Hubbardton Forge has really high quality pieces, made in the USA, but am not sure if they have a style that would suit you/your home. I'd definitely stay away from anything manufactured in China, and even though HF is "forged" in the usa, I would inquire about the innards. They could easily be from China. I'd check that on any brand you're considering. Frankly, its hard to imagine much being sold these days lasting decades! Here is a link that might be useful: Hubbardton Forge

Whether surface mounted or recessed you should use a weatherproof box so it's a matter of appearance rather than function. Needless to say the light fixture should be on a weatherproof cover with gasket.

Update: I was wrong about our house windows. They are not TDL but FDL (full divided light), which for Andersen windows means interior and exterior permanent grilles, with an aluminum spacer bar between the glass. This seems to be the same thing as Simpson SDL. Any reason not to buy 3/4 light wood doors from Simpson that are SDL? The only other thing I've learned is that with a Simpson SDL door, if glass breaks, it may be cost-prohibitive to replace the glass, and necessary to replace the whole door. With TDL, an individual broken light can be replaced. Any thoughts on which doors will look better, and what makes the most sense? Attached are photos that show what the TDL and SDL lights look like in the Simpson doors. The light with the dark framing is the TDL and the one with the aluminum piece between the glass is the SDL.

I would start with a large outdoor rug and choose your accessories based on colors from the rug. If you are going to hang other plants I would find some larger, attractive basket hangers that the plastic pots would fit down in.