Light Bulbs as Art: 14 Shining Examples of Adaptive Reuse

As environmentally friendly CFL bulbs are becoming the norm, the old fashioned light bulb that everyone in the last few generations grew up with is becoming even more appealing for reuse. There are a surprising number of ways to recycle used bulbs and creative folks continue to push the limits.

(Images via ahousewife, intheloop, ecosnobberysucks)

It’s quite easy to core away the end of a lightbulb and create a unique mini-vase for flowers or plants. Since the end of a light bulb is metal, there are a million different ways to anchor it in place (or hang it for a beautiful effect).

(Images via flickrhivemind, neatorama, pocketgrow)

A DIY terrarium is a lot less intimidating when it’s the size of a light bulb. Add a stabilizing element to the bottom of the bulb and create half a dozen mini ecosystems to add some green without taking up much space.

(Images via ringobonzai, fourgreensteps, ringobonzai)

Light bulbs are an ad designer’s dream. As such a huge part of our culture, they have a lot of thoughts, movements, and feelings associated with them; this makes it really easy to make a statement about the environment, power, brilliance, and reinvention with just a small amount of photoshop work.

(Images via mydiychat, darkroastedblend, apartmenttherapy, vvb32reads, mymodernmet)

There are a ton of ways to use a light bulb, and here are some of the more creative options. A mini greenhouse is simple enough, but how about creating two creatures that light up? A really small ship in a bottle gets a nice twist by inhabiting an incredibly small space. A mad scientist’s terrarium looks straight out of a steampunk-themed laboratory, and a modern looking throwback to old fashioned lighting gives an interesting spin on technology and aesthetics.