An Unexpected Use for Kitchenware

A kitchen grater is designed for preparing food, but British designer Jason Taylor recognised its potential as a lighting object. His Grate Lights demonstrate how an ordinary household item can become an original piece of functional design.

Rethinking Everyday Objects

In 1999, Jason Taylor began experimenting with kitchen graters as lamps, developing a series known as Grate Lights under his creative practice, ReJason.

His approach focuses on reusing familiar objects and reconsidering their original purpose. Rather than starting with new materials, Taylor explores the possibilities of existing products, particularly those with interesting shapes and structures.

His lighting experiments have included vinyl records, colanders, yoghurt pots and other discarded household objects.

The Grate Lights

The design uses the perforated metal surface of a kitchen grater to create decorative lighting effects.

Each side produces a different pattern. Small circular holes, elongated openings and raised metal edges influence how light passes through the object.

Over the years, Taylor developed numerous variations using graters of different sizes, shapes and colours.

In 2007, an orange version was produced for The Conran Shop and sold internationally, bringing the unusual design to a wider audience.

An Experiment in Light and Shadow

Taylor's interest extends to the patterns created by the objects themselves.

His Steam Light, for example, uses a colander to project circular patterns across a ceiling. The existing perforations become an essential part of the design.

These experiments demonstrate that the structure of an everyday object can determine its new function, making reuse an interesting starting point for contemporary lighting design.

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