Our house was built around an oak tree. The tree was the loveliest part of the front porch, which was otherwise quite dark. When it died and had to be removed, we reworked the front porch to include trees of light.
Panels of mahogany were carved with a fanciful tree design and framed by a box with LED light strips inside. All of the woodwork was done by Berkeley Mills.
The back of each box is maple, providing a color contrast to the mahogany. The colors of the LED lights are programmable so they can be tuned to bring out the best colors of the wood.
The bottom of each panel includes a seat that folds out as needed. This part of the porch stays dry on rainy days, making it the perfect place to remove muddy boots.
A skylight provides natural light during the day so the porch is never dark any more.
Additional lights highlight the knee braces and give the porch a welcoming glow at night.
We change the colors seasonally, just for fun.