Many homeowners don't realize how important gate posts are to the overall design of their driveway entrance. The gate posts serve as the transition between the gate itself and the fence. What's more, driveway gate posts can be highly decorative, which means they can create a grand entrance to your home. They can even show a connection between your house and driveway. Once you've decided on a new gate and opening method, turn your attention to the design aspects of the posts themselves so you create the desired impression. Here are some of your options. Wood Gate Posts Wood gate posts have the potential to offer the most discreet profile. They can be simple posts with a basic topper. Such simple posts complement wooden driveway gates, especially ones with a rustic design. That said, wood is also an adaptable material. For one, you can order posts that artisans have carved into almost any type of design. The carving can range from simple to elaborate. When looking at this style of gate post, you want to match the adjacent gate in style and finish. You can also order such posts when you order your wooden gate. Metal Gate Posts Metal gate posts fall into a similar category as wood in that they're also often simpler in design and included as part of a gate kit. The benefit here is that you're guaranteed that the posts will match the gate. Even with such kits, you can usually choose the post topper style, so you do have some leeway in customization. You sometimes see options for adding medallions or other ornamentation. You often see metal gate posts incorporated into a larger entrance design with columns. When designing such an entrance, though, you usually want to include more metal in the entrance design for cohesion. For example, you might want to incorporate metal entrance lanterns onto the column. The metal finishes should be the same. Stone or Brick Columns For a statelier driveway entrance, you usually add columns. The driveway gate can attach directly to the column or via the included gate posts. Stone is a common material for a driveway column. While it's possible to have the contractors build stone columns, they're more commonly a concrete core covered in a stone veneer. You can choose natural or fabricated stone, which is concrete-based. When choosing stones for your driveway columns, you want to draw some connection between the columns and the rest of your property. If the house is a clear backdrop to your driveway, you want to either match stones used in its façade or echo colors from the palette. Otherwise, look into another way of incorporating stone, such as in the driveway apron. In that same vein, brick is another common material for driveway columns. As with stone, you usually achieve the look with brick veneers rather than stacked bricks. Brick columns give your driveway the stateliest ambience because they're so uniform. You want to choose brick if you have the material visible elsewhere on your property, such as on your home's façade. Stucco Columns Stucco is similar to brick and stone in that it's a type of veneer. The contractors apply the stucco material to an existing structure, either cinderblocks or wood installed as gate columns. You can paint the stucco, but white is the classic color for such columns. Stucco gate columns offer the stately profile of the other two materials. However, the material is something of a blank canvas. Therefore, stucco columns work well with any style of gate, fence, and house. You have almost infinite customization options in column toppers, lighting, medallions, and other ornamentation. Choose your driveway gate, and then complement it and the rest of your property with fence posts or columns. Contact Northgates In Motion for professional driveway gate design.