Gabion Ideas

Scroll down to find gabion ideas from traditional structures through to more inventive ways they can be used.
IN THIS ARTICLE
WATER FEATURES
Relaxing Sight
This water feature looks truly spectacular, offering a relaxing view. The credit for this architectural design goes to BadecBrosGroup, who made sure to do a precise job, making the project aesthetically pleasing.
Water Feature
This beautiful water feature is sure to leave every visitor in awe – the source of the fountain is cleverly incorporated into the gabion cage, making it seem like the water is flowing out of the rocks. Surrounded by amazing green scenery, this project is surely a success!
The Harmony of Elements
A carefully crafted stone and metal structure adds a unique touch to the garden, doubling as a decorative water feature. Water flows smoothly from a sleek metal spout, creating a peaceful and natural ambiance.
Urban Zen
This striking water feature combines stacked slate and metal framing, creating a bold yet natural focal point in the garden. Water gently spills from a sleek spout into the pond below, adding a soothing element to the modern design.
Simple Way to Serenity
Kenneth’s water feature stands out and makes his garden more peaceful. The neatly arranged stones mix natural beauty with a modern touch, perfectly fitting the calm pond.
Love Your Garden – Water Feature
Alan Titchmarch’s team also added a gabion-based water feature to the garden project, resulting in a beautiful composition. The pipes go through the gabion cages, pumping water outside, fountain-style. The iris bamboos planted inside the gabions may seem like an unlikely combination, yet the results show that it can work wonderfully.
BUG HOTELS
The Bug Hotel
This unique bug hotel was created by St James Church Eco Group, using our gabion cages. They pitched us with the idea and kept us posted with photos throughout different stages of the project. It is now the proud residence of an ever enlarging population of diverse bugs.
Insect Resort
This lovely bug hotel was created by Steph Hill from @stephhillgardendesign, who made her gabion ideas come to life, offering shelter for the insects living in the area. She also placed some flower containers on the top in the hopes of the sedum filling the gaps and spilling over the gaps once it’s grown.
Garden Ninja Bug Hotel
Garden Ninja Lee Burkhill has reused old bricks to fill this wildlife gabion in one of his garden design projects.
Bug-ingham Palace
Gabions have many uses, but their best qualities are sustainability, durability, and suitability for building a bug hotel. Not only do they look good, but they also provide a home for small crawling creatures, supporting local wildlife. Read more about it here: How to Make a Bug Hotel.
Garden Wildlife Habitat
This wildlife habitat created by Mike Russell Designs, designed with stacked bricks, stones, and hollow pipes, provides shelter for various insects and small creatures while blending beautifully with the surrounding vibrant heather and daffodils.
Caring for Life
This bug hotel was designed to create protective barriers around a shallow amphibian pond. It serves multiple purposes: blocking access to the pond, improving its appearance, and offering shelter for various invertebrates. Learn more about this project here.
GABION SEATINGS
Far East Retreat
Inspired by Adam and Alice’s honeymoon in Vietnam, this cozy garden nook is the perfect place for them to relax. Built during an episode of ITV’s Love Your Garden, the stunning stone and wood seating adds both charm and character. Want to learn more about this beautiful design? Check out the full story here: Wire Fence Features in ITV’s, Love Your Garden.
Outdoor Classroom
This stunning project was created by Youngwilders, a non-profit focused on accelerating the rewilding of the UK and involving young people in the movement. They used our gabion cages to create the outdoor seating for the classroom – safe to say that we are incredibly impressed with the results!
Tranquillity Zone
Another customer photo shows a seating feature, using gabion cages filled with light grey pebbles and some lighter-shade wood to complement the look. The bench area is surrounded by a variety of greens, making it a wonderful combination of modernity and nature.
Sitting in Nature
This sitting feature also uses gabion cages of different heights in order to create benches and a table. The size and colour of the stones filling the cage vary greatly, however, it still works wonderfully in creating a uniform composition.
Stone & Wood
This DIY outdoor bench by UAVHive uses stone-filled wire cages as strong, stylish supports for wooden seating. The modern privacy screens add a decorative touch while creating a cozy space.
