Many of you have been keeping up with our driveway gate project  for owners of a new lavender farm in Woodinville, WA (Woodinville Lavender).  We recently installed it and wanted to share pictures of the final work of art. 

The steel frame is powder coated with a faux rust color texture. The steel panels have an “antique black” chemical patina.

The gate doors swing open smoothly using a motorized gate system.

The owners will be doing their own rock & morter work to build three stone pillars that will complete the picture.  We will post photos as soon as they finish the work.  Right now they’re busy pulling weeds and planting lavender!

This photo shows the massiveness of the piece; it took some creative thinking and careful planning to efficiently navigate around our studio space. 

The patina process for the panels was challenging given the large surface area, but we are happy with the end result; rich & varied colors and random consistency. 

At some point you need the oxidation to stop so we dusted the panels with baking soda to neutralize the chemicals. 

Here are the slick, freshly oxidized panels.

The making of the lavender sprigs was the artful part of the process and after testing several techniques to achieve a realistic lavender look, Dave opted to make the buds by layering bronze pieces that were laboriously cut, formed and drilled.

To get an antique gold finish, Dave used another patina process using both chemicals and heat. 

Stay tuned for more photos when the rock work is completed.  We learned a lot from this project and are ready to create another artistic driveway gate.  Call us if you are interested in your own eye-catching entrance way.