Colander Light Fixture

Chad has been itching to change out our kitchen’s overhead light fixture for the longest time. We had something that was nice enough, but plain. Looking on the internet for inspiration, Chad found a light fixture made out of a colander. The pattern the light made on the ceiling when the bulb was turned on was magical. Chad told me his favorite line when he showed it to me: “we can make that.”

For several months, we looked at every possible colander in the city of Memphis. We found beautiful, colorful ones at Williams Sonoma, but they were too small. We looked at some in Target, but theirs didn’t have a star pattern. Sensing that it might be tricky to find exactly what we wanted, the project got put on the back burner.

One day Chad was cruising the aisles of a local overstock store and finally found a colander that was a good size and had a star pattern. The only drawback was that it had feet instead of a base that would fit over our existing electrical whatnot. For $1.49, Chad decided to buy it and see what he could do.

First, he removed the feet from the colander. Chad then used a pair of snips to cut a hole in the bottom of the colander larger enough for a light bulb to fit through. He still had to figure out how to cover up the light socket on the ceiling. Thinking he would buy a medallion at the hardware store, Chad made a quick stop in our favorite thrift store first and spied a flat-bottomed colander with a star pattern. Problem solved! Almost. Chad still wound up at the hardware store because he had to buy a light socket extender. Like the other colander, Chad cut a portion out of the bottom of the second one large enough to accommodate a light bulb.

Here’s his finished product. Pretty kitschy, right?

We initially had one of those cool Edison bulbs in it, but the bulb was prettier than it was functional. It lit our kitchen about as well as I imagine a nightlight would. We’ve instead opted for a clear, standard bulb.

This light fixture is a good conversation piece during the day, but it really shines at night (I couldn’t resist the pun!). The pattern it creates on the ceiling is awesome. Pictures really don’t do it justice.

With a little bit of money and some good luck, Chad created a super cool light fixture for our kitchen. This project has definitely gotten him thinking about other items that he can turn into lighting. I can’t wait to see what Chad comes up with next. Happy repurposed crafting!

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