A Curved Haven
A curving stone-and-wood bench encircles a majestic tree, providing a cozy and communal space for relaxation. The organic shape harmonizes with its natural surroundings, making it a perfect spot for quiet reflection or conversation.
Infinite Bench
This project shows how gabion ideas can be used to create a longer bench, even one that follows the shape of the pavement. This can result in a sharp edge, creating a sophisticated look.
Resting Area
This customer project uses gabion cages to create a sitting area in a community garden, the colours of the bench being complemented by the elegant grey pebbles filling the gabions.
Relax in Style
This cosy outdoor space features a wooden pergola, built-in seating, and a stylish mix of materials for a modern yet inviting garden retreat. Designed by Harlow Garden Services Ltd, it’s perfect for relaxing in comfort while keeping maintenance low.
Summer Theatre
This is another elaborate creation, resulting in a large outdoor seating area – perfect for a summer evening in a children’s camp, or an outside theatre production.
Modern Home
This beautiful modern house design incorporates gabion walls in several different ways. They can be seen outlining the outer wall of the building, as well as creating levels and acting as seating features, combined with some wooden planks. The finish is surely an elegant one!
Gabions with a View
This bench by Handford Design has just the perfect placement to allow you to enjoy this spectacular view – and the bench itself looks spectacular too! The gabions make it unique and aesthetically pleasing at the same time, and the dark colour of the stones matches that of the planks.
Enjoying the Quiet
This gabion bench also belongs to Mark Pendlebury, showing off a different part of his garden landscape. It looks stunning with the green scenery around it and the large stones completing the look.
Relaxing Outdoors
This wonderful seating area uses gabion benches, matching these with some beautiful woodwork. This was also created by Utopia Landscapes, who did a great job designing this garden space.
Cat-Approved Design
How can you be sure you’ve done a great job? If your friends or family compliment it – that’s a good start for beginners. But true expert-level design? That’s when the cat approves. That’s when you know you’ve nailed it!
Chilling Zone
This stunning outdoor seating area is guaranteed to bring life to your garden! The light colour of the stones, along with the grey textiles make the composition look elegant and sophisticated. The credit for this project belongs to Deodar Design.
Oakforce Seats
Oak Force has beautifully crafted this sturdy stone-filled bench, curving it around the seating area to create a natural and inviting space. The design fits perfectly with the modern patio, offering both durability and style.
Sunny Seating
This beautiful gabion seating area looks like an amazing place to soak up some sunshine on a summer day. Image courtesy: Discover Permaculture LLC. For more information about Geoff Lawton’s PDC go here.
Lovely Seating Area
James Boughton Landscaping did an outstanding job creating this gabion seating area. It looks stylish and comfortable, with the stones filling the gabions creating a uniform look.
Stylish and Cosy
This lovely bench was created by a customer who opted for this stylish solution to installing an outdoor sitting feature. It sure looks like a cosy space for enjoying a sunny afternoon!
Modern Bench
This sitting feature looks like a comfortable spot for enjoying the good weather at get-togethers or for having late-night chats on a summer evening. The grey stones in the baskets are complemented by the black planters and planks, giving the composition a modern look.
Outdoor Coffee Time
This photo shows Deodar Design’s lovely sitting feature from a bit further away, showing off the large outdoor coffee table complementing the composition. This sure looks like a fun project and a cosy place to enjoy one’s morning coffee.
Easy Gabion Seating
For the beginner landscaping enthusiasts looking for easy to create gabion seating ideas, this project by Matt of Many Trades offers just that. Here you can see the results of his work (along with a sweet four-legged special guest), but you can watch the whole video where he builds this bench and explains everything you need to know.
RETAINING WALLS
Welcome to Mexico
This project published by Backwoods Home Magazine brings us right into South America. The colour of the ground is perfectly complemented by the stones used to fill the gabion cages. Together, they create a stunning composition, replacing traditional fencing with something more special.
Levelling Up
Gabion walls can be a great way to add levels to your garden – this example shows how this was achieved, also by Abundance by Design Permaculture.
