#6 DIY Kitchen Lighting Ideas

A humble cooking tool finds a new DIY identity to match any style

For you hard-core DIY types (and you know who you are), we’ve come up with a few starter ideas, confident that you’ll take this concept and run with it. For those of us who aren’t quite at the rewiring-a-lamp-ourselves stage? Buy a hanging lamp kit, drill a hole through the colander—just don’t use an everyday plastic one—and merge the two. And if changing a lightbulb pushes the envelope of your technical capabilities, never fear: The website Posh Living sells a kitchen colander pendant lamp ($150; poshliving.com) that’s ready to be installed by your friendly neighborhood handyperson.

The Life of the Party. Go disco with bright colors and a cut-glass globe (Calypso Basics 3-qt. colander; 45-watt crystal-cut halogen bulb, $6.95,  buylighting.com ).

The Veteran. Mix a flea-market colander with an old-fashioned “squirrel cage” bulb (vintage colander; 30-watt tungsten-filament reproduction, $13,  houseofantiquehardware.com ).

The String Theorist. Install a pull-cord lamp holder and add a silver-dipped globe (Calypso Basics 3-qt. colander; 60-watt Satco silver-bowl incandescent, from $2.14,  1000bulbs.com ).

The Sweetheart. Mount a globe light inside a melamine colander for a soft glow (Tovolo colander, $12,  amazon.com ; Westinghouse globe fixture, $7.98,  homedepot.com ).

The Workhorse. In high-traffic locations, install a cage around your bulb (Calypso Basics 3-qt. colander, $20,  restonlloyd.com ; Cooper Wiring bulb cage, $8.95,  centerhardware.com ).

The Space Alien. Pair a deep, stainless-steel colander with a cylindrical ceiling fixture for that Sputnik look (Norpro Krona 4-qt. colander, $42,  norpro.com ; Westinghouse 66919 fixture, $8.10,  build.com ).