These matching lights were originally configured as wall sconces, and were created from a chunk of cherry wood leftover from the live edge cedar bench, which has cherry legs.  The cherry legs for that bench were cut from the best part of our slab of cherry, and the remainder was used for practicing making the mortices we would need for the mortice and tenon construction of that bench.  Riddled with rectangular holes, this chunk of cherry was then tossed into the scrap bin, where it remained for nearly a year.  Then inspiration struck.  We were sifting through the bin recently looking for something else, and when we saw the hole-filled cherry chunk, we immediately thought that they could be windows.  We re-sawed the 2 inch thick chunk to create two matching panels, cleaned up the practice mortices a bit, and then cut in the openings that would be the townhouse doors.  After that, we created the doors and cases/housing from curly maple, installed LED lights, and finished off the townhouses with stained glass windows and glass bead doorknobs.  

 

We really liked the look of these lights, as they are a primitive/folk art look meant to evoke the weathered, scarred look of town and row houses in all old cities.  But what we never liked was the exposed cords hanging down the walls.  We thought of converting them to hard wired form for the wall, but what we really wanted to do was make them into free standing table lights by creating stabilizing bases in which they would sit.  We finally got it done!  We used hard figured maple, 2 inches thick, that matches the maple of the doors and cases, and with router and hand chisels, created the recessed 'beds' in which the townhouses rest.  We sloped the sides on these bases to suggest the sloping yards these kinds of city houses often have.  The townhouses remain free-standing and simply rest in the bases without being permanently attached.  We LOVE the conversion.  The finish on the wood is a natural brush on, water based, satin polyurethane that enhances the natural colors and grains of the woods.  Each sconce measures 20” tall including the base x 6” wide (10" at the base) x 2” deep (7" at the base).