Setting Property Lines
This gabion fence marks the border between the yard and the path leading up to the door. This can be a great way of splitting up the different areas of the property, creating balance and levels within the land.
The Wall by the Lake
This customer project shows how nicely gabion walls can be incorporated into a garden design – the stones used to fill the cages are the same ones surrounding this small artificial lake, blending in well with their surroundings.
Cabin on a Hill
This little cabin is built on a hill, making it hard to work with the levels and make proper use of the space. However, our customer who created this wonderful design was not discouraged by the challenge and used this gabion wall to do the trick.
Slow with the Flow
This stone wall is strong and stylish, making it a great choice for holding back soil and shaping a garden. Created by Mike Russell Designs, it adds a natural touch while keeping everything in place.
Stairway to Nature
This customer project blends in the gabions with the natural ground levels, resulting in a stunning outcome. The extra stones connecting the gabion cages give the impression that the structures are part of the natural environment.
Love Your Garden – Retaining Walls
Another close-up from the Love Your Garden episode shows the retaining walls doubling up as planters, separating the Mediterranean plants from the walking paths.
Wonderfully Contrasting
This retaining wall is a perfect example of using gabion ideas to elevate uneven ground levels. It also separates the plants from the rest of the garden, creating a contrasting finish.
A Garden’s Best Friend: The Functional Wood Filled Wall
This strong wall uses wood and metal to hold up the garden and give it a rustic look. It fits in nicely with the plants, making the space both useful and attractive.
Rock-Solid Garden Beauty
A charming blend of stone and metal forms a sturdy yet stylish garden feature. The layered design enhances landscaping while ensuring stability and durability.
A Stronghold for Blooming Beauty
This modern design pairs rugged stones with sleek metal grids to create a functional and stylish planter border. It adds a structured yet organic feel to sidewalks and gardens.
Riverbank Guardian
A robust rock-filled structure protects the streambank from erosion while blending seamlessly with the landscape. Its natural tones and sturdy form reinforce both function and aesthetics.
Beautiful Wall
This is another great example of a gabion wall stealing the spotlight – we doubt it that it doesn’t draw the attention of every passer-by!
Achieving That Urban Look
This project was created by Our Home Projects, who wanted to create a retaining wall at the edge of their property. They opted for gabion walls, as they stay permeable, last long and have a great urban look – it was surely the right choice to make!
Garden Composition
This beautiful garden by Mark Pendlebury shows off some beautiful green grass to complement the grey stones filling the gabion cages. This garden probably had uneven ground at the start, which was then fixed by creating levels with the help of a small gabion retaining wall.
Satisfying Composition
Another massive gabion wall is the creation of Rated by Trade. These cages are filled with stones of varying size and colour, resulting in a satisfying finish.
Interlocking Stones
Yorkshire Gardens decided to go the extra mile, and make gabions more aesthetically pleasing by using completely interlocking stones. This makes the overall structure look much more attractive, while making it studier as well.
Sandstone Style
Created by Kentworx, this sturdy stone-filled wall helps support the raised patio while blending seamlessly with the surrounding paving. Its natural look and strong structure add both function and style to the outdoor space.
Retaining Wall With Grass
Retaining walls can spice up any garden design, but what makes this one special is the grass on top of it, blending it in with the rest of the garden. This lovely idea belongs to Nordic Labour and the contrast created works great with the rest of the composition.
Rocking the Landscape
This strong stone-filled wall, built by Easy Garden Limited, helps hold back the soil on a sloped area. It is made with stacked metal cages filled with rocks, creating a sturdy and natural-looking barrier.
GABION PLANTERS
Tree Planter
A great example of creative gabion ideas, it adds a modern, industrial touch to the garden while providing excellent drainage for the tree.
Easter Island Style
Gabions complement any style – whether it’s urban, urban jungle, or even an Easter Island-inspired design. Whatever your landscape vision, they make a great addition!
