Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: planter pot pendant lamp

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it’s an old habit of ours to roam the aisles of the hardware store looking for inspiration. this time of year is especially fun because the garden center is bursting with all sorts of flowers and herbs. while picking up a little basil for our kitchen windowsill the other day, we found these great little ecoforms pots. we loved the shape so much we got 2—we used one for the basil, and turned the other into a simple, modern pendant lamp.

have fun!
derek & lauren

CLICK HERE for the full project after the jump!

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here’s what you’ll need:
-an “urn” style eco forms pot
-electric cord
-light socket
-light bulb
-ceiling hook, or other hanging hardware

1. drill a small hole in the bottom center of the pot just large enough for the cord to slip through.

2. pass the cord through the hole, and pull apart the two wires (hot and neutral) so that you have enough slack to tie an electrician’s (or underwriter’s) knot. the knot will prevent the wires from coming loose and will keep the socket and bulb in place inside the pot.

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3. one of the wires is smooth (hot), while the other is ribbed (neutral). wrap the hot wire around the gold screw on the socket and tighten with a screwdriver. wrap the neutral wire around the silver screw and tighten it.

4. gently pull the pot down over the socket and bulb, and it’s ready to hang.

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My dad had just given me an article he saved from our newspaper, The Virginian Pilot, on “turning an ugly ceiling fixture into a planter.” It took an ugly old glass ceiling fixture and spray painted it a bright color and used it for planting. I love that this works either way! So maybe you get a new planter out of the light you are replacing!

Heidi- the books on the table are “Petit Pattern” books from Japan.

Sandra- the cord we bought at the hardware store already had an on/off switch and wires that were pre-stripped and ready to go. Otherwise you’d have to strip them yourself.

This is great and looks so easy. I have a Ikea pendant lamp cord that I have been trying to use and I thought this might be a good project since I also have a planter lying around. It seems that it won’t work though because I need the socket to detach from the cord to thread it through the hole in my planter pot. Any suggestions?

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