8 DIY Home Projects You Can Do With a Date

Sometimes two sets of hands are better than one.  While there are plenty of DIYs and hacks that you can (and likely prefer) to do alone, such as turning an ordinary candle into a marble one or transforming a doormat into total cuteness, there are other, larger DIY projects that might be easier, faster, and just more fun to do with a partner. Enter: DIY date night.

What’s the key to having a successful DIY date night?

Start small.  You don’t need to start and complete a full-room makeover during a DIY date night.  Pick something that’s on your to-do list that you and your date can reasonably complete in a short amount of time, and then add a “date night” twist to it.

Interior designer, licensed therapist, and DIY extraordinaire Anita Yokota (@anitayokota) shares her ideas for how to do ‘date night’ the DIY way.

This project’s small, so it’s great for budding relationships. Best part? It rewards you with a relaxing night of movie-watching once you’re done.

Create some mood lighting by hanging string lights around your living area with Command hooks, then bring in the comfy seating, pillows, and blankets. If you’re watching on a projector, hang a sheet on a wall using thumbtacks or finish nails to give yourselves a makeshift screen. Then: movie time!

Yokota recommends watching a movie that has sentimental value for the couple, such as the first movie you saw together, or maybe a shared favorite childhood movie.

If you’re ready to knock something off your to-do list on date night, Yokota recommends doing a small space living hack, such as installing hooks or open shelving — anything that will put you in the practice of organizing your home, as that will lead to benefits in your relationship.

“Date nights are, after all, for working towards a more healthy relationship,” she says. “Organization in the home leads to less stress and anxiety, and allows you to feel more safe, secure, and confident at home.”

From a practical standpoint, installing open shelving will be easier with two sets of hands, and styling the shelves together will be a fun reveal of what each of you prefers to have on display in your home, shared or otherwise.

For an extra date night twist, Yokota recommends adding a small box for love letters that you can leave one another. You can also consider placing mementos on the shelves that celebrate your relationship and remind you of what’s important. 

“Especially if the couple lives together, there might be one person who’s the chef in the relationship — this DIY is all about empowering the other partner,” says Yokota.

She suggests incorporating a cute tray with recipe cards and essential ingredients for the chef’s favorite dish.

“This will set the person up for success in feeling like they can take some of the responsibility and prepare the other person’s favorite recipe,” says Yokota. “The meal could then be prepared together as a couple as a fun way to bond or as an excuse for the person to surprise their partner who does the majority of the cooking!”

Creating a thoughtful kitchen prep area together can be small-scale (think: making a countertop spice rack). Or it could be bigger — like hacking an IKEA island to make extra counter space and corral favorite cookware and cooking tools. Either way, it will be a daily reminder of your time together in an otherwise busy, highly trafficked area of the home.

Need other DIY thought starters? Try one of these projects:

• Paint an accent wall. Having two people makes every part of this project go faster, from applying tape to rolling paint on the wall. The DIY can be done in a couple of hours, and offers instant gratification.
• Swap out a light fixture. One of you can hold the flashlight while the other does the wiring — and both of you can make double sure that the power’s off.
• Build an IKEA bookshelf. If you can survive a trip to IKEA as a couple, you can make it through assembly.
• Hang some curtains. Bare windows look a lot homier with some dressing — and curtain rods are easier to manage with a person at either end.
• Swap out your kitchen cabinet hardware. You don’t need two people for this job, but it sure goes a lot faster. Bonus: no electricity or power tools means that you can feel free to BYOB..

Whether you pick a DIY date night from this list or feel inspired to create your own — such as creating a gallery wall that includes both of your favorite pieces of artwork, or organizing your record collection and then putting one on for a dance party — start small, keep it thoughtful, and most of all: have fun.