Mini Gabion Garden
This lovely mini gabion planter was created by TG The Gardener, who also explained to his viewers how to make DIY gabions. Each mini gabion was filled with different types of pebbles, creating a versatile yet uniform look. You can watch the full tutorial on his Youtube page.
Garden Glow-Up
These rock-filled metal structures created by Unity Garden Design serve as stylish planters, adding a modern yet natural touch to the garden. Softly glowing string lights woven through them create a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Spiral Garden
There are hundreds of ideas for unique planters and garden architecture, but this herb garden by Abundance by Design Permaculture is not only an aesthetically pleasing creation, but also very well-thought out. The upper part of the structure is best suited for heat-loving mediterranean herbs, while the water and shade loving plants can be planted near the bottom of it.
Rock-Solid Elegance
This DIY gabion planter blends industrial durability with natural beauty, featuring a wire cage filled with grey stones that securely holds a vibrant green plant. The sturdy yet stylish design adds a modern touch to any garden, making it a unique and eye-catching outdoor feature.
Planters Can Be Fun
This fun looking project by A Crafty Mix shows how to use gabion planters to spice up those boring pots and make your plants look more lively and tropical. The pebbles and greens create a great contrast, giving out those mediterranean vibes.
The Flowers Among the Pebbles
Another beautiful example of gabion ideas – the reason this project works so well is that the wooden edges make the gabions blend in with the surrounding areas. It gives the illusion that the flowers are growing right out of the pebbles, ensuring a spectacular finish!
Pottery Show
This video shows an unorthodox way of filling your gabion baskets – it was created by Rebecca Laflam, creator of Mud in Maine. She is a big fan of pottery projects and she decided to fill up this gabion plant stand with her pottery failures – a unique and stunning project, showing off her personality.
Simple and Stunning
This is a simple, but beautiful planter, integrating a plant pot into the gabion basket. The finish looks natural and does a great job keeping the pot sturdy and safe from the elements.
GABION STEPS
Illuminated Beauty
This garden staircase blends stone, wood, and metal for a simple yet stylish look. Soft lighting makes it stand out beautifully at night.
Steppin’ Up
This project was created by Riches To Roots, who made a video showing how to create gabion basket steps, completed with pour concrete platforms. It takes hard work, but the overall finish is surely stunning and worth the days spent! You can watch the full tutorial by clicking on the link.
Another Brick in the Wall
Although stones and pebbles are the most common fillers of gabion cages, this doesn’t mean that you can’t experiment with different materials. Red bricks are Britain’s favourites, yet they are not common to be seen filling gabions – we don’t know why, as they look fantastic in this customer project!
Woodland’s Secrets
A striking pathway weaves through the greenery, built with stone-filled wire cages that provide both durability and a natural aesthetic.
GABION TABLES
Happy Colours
Just because gabion cages come in neutral colours, it doesn’t mean that you can’t brighten them up with a touch of warmth! This lovely project by A Piece of Rainbow makes sure to bring those happy vibes in your garden with those yellow features.
Colourful Picnic Table
This picnic table is surely made special by the colourful pebbles filling these gabion cages. This project was created by Philippe Handford who designed it for an outdoor classroom. However, it can be a fun inspiration for all sorts of gabion projects, allowing the little ones to get involved by displaying their art on the rocks.
Indoor Counter
Who said that gabions can only be placed outdoors? This unique customer project shows how these beautiful cages work fantastically as indoor counters – although it may sound like an unlikely combination, the green LED’s also add a special vibe to the overall composition.
“Rockin’ Rock Desk”
If you can’t stop drooling over gabion design ideas, but don’t have the backyard space to make your dreams come true, you will surely love this clever gabion desk project by NewStudio Architecture. It creates a beautiful composition along with the wooden features and houseplants.
BBQ Table
This table is very strong and perfect for holding food, drinks, or cooking tools outside. It stays steady in all weather and makes a great addition to a garden or barbecue area.
GABION WALLS
Curved Wall
Hayley created a stunning curved gabion wall that seamlessly frames her modern seating area, enhancing both style and functionality. This striking feature not only adds visual appeal but also serves as a sturdy and stylish backdrop for outdoor relaxation.
