Repurpose An Old Pot Lid To Brighten Up Your Kitchen With A Clever Upcycling DIY

There are all kinds of ways to take an LED bulb and turn it into a stunning pendant light: Pop it inside stacked thrifted crystalware, mount a few inside IKEA planters, or fill an old birdcage with bulbs, artificial birds, and faux foliage. Few ideas, however, beat the convenience of making a pendant light or three for your kitchen from an old pot lid. With just a few twists of a screwdriver and a couple of layers of spray paint, this DIY almost makes itself! Simply unscrew the knob from said lid, paint it, thread a cord attached to a bulb (you can get DIY kits) through the central hole, and hang the resulting pendant light — or lights — above your kitchen island.

If you don't already have an old pot lid, peruse local thrift stores, yard sales, or flea markets, or check out Facebook Marketplace. You can also buy one new — a Walfos Tempered Glass Lid for 12 Inch Cookware costs less than $20. However you get your hands on one, make sure it has a knob that unscrews from the lid body because you'll need that hole in the center to make this DIY work. Getting the right size pendant lights to hang over your kitchen island is ideal, so take this into consideration, too, if you have the luxury of choice in pot lid size. You'll also need a pendant light kit, like this MIAOMEIO Black Adjustable Hanging Light Kit for the Kitchen for about $15 — vintage vibes Edison bulb included.

Other necessary supplies include one can each of gold and black spray paint for interior use, a spray booth or something to protect your surfaces from paint, and a roll of painter's tape. First, use a screwdriver to loosen the screw holding the knob to the lid and remove it completely. Keep the knob and hardware somewhere safe as a replacement for future broken pot lids. Head outside or into a well-ventilated room, don a mask and gloves, and lay down your surface protection. Apply two layers of black spray paint to the top side of the pot lid. Once the paint is dry to the touch, line the edges of the top side of the pot lid with painter's tape, flip the lid over, and apply two layers of gold paint onto the underside.

Wait for the gold and black paint to fully cure before proceeding with this DIY to avoid scratching the new, perfectly smooth surface. This could take anywhere from an hour or two to a few days, depending on weather conditions. Check the paint manufacturer's instructions for guidance. Unthread the cord of your DIY pendant light kit from the ceiling mount and push it through the underside central hole in the pot lid. Keep pulling it through until the lamp holder bumps snuggly up to the lid and secure the cord back inside the ceiling mount. If wiring the pendant light into your kitchen ceiling isn't something you're confident doing, hire an electrician.

You don't have to stick with black and gold paint. Instead, channel a mid-century modern aesthetic with a terra cotta orange outside and an ash cream underside; pair blushing pink with sweet mint for the Barbiecore pendant light you've always dreamed of; or channel the shades of the ocean and sand dunes for lighting with a coastal core feel. Tired of Edison bulbs? Swap it out for something else in the 3000K to 4000K range, which best lights a kitchen. Get, for example, a 6 pack of LEOOLS Dimmable Tubular (5.1 Inches Long) LED Matt Opal Light Bulbs for about $33 or a bulbous Jardhom Warm White Globe Light Bulb for about $27.

If the lid has a second hole to release steam while cooking, you could leave the knob on the lid and thread the cord through that, creating a whimsical lopsided pendant light that draws attention to rather than hides the original utilitarian use of the object it's made of. There's also no reason you have to use a glass pot lid. Find, instead, a metal lid, and follow the same steps. Consider where you hang your pendant light in your home, too; you're not limited to the kitchen. Other stunning DIY pendant light ideas to brighten up your space include hanging a cluster of fixtures — all with different cord lengths — above your dining table, using a single light as a feature above a cozy chair and footrest (think dimly lit reading nook), or spot lighting a writing desk.