I have a love-hate relationship with light fittings. I totally get that they can transform the look of a room, but I’ve put off changing ours for aaaages because the ones I love best are always out of my budget. And when it comes to the crunch, I can’t justify spending $150+ on a pretty light fixture when there are bills to be paid! That’s where this IKEA lighting hack comes in.
The other day, I had a brainwave while I was at an IKEA store. Instead of buying a light fitting, why not try making one of my own? After all, home hardware stores have pendant light kits specifically for this purpose. And this way, I can get that wood/stone combo I love on the cheap!
The best part? This pendant light was made out of a $6 wooden bowl. Want to know more about this IKEA lighting hack? Watch this short video, and follow along below…
Materials
- Bamboo bowl (I used the Hultet decorative bowl from IKEA)
- Power drill
- Hole saw
- Sandpaper
- Painter’s tape
- Granite spray paint
- Pendant light kit
- Light bulb
Step
Use a hole saw and power drill to drill a large hole through your wooden bowl. Make sure the hole saw you choose will create a hole that’s large enough for your pendant light to fit through.
If you haven’t used a hole saw before, it comes with two pieces – a pilot drill bit and a larger saw bit.
First use the pilot drill to make a hole in the center of your bowl.
Then continue drilling down so that the hole saw creates a larger hole as shown below.
Step
Give the bottom and sides of your bowl a light sand to remove any lacquer.
Step
Flip the bowl over and cover the inside with painter’s tape. I found the easiest way to do this was to place the tape like the spokes on a bicycle wheel, working my way around the bowl until it was completely covered.
Once you’ve got your painter’s tape in place, trim the edges.
Step
Turn your bowl upside down again so the bottom is face up. Then spray the bottom and sides of your bowl with granite spray paint. If your bowl is light-coloured like mine, you’ll need several coats for a solid granite finish.
Step
Once the paint has dried, remove the painter’s tape from the inside of your bowl.
Step
Fit your pendant light through the hole you made in Step 1 of this IKEA lighting hack. Make sure you refer to the manufacturer’s instructions when you take the pendant light apart and put it back together.
Then screw in a light bulb and you’re done!
Not bad for a $6 bowl, hey? And the part I love the most is that you can completely customize the look of the light fitting to suit your interior decor. I think I’m going to try using a smooth matte black spray paint for my next light fitting. If you’re more of a metallics fan, get out that brass/gold/chrome spray paint for a super shiny finish!