Industrial Chic
This stone-filled wall creates a striking and modern look while providing strong support for the garden. Designed by J Freeman Builds, it blends durability with style to enhance outdoor spaces.
Gabion Garage
These gabion walls can be great for outdoor buildings such as garages, giving your yard a clean, modern look. This is surely a desirable architectural design!
Into the Woods
This living wall has been naturally overtaken by moss, ferns, and other plant life, demonstrating how even man-made structures can support biodiversity and enhance natural beauty. Source & Credit: Rachel Bailey.
Copper Composition
These gabion cages are part of the composition of a garden chilling area. The copper colour matches that of the stairs leading up to the area with benches. This was created by Banyon Tree Design, and is part of a larger landscaping project.
Gabions from Head to Toe
This building is made up of gabions all the way from head to toe! Although it might feel a little unorthodox, it is undeniably an unique and outstanding architectural design.
Outdoor Structures
This building was constructed by one of our customers, closing up an otherwise open structure. This is a great idea for outdoor buildings such as sheds, that don’t require heating – the cages keep the wind and elements out, but don’t offer heat isolation.
Utopian Garage
This stunning futuristic garage showcases the design skills of Shaydzz Services, using gabions as part of the wall. They did a fantastic job creating a modern, stylish project using a combination of gabion fencing and metallic structures.
GABION FENCES
Feels Like Autumn
This wall by Seastone Landscapes makes sure to match the colours of its surroundings. By choosing stones in the shades of red, a more natural look is achieved.
Nature’s Perfect Frame
Created by Cambridge Landscaper, this sturdy rock-filled metal fence was built to last, with deep trenches and strong scaffold pole supports. Designed as both a durable boundary and a natural backdrop for trailing plants, it blends seamlessly into the garden while adding structure and style.
Colourful Combination
Shade Home And Garden created this lovely fence design, combining gabion walls and traditional wooden fencing. The warm colours fill this project with life, proving that if you can’t decide between two options, sometimes choosing both can work even more wonderfully.
Best of Both Fences
This is another gabion wall with interlocking stones, realised also by Yorkshire Gardens. However, this design has a flat top, offering space for an additional wall of wooden fencing, making the overall design more special – you can tell that they have a talent for making gabion ideas come to life!
Fence Fever
Published by Life is a Garden, this is a perfect inspiration for those who are looking for gabion fence ideas for their garden. This particular fence has lighter-coloured pebbles, complementing the greens of the garden.
LANDSCAPING COMPOSITIONS
Stunning South
This stunning composition was created by Cavill Design for a client, using gabion cages for multiple aspects of the project. The garden has a lovely mediterranean feel to it, while the gabions add a special touch to the finish.
Sitting Around the Fire Pit
Want to have a unique fire pit area, while also unnoticeably evening up the levels in your garden? Then this project will be a great fit for you! The guests at your summer barbecue will surely be in awe when they see this beautiful composition, created by Abundance by Design Permaculture.
The Stone Garden
This photo was sent to us by one of our customers, showing off this elaborate creation using our gabions. The project features a seating area, several different levels of flowers and greens, as well as a shaded area, offering protection from the sun and rain.
Love Your Garden – Overview
Taking a look at this project, it becomes evident that it is the work of experienced professionals. And that assumption couldn’t be more spot on, since this beautiful composition was created by Alan Titchmarsh and his team in the popular ITV show Love Your Garden. They used our gabions to create this stunning mediterranean paradise – the finish speaks for itself!
Barbecue in Style
Another popular gabion creation is a summer kitchen – this customer created a modern and elegant barbecue area using gabion cages filled with light grey pebbles. The wooden countertop gives it a stylish finish, making it look like an inviting area to spend a summer afternoon in.
Love Your Garden – Summer Kitchen
This close-up photo shows the summer kitchen area for the project realised by the Love Your Garden team. It’s built in the back of the shed, making extra use of the space provided by the back wall. The gabions filled with light grey pebbles compliment the countertop tiles beautifully, resulting in a stunning finish.
