5 home-improvement projects you can do this weekend

Weekends are the perfect time to tackle home improvement projects, which needn't be long or complicated. Even if you only have a day or two, here are five projects you and your family can easily complete.

Find a weathered louvred door or a shabby chic window frame.

• Paint it on a Saturday and on Sunday, attach decorative hooks and hang it in the kitchen to display pot holders and cooking utensils.
• You can play with the concept by making and framing a collage of family pictures and hanging that as part of the display.

From dorm rooms to master bedrooms, there are a wide variety of instant closet solutions.

• Start Saturday morning by going through your closet and getting rid of unused or unwanted items, then make a plan for remaining possessions.
• Stores offer dorm kits complete with a small bin, hanging storage and a shoe caddy perfect for a child's room or a dorm room.
• Standalone or easy-to-install wire and plastic closet inserts are a snap, even for the DIY-challenged.

Begin by painting the bathroom with a flat, white paint.

• Buy a few fish stencils and tape them to the wall, and paint them in using yellow and blue hues.
• If you're feeling more ambitious, you can get a DIY sponge and semi-gloss sea blue paint, then carefully dip the bottom of the sponge in the paint and dab it evenly over the wall.
• Add a bright, quirky mirror and a sunshine-yellow shower curtain and you're all set.

Start by repainting the room using a neutral colour.

• To add a pop of contrast, try colour blocking. Colour blocking is the technique where you use a pattern to trace a shape, outline it with masking tape, then fill it in with a bold colour.
• Stagger a series of colour blocks around the room to make a dramatic statement.
• Finish the room off by super-sizing one or two favourite family photos, framing them, then hanging them in the repainted room.

When it comes to kids, go for colour, lots of colour.

• Let the kids pick out their bedding, then paint the walls with a matching palette.
• Add a colourful stick-on mural of a superhero or a princess.
• A few bean bags and a low table can make a perfect chill-out corner.
• A bold wall mount will provide storage for backpacks and the like.
• Finish off with a few stacking storage cubes, and you have transformed the room!

Home DIY doesn't have to be hard. Making a few small changes over the course of a weekend can immediately make a big difference for months to come.