Building a custom lighting fixture from repurposed materials is an eco-friendly DIY project that won’t break the bank. You’ll have complete creative leeway when building these lighting fixtures, so it’s time to dig around in your attic or basement to find unique materials for your lights. Whether you want to use reclaimed wood to build wall sconces, hanging lights from old globes, or tree branch pendant lights, the choice is yours. Besides, building home decor from repurposed material is one of the easiest ways to go green and support the environment!
Mason Jar Chandeliers
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Suspend mason jars filled with Edison lightbulbs for a rustic, farmhouse vibe. Mason jars are easy to find and affordable, so turning them into a DIY chandelier will be a cheap DIY project. You’ll just need a ceiling plate to place the mason jars on that suspends from your ceiling. They’re also great at keeping moisture out, which is ideal if you live in a humid place.
Wine Bottle Pendant Lights
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If you love drinking wine, you likely have empty wine bottles. To build a custom lighting fixture, repurpose empty wine bottles into sleek pendant lights by cutting and fitting them with bulbs. These are cost-effective and don’t heat as much as other lighting options typically do. The bulbs look great, glowing inside the bottles and creating a sleek, minimalist aesthetic. Attach these to a wooden slab coated with epoxy.
Driftwood Floor Lamps
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There’s no better way to repurpose material than by looking to nature! Use natural driftwood as a base for an eco-friendly organic floor lamp. Next to the lamp, add greenery to freshen up the atmosphere and make it feel more spacious. You can purchase wood at your local hardware store or adventure to the coast to find driftwood washed up on shore. You can use wood for the lamp’s pole if you’re handy.
Old Bicycle Wheel Chandeliers
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Bicycle wheels make great art projects, especially bikes you’ve had for decades. Don’t throw away a dysfunctional bike! Transform a bicycle wheel into a creative chandelier with hanging lights or candles, and place it in your living room. You can use one bicycle wheel with many candles or lights or combine several smaller bicycle wheels for a textured, multi-layered chandelier.
Colander Hanging Lamps
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Use colanders as hanging lamps to give your living room or bedroom a unique vibe. Turn old metal colanders into unique pendant lights that cast beautiful patterns across your wall. Connect them to dimming lights to cast softer or harsher shadows. Use several colanders with different-sized holes for textured patterns or one large colander that acts as a statement piece.
Teacup or Teapot Pendant Lights
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If you have a set of china collecting dust in your attic, it’s time to grab them and put them to use! Hang vintage teacups or teapots upside-down to create charming pendant lighting. If your living room has a vintage-style aesthetic or a retro-futuristic vibe, these teacup pendant lights look great as a statement piece. Hang them above your dining room or coffee table and attach them to a dimmer to set the mood.
Reclaimed Wood Wall Sconces
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Reclaimed wood makes excellent light fixture bases. Attach light fixtures to reclaimed wood pieces for a warm, rustic wall sconce. Reclaimed wood will do the trick if you’re looking to give your home a cozy, cabin-like vibe. Hang lanterns from them to complete the homey, snug aesthetic. Nothing will make you feel like you’re in The Lord of the Rings more than these wooden wall sconces!
Vintage Camera Desk Lamps
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Mixing modern and vintage is an excellent way to bring a sense of nostalgia to your home. Use old cameras as bases for unique and nostalgic desk lamps. If these are collecting dust in your basement, make use of them, even if they’re defunct! Hook them up to a light source so the lightbulb is operable when attached to the camera’s lens.
Old Book Table Lamps
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Break out the books and use them! Stack old books and embed a lamp for a literary-inspired lighting piece. You can also hollow out the books and drill a hole through them if you want to stick the lamp through them so only the lampshade sticks out.
Industrial Pipe Lighting
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Metal pipes’ industrial and sleek aesthetic makes them great as lighting fixtures. Assemble metal pipes into functional and stylish lighting fixtures. This unique DIY project goes well in living rooms with minimalist, noir design and soft colors. Let the industrial pipes speak for themselves! Use yellow bulbs to blend with the pipes.
Grater Pendant Lights
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Head into your kitchen and rummage around for unused metal graters. They’re also easy to find at local thrift stores and won’t break the bank. Repurpose metal graters into hanging lights that emit soft, dappled light. The light will shine through the openings in the grater and create a unique wall pattern.
Metal Funnel Chandeliers
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It’s time to capture that industrial charm by converting metal funnels into rustic hanging lights! These sleek metal funnel chandeliers glisten in the light. Hang several of them above your dining table to add depth and texture. You can also use antique chandeliers for farmhouse-style lighting.
Old World Globe Hanging Lights
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Calling all travelers: You’re going to love this one! Cut old globes in half and turn them into quirky pendant lights. Grab some vintage globes from the thrift store and hang a variety of them as a chandelier in your living room. Make sure the bottoms are open to let the glowing light leak out. Use old maps from hundreds of years ago to more modern maps to showcase different styles.
Recycled Tin Can Lanterns
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Punch designs into tin cans to make lanterns that cast intricate patterns. This activity is fun for kids since they can help you punch the patterns into the cans. Create some tin cans with a few holes and others with more holes so that a variety of light shines through them. Place these around your kid’s room for playful lamps.
