.

Rusting steel screen with leaf cut outs, spotted in Brisbane.

Fencing the Mid-century way

But wait, there’s more: some clever ideas for fencing (found on Pinterest) to provide privacy with personality.

And Besser blocks are making a comeback. In Australia we call them Besser blocks after the famous Aussie concrete company. In the UK they’re known as ‘breeze blocks’ and in the USA ‘cinder blocks’ — hollow rectangular grey building blocks used in their thousands for offices, apartment blocks—and privacy walls.

Breeze-block privacy, so elegant. [source]

Plants too, please

There’ll be plants too, so I need to think about how the plants and the screen will complement each other. Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen any spectacular privacy screen options.

Plants, screens, fence—working together. [source]