ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

Deep-Sea LEDs

Soak in the rays of a soda-bottle chandelier.

by Todd Oldham

Photos by Todd Warnock

Whenever possible, I prefer reusing something rather than simply recycling it. So in designing these pendant lamps, I sought out materials—like empty plastic bottles—that tend to pile up around the house. These lamps look great hanging in a cluster, so make yourself a six-pack!

THE INSPIRATION
I thought it would be a fun challenge to make something organic-looking from an utterly unorganic material. With visions of bromeliads, jellyfish, and the man-
eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors in my head, I picked up some heavy-duty scissors and got to work.

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
I started by soaking the bottles in warm soapy water to remove the labels and glue. To create the innermost layer of the lamp (there will be three layers altogether),
I first cut off the base of a green bottle about 1” up from the bottom, then removed the screw top from the same bottle, as close to the neck as possible, with heavy-duty garden shears. I made thin (½") strips all around the bottle by cutting up from the bottom edge to about 1” below the hole where the nozzle used to be. You can cut any pattern you like in the strips; I trimmed them to a sharp point for a slightly otherworldly look. I then cut one of the strips all the way through the top of the bottle to create flexibility for inserting the light kit later on.
The process for making the other layers is much the same. For the second layer,
I trimmed off the base of a clear bottle (the screw top stays), and cut the same strips, with one of them cut all the way through the top so the bottle can be opened up. For the outermost layer, I drilled a ½” hole in the bottom of a green bottle and trimmed off the top about 2” below the screw top. I made the same strips, with one cut through the bottle.
To thread the light kit through the lamp, I started with the outermost bottle. (You might need a friend to help hold and pry its base open.) With the light socket pointed downward, I wiggled the cord through the opening and the drilled hole. This layer might present a bit of a wrestling match, but the others are a cinch—
simply slide them around the light socket.
Use this idea as a jumping off point—with the glacier-sized cooler of soft
drinks available today, there are plenty of color, size, and shape options to play around with.