Turn Your Glass Bottles Into An Illuminating Kitchen Statement Piece

Got a stash of empty bottles lying around? Don't throw them out just yet — put lampshades on them instead. Illuminated lampshade bottle stoppers offer a creative way to upcycle your empty wine bottles and other glass containers, turning them into trendy light fixtures for your kitchen. This unique gadget is exactly what it sounds like: a lampshade with a bulb that fits snugly inside the neck of a glass bottle, instantly transforming it into a functional décor piece. You can find lampshade bottle stoppers in all kinds of beautiful colors and patterns online, with convenient features like rechargeable batteries and dimmer switches. 

We often don't think about where our glass bottles go once we polish off their contents and throw them out. Though glass is technically recyclable, most of it ends up in landfills. In 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that only 31.1% of the 12.3 million tons of glass container waste was actually recycled. A lampshade bottle stopper is one of many ways to repurpose your empty glass containers and divert them from the landfill. In fact, there are so many different ways to transform glass bottles into unique and beautiful light fixtures. Small but impactful decisions like these can significantly reduce your environmental footprint over time, and also leave you with one-of-a-kind treasures you won't find anywhere else.

Instead of tossing your empty bottles in the bin, lampshade bottle stoppers give them a brand new lease on life. There are all kinds of lampshade stoppers available online; for the best value, look for ones that are compatible with all types of glass bottles, like this wireless bottle lamp shade. Available in 16 colors, it comes with a dimmable LED light bulb and three different lighting options, as well as a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 48 hours. Another option is the WILIT 2-pack wireless bottle lamp shade, which comes in stylish patterns like marble and wood grain.

Even if you're not a connoisseur of wine and alcohol, you can find all kinds of creative uses for an illuminated bottle stopper. Antique perfume bottles, olive oil decanters, glass vases, and even stemware can pair beautifully with a lampshade top and be repurposed into stunning light fixtures for your space.

There are so many beautiful glass bottle light fixtures you can create with a little bit of time and skill. Wine bottles in particular are an ideal vessel. You can transform a wine bottle into a glittering ornament with twinkling lights, spray paint, and foam stickers, according to a DIY idea by Artsy Karma. Begin by peeling the label off your wine bottle with a bit of nail polish remover, a brilliant hack to remove stickers from your glass décor items. Adorn the bottle with foam stickers, then spray paint over the entire surface with an optional coat of glitter. Once it's dry, remove the stickers and place your fairy lights inside. The stickers will serve as "windows" for the lights to shine through. If you're artistically talented or simply love to paint, use the surface of the glass bottle as your canvas and place your lights inside to enhance your masterpiece.

Another more advanced option is to DIY a beautiful pendant light from upcycled glass bottles. For this, you will need a glass cutter and fine-grit sandpaper to remove the bottom few inches of your bottle, particularly if it has a long body like a wine bottle. Another way to cut glass is by wrapping string around the perimeter of the bottle in the place you'd like to cut, covering the string in nail polish remover, lighting the string on fire, and then dunking the bottle into cold water, as demonstrated in a YouTube video by DIY Projects. Once the base is removed, smooth the edges with sandpaper and thread the wire of your lightbulb through the neck of the bottle. Screw the lightbulb into place and your pendant light is complete. If you have several empty bottles on hand, you can use this method to create a pendant chandelier.