Bank Holiday DIY projects: transform your home with new shelving, paint, wallpaper and clever storage

Spring has officially sprung and with bank holidays looming, thoughts turn to home improvements. From soft furnishings to feature walls, even a small change can make a big difference. Whether you have one day to spare, or four, there’s a project to suit your space and budget.

If your bedside table is groaning under the weight of your “to-read” pile, it might be time to think about putting up shelves. As well as clearing much-needed space in your home, shelves are an easy way to organise your belongings neatly.

You’ll need a drill, hammer, wood screws and a pencil. Unless you have an exceptionally accurate eye, a spirit level is also a good idea if you want your shelves to be horizontal! Consider investing in a digital detector, to alert you to any pipes, cables and/or studs behind the plaster before you start hammering.

When selecting your shelf and brackets, think about the load they will be bearing. IKEA offers a good selection of basic shelves in a range of sizes, but depending on your DIY abilities, you could create a shelf from materials you already have.

Once the shelf is in place, organising your books along it by spine colour makes them an eye-catching original feature.

Take down heavy winter curtains and replace them with something lighter, such as this breezy linen pair from Anthropologie. Conveniently, they’re also machine-washable. If you’re looking to save on cash, check out your local charity shop or eBay, which often have second-hand curtains or suitable material to refashion into curtains.

Or why not start from scratch and make your own? The prospect might feel intimidating if you’re new to sewing, but don’t be disheartened. Ideally, you’ll need a sewing machine and thread, but if you don’t have access to one, an iron and some hem tape should suffice. You’ll also need scissors, measuring tape and pins.

Make sure you know what size you’d like your curtains to be and how much fabric is required. If you’re not 100 per cent sure, you can use this curtain fabric calculator to ensure you get the right measurements. ​

There are plenty of free online tutorials walking you through each step in the process - this one is ideal for beginners.

With minimal preparation required, upcycling an existing piece of furniture with a lick of paint is a quick and simple way to update it. In this video, Homes & Property’s Meghann Murdock shows just how easy it can be. Remember that furniture also requires a wax finish to protect it.

Now the clocks have gone forward we can look forward to lighter nights. But when it’s finally time to turn on the light, a new lamp shade will instantly refresh any living space. Making your own shade is easier than you might think. You’ll need lamp shade rings, adhesive styrene, a lamp shade glue kit and some fabric.

This tutorial provides excellent guidance and walks you through each step - and it shouldn’t take longer than half a day to complete.

To truly embrace this time of renewal, plant bulbs and sow seeds. In April, plant gladioli and acidanthera. If you have a greenhouse, sow seeds of courgette and outdoor tomatoes; if you have a vegetable patch, sow radish, lettuce and peas – continue this process into the following month.

In May, plant foxgloves, Canterbury bells and Sweet William. By the time summer rolls around, you’ll be rewarded with fragrant, colourful flowers and plenty of homegrown veg.

If space is at a premium, window boxes are a great option. Alex Mitchell, the Homes & Property gardening expert, explains how to make the most of these compact containers here. Renting? Not a problem. Alex offers her best gardening tips for creating a bright and colourful summer garden here.

A new wall print can provide inspiration, space for reflection or simply inject some colour and interest into a room. Rather than buying one off-the-shelf, consider something more original. Search the gallery on your mobile phone and pick out favourite images for framing and hanging or – if you’re feeling creative – put pen, pencil or paintbrush to paper and craft your very own masterpiece.

If your creative skills leave a lot to be desired, head to the Affordable Art Fair, which returns to Hampstead Heath from May 9-12. With thousands of original, contemporary artworks from around the world, you’re sure to find something worthy of a spot on your living room wall.

Wallpaper is experiencing something of a revival in 2019, with searches for bold print wallpaper increasing by 401 per cent, according to a trend report by Pinterest. Rather than committing to an entire room, a single feature wall can make a big impact. It’s low on cost and time, too.

Larkin Brown, user researcher at Pinterest, says: “Bold wallpaper makes a big statement and breathes life into rooms big and small whether it's a colourful tropical print or a modern geometric design. The trick is to find a pattern that inspires you and then just go for it.”

As well as costing less than papering an entire room, a feature wall shouldn’t take longer than a day to complete. Before you begin to measure and cut your paper, make sure walls are properly prepared. This means removing all trace of previous paper to ensure a smooth finish without air bubbles. You might want to consider hanging some lining paper before you go any further, as this prevents wallpaper from shrinking after hanging, as well as hiding any stains or imperfections.

If you’re using standard wallpaper, make sure you allow enough time for the paste to absorb into the paper.

If you’re renting, there’s a good selection of stylish, removable papers you can put up and take down with ease.

While it might be possible to paint a room in a day, according to Dulux Creative Director Marianne Shillingford, beginners might benefit from a little more time. “If you don’t fancy a full redec but want a really noticeable change, paint blocks or stripes of colour on existing painted walls,” says Shillingford. “Use a durable paint like Dulux Easycare to make sure it lasts, too.

“Highlight the top of a room with narrow bands of colour just below a ceiling. Or be braver and paint the bottom third in a rich, warm shade like Colour of the Year 2019 Spiced Honey. Add simple geometric shapes for an individual twist (it's easier to do than you think). Have a look at the Dulux YouTube channel to learn how to paint the perfect crisp lines and geometric shapes,” she says.

If you’re spring cleaning and struggling to find space for all your belongings, get creative with the multitude of space-saving solutions available for your home, whatever its size.

Tall and skinny shelves or bookcases are great for small spaces and there are plenty of options on how to arrange your possessions. Hide clutter or unsightly items in boxes or shelf inserts, add storage boxes, or keep your things on display with open storage.

Utilise space in the kitchen by fixing hooks to the inside of cupboard doors, for hanging up utensils and other cooking kit.

If you are a follower of decluttering guru Marie Kondo, however, be aware that simply shuffling items from one room to another does not conform to her strict rules. Kondo advises tidying by category, not location, for example, to avoid this. To get to grips with her six basic rules of tidying, you can read more here.

Depending on your skill level, four days might seem a little ambitious for this project, but it’s not impossible. Choose a bright colour to make your living space pop. As the Pantone colour of the year, Living Coral is one to go for. Described as a “nurturing” shade that’s “vibrant, yet mellow”, a throw is an easy way to introduce this contemporary colour into your living space.

This pattern uses big knitting needles for a chunky look.