New Uses for Old Light Fixtures

Artistic Uses

• Old light fixtures can be cleaned up and painted with intricate designs or bold color-blocks. These decorated fixtures become totally new creations when you arrange them as artistic focal points in different parts of your living environment. For example, a painted dish-shaped light fixture of any shape can be turned with the opened side facing upward and filed with potpourri, which serves as a table embellishment with functionality. Placing painted globe light fixtures along high shelves decorates the areas of your home near the ceiling in any room you choose.

Candles and Aromatherapy

• Small, dome-shaped light fixtures can be cleaned out, decorated and filled with assorted candle waxes and essential oils to create decorative, glass-jarred candles. A craft or hobby supply store carries a variety of waxes. You can also pick up gel-wax to create what are called "smelly jellies." Adding fragrant oils to the gel in the dome or cup-shaped light fixtures creates scented gels to place around the home or to give as gifts. Additionally, these receptacle-like fixtures can be filled with diffuser oil and bamboo reeds to serve as ornamental diffuser jars.

Plants and Garden

• Instead of purchasing flower pots or outdoor planter containers, you can use different light fixtures to serve this purpose. Not only is this cost friendly, but it's environmentally friendly as well. A low-profile dish-like light fixture can be used as a planter for billowy plants like sweet alyssum or impatiens. Just set it on a crate or table on your patio or other garden sitting area. Small globe-like light fixtures can be filled with potting soil and used as flowerpots in windowsills. You can also fill appropriately shaped light fixtures with water, marbles and cut flowers to use as eco-chic table centerpieces.

Organization

• Keeping track of loose change, keys and other assorted small items is made easier when you have different places to put them to keep you organized. Small light fixtures can be used as jars, so-to-speak, to house these small items. You can keep nuts, bolts, nails and screws in assorted light fixtures to keep in your garage or work shed, or you can keep one near your bed to house keys and loose change, which keeps you organized with the little items that end up misplaced often.