Umbrella Light Fixtures
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Flip open umbrellas upside-down and add string lights for a whimsical touch. These look great in an outdoor lounge area. Use several tiny umbrellas to add texture and variety. Different colors also look great as long as they are cohesive. Umbrella light fixtures look great in bohemian-style rooms with a lot of personality. You can also use Chinese umbrellas for a sleek, chic, minimalist aesthetic.
Ladder Chandelier with Edison Bulbs
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For a wholly chic and bohemian look, hang a wooden ladder horizontally and adorn it with Edison bulbs for a vintage aesthetic. Use a dark wooden ladder for a sleek look or a light wooden ladder for a bohemian look. To add texture to the look, you can adorn it with hanging plants and trinkets. You can lean this ladder against a wall or hook it up to hang across your ceiling.
Cork Board Desk Lamp
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Fashion a desk lamp with a cork base for added texture and pinning functionality. This can double as a place to pin notes and other reminders, in addition to working as a dimming lamp to bring a warm aesthetic to your office or brighten it up to use it as a work lamp.
Old Drum Light Fixtures
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Convert old drum kits into oversized, statement pendant lights. These work well because the light shines through the drum, creating a soft glow. They also work as a unique aesthetic since they’re soft colors with metal accents that look great in a minimalist-style room.
License Plate Pendant Lights
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It’s time to get quirky with your decorations and used repurposed materials you see daily — license plates! Bend and arrange license plates around a bulb for a rugged, automotive-inspired fixture. These look great in bohemian, vintage-style rooms that surpass the norm and get a kick out of having an eccentric personality. These will also act as statement pieces. Have fun collecting license plates from every state!
Glass Bottle Cluster Chandeliers
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Bundle several glass bottles together to form a colorful chandelier. Glowing light looks great inside chandeliers. Bundling them together will give your room a sleek, minimalist aesthetic that’s eco-friendly and more affordable than a typical glass chandelier. Get even more creative and decorate your chandelier with your favorite beer bottle.
Wire Basket Hanging Lights
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You probably use wire baskets to hang trinkets and plants, but what if you repurposed them to build a chandelier? You can transform wire baskets into dynamic, sleek, minimalistic industrial-style pendant lights. Use a black basket for a noir look or a lighter, wooden basket for a bohemian look.
Upcycled Pallet String Lights
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You probably have fairy lights hanging around your room. Take it further and attach string lights to a reclaimed pallet for a cozy and portable light fixture. Use a reclaimed wooden pallet for an eco-friendly choice. Making it portable will make moving around in each room more manageable if you place it somewhere else.
Vintage Birdcage Chandeliers
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Birdcages make grand chandeliers, especially ones with a rustic, faded exterior from decades of use. You can transform a birdcage into a decorative chandelier with fairy lights or bulbs. Place the birdcage over the chandelier if you already have a light fixture in your living room. Alternatively, incorporate a few chandeliers for a dynamic look.
CD Disk Reflector Lights
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Go for a retro-futuristic aesthetic using old CDs as reflectors for a shimmering, futuristic lighting effect. You likely have tons of CDs lying around in a box in your attic, so it’s time to break out the NSYNC and Backstreet Boys CDs and put them to use in your living room! Even though you’re not hanging a light from these, they’ll reflect the light from other areas of your home, making your space feel bigger.
Metal Barrel Light Fixtures
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If you don’t want to hang these from your ceiling, they’ll look great as floor lights. Cut metal barrels and fit them with lights for bold, industrial-style fixtures. You can stick these behind your couch to provide a soft, ambient light or decorate the edges of your living room with a cluster of barrels.
Shoebox Wall Sconces
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This DIY project is fun for kids, especially if you’ve recently gone on a shoe-shopping spree with the—cover bulbs with creatively cut shoeboxes in all different shapes and sizes for customizable wall-mounted lighting. Paint the boxes a uniform, sleek, neutral color so they don’t detract from your room’s furniture or other decorations.
Old Fan Cage Lights
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These do a great job of acting as protective covers. Repurpose vintage fan cages as covers for hanging bulbs to protect them from potential damage—like kids throwing around toys! This will give your space a retro-futuristic, timeless look that’s eco-friendly and quick to do on a budget.
Repurposed Fishing Net Chandeliers
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If you and your partner love to spend summer months on a boat, you can try trapping bulbs with fishing nets to create sea-inspired, nautical-themed chandeliers. These look great in homes with a bohemian, artistic aesthetic.
Tree Branch Pendant Lights
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Head out into the forest and collect large tree branches for your home. Attach light fixtures to a natural tree branch for an organic, raw, earthy aesthetic. This DIY project is free and great for the environment, as you won’t be using toxic tools or chemicals to build your light fixtures.
Metal Spring or Coil Hanging Lamps
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If you have an old couch or mattress taking up space in your garage, it’s time to throw away the cushions but keep the springs. Instead, use old metal springs or coils as frames for modern, industrial pendant lights to hang from your living room. Use several of them for a textured, varied look.