When I saw this basket sitting outside Amalgamated Vintage Clothing and Dry Goods in Del Ray, I knew I had to have it. The shape instantly had me thinking pendant lamp, as I’d seen many basket lamps around the Internet recently. Shelley, the owner of Amalgamated, told me it was a vintage egg basket from Kansas. My husband was born in Kansas and his relatives were farmers, so double bonus, he’s going to love it.
Well, he wasn’t as excited as I was, but he thought it was interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen him get excited about a home accessory.
While I gathered my supplies for the pendant over the next few days, the basket got to try out other roles in the house. He pondered a career in toy storage…
And dabbled as a handy carrier for outdoor sports equipment.
In my research about wire baskets as pendant lamps, I learned about a “vintage style bulb” that works especially nice for lighting where the bulb is visible. I purchased the bulb for a few bucks at Lowe’s. It’s not actually vintage, but made to mimic old school bulbs.
Also needed for the project were some ceiling hooks and a pendant lamp cord, which I already had. Fortunately the cord was just the right size to fit through the center hole in the basket.
And here’s the light turned on, with that glorious soft glow of the vintage bulb. You’ll also note the handle of the basket — I secured that with clear tape to the rim.
One problem I ran into was that due to the weight of the basket, it kept falling down from the ceiling hooks. I fixed this by attaching some clear tape to the cord around the hook. The tape isn’t visible, unless of course you look very carefully.
I hung the egg basket pendant in my sons’ shared bedroom. I love the contrast of the yellow with the gray walls. Another quick and easy project, done.
