This $14 Target Home Buy Does Way More Than I Expected

If you’re anything like me, then you live for fun and affordable home decor hacks. And after a little poking around on Pinterest, we discovered a cheap, everyday kitchen staple that can be repurposed into all sorts of stylish decor around your home.

What is it, you ask? Colanders, my DIY-loving friends, colanders! Turns out those inexpensive, and often colorful, perforated steel strainers you use to wash veggies and drain pasta—like this cute yellow one at Target—can actually be remade into some pretty snazzy stuff; it just takes a little imagination. Don’t believe us? Read on for a few surprising ways you can use colanders to decorate and organize your place.

Believe it or not, that spare colander collecting dust in your kitchen cabinet might make an awesome planter. Thanks to the perforated holes in colanders (that will keep your plant’s soil drained and give its roots adequate access to air), all you have to do is tie some sturdy twine to the handles and voila: You’ve got a swanky hanging planter for flowers on your porch or a houseplant holder for your windowsill.

If you thought your colander was only good for draining spaghetti, think again. Place a colander outside of your bathtub and use it to corral (and dry out) wet bath toys, loofahs, and other tools after you bathe. This way you’ll have one succinct (and super cute) spot to stash your bath time supplies that will also protect them from soap scum, mold, and other gross bacterial buildup that occurs when you keep stuff in your shower too long.

Love the look of steel pendant lights but not working with a ton of moolah? Stainless steel colanders of any size can be easily turned upside and transformed into pendant lights, with little more than a chic-looking colander and an electrical light bulb cord. Employ a copper-plated colander above your sink for a sleek kitchen display or a pair of small powder-coated enamel ones on either side of your sofa for some DIY ambient lighting.