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IKEA Lighting Hack: How to make a Pendant Light Out of a $6 IKEA Bowl

by on Jun 26, 2020

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.              

Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

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

Materials - IKEA lighting hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!
  • 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

Drilling hole - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

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.

Drilling hole - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

Then continue drilling down so that the hole saw creates a larger hole as shown below. 

Drilling hole - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

Step

Sanding - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

Give the bottom and sides of your bowl a light sand to remove any lacquer.

Step

Painter's tape - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

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.

Painter's tape - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

Step

Spray painting - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

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

Removing painter's tape - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

Once the paint has dried, remove the painter’s tape from the inside of your bowl.

Step

Inserting light fitting - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

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.Screwing in light bulb - Ikea hack: Make a pendant light out of a $6 bowl!

Then screw in a light bulb and you’re done!


IKEA Lighting Hack! Learn how we turned a $6 salad bowl into a unique light fixture
IKEA Hack! How to make unique lighting from a $6 bowl

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!


Interested in more projects like this IKEA lighting hack? We’ve rounded up our favorite 100 here.