A Lively Garden
This beautiful garden belongs to Jayne, who takes pride in the way she built her garden landscape – for a reason! She filled the gabion cages with more than just stones – bricks, wooden planks, branches, pieces of firewood. The results speak for themselves, making this garden truly special.
Porch Moments
This lovely porch area was designed by Ryan Drewe Carpentry, who did an elegant job keeping the modern look of the house while bringing in a little extra by adding the gabion baskets. The overall composition looks well-thought-out, evening the levels for the base of the house.
The Fruit of Labour
Creating this garden landscape took a lot of sweat and hard work, according to the garden designer behind it, Andy Bending. However, the result speaks for itself, presenting a wonderful composition of levelled gabion cages, steps and plenty of flower pots for decoration.
Sundowner Area
This customer photo shows off a smart and aesthetic way of gabion landscaping – while the gabion cages act as a retaining wall, separating the relaxing area from the rest of the garden, they also create shade and sitting space thanks to their varying levels.
Gabions All Year Round
This bar and sitting area are the work of Bomber Building Solutions Ltd, who got commissioned to create this project. This area has been equipped with heating to offer all-year-round use, so the owners of the property can enjoy this stunning design at any point of the year!
MISC
Cage for Creativity
Created by six women, Echoes of Presence is an exhibition set in the stunning chapel at Brompton Cemetery in London, showcasing contemporary sculptures on minimalist wire-frame plinths. These structures balance strength with an airy, almost weightless appearance that complements the historic space. Selected for their durability and practicality, these plinths offered solid support for heavy glass and ceramic pieces while ensuring a quick and efficient installation and removal.
Gabion Fire Pit
Metal and fire make a striking combination – add some rock, and you’ve got a garden with real character! If you’re looking to add a fire pit to your outdoor space, check out this guide on how to build your own.
You’ve got mail!
This unique and beautiful idea was posted by Southwest Boulder, showing off a mailbox that is seemingly sitting on top of the stones. Upon some more inspection, it can be seen that there is in fact a pole hidden inside the gabion cage, however, the composition itself is still a creative one.
Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management Scheme
Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management Scheme used our gabions to display project information on the seafronts, to help increase community and visitor awareness of their scheme.
Stone & Steel Mailbox
This DIY gabion-style mailbox stand combines industrial strength with modern design, featuring stacked wire cages filled with grey stones. Want to build your own? Check out this DIY guide to get started!
Sea Defence
This sturdy and beautifully crafted stone-filled structure blends seamlessly with the natural shoreline, providing both function and aesthetic appeal. Its solid build and thoughtful design ensure durability while enhancing the landscape with a rugged yet refined touch.
The Boulder Bastion
Positioned at the corner of a modern building, it serves as a decorative and protective element, blending functionality with rugged design.
Modern and clean
This garden by Utopia Landscapes has a modern landscape design, offering a clean, organised look for those wanting to enjoy some time soaking up the sun in the sitting area. What makes it even more special is the gabion retaining wall, separating this area from the greens planted around it.
Further Reading
- What is a gabion – Learn more about the sizes, shapes, and versatile applications of these wire cages.
- How to fill a gabion – Follow this guide to ensure you fill them correctly for the best results.
- How to make a gabion pillar – Step-by-step instructions to help you build your own sturdy pillars.
- How to make a curved gabion wall – Curved walls can be tricky, but this guide makes the process easier.
- How to build a gabion retaining wall – Retaining walls are not only stylish but also essential for sloped landscapes. Learn how to build one yourself in this article.
- DIY round gabion planter – Create a stunning round planter with this easy-to-follow guide.
- Gabion fence installation – Follow these steps to install your own fence with confidence.
- Make gabion steps – These durable steps stand the test of time. Follow this guide to create a timeless design.
- How to build gabion raised bed – Raised beds are a great addition to any garden – this guide shows you how to build your own.
- DIY gabion fireplace – Follow this guide to build a durable and eye-catching feature for cosy evenings outside.
- Buy gabion baskets – Explore our shop for a wide range of shapes and sizes.
- Buy gabion stone – Visit our shop to check out our selection of stones.