In general, Hongkongers shy away from DIY. As discovered by B&Q and Spotlight - both of which closed last year after brief debuts - spending the weekend trawling through hardware and craft shops is not really our thing.
But in this period of renewed frugality, are we more likely to tackle the household jobs we once would have paid someone else to do?
Designer Clifton Leung thinks so - and he says the Lunar New Year break is the ideal time to begin those do-it-yourself home-improvement projects.
Although Leung is not suggesting anyone should start knocking down walls or refitting their bathrooms, he says there are lots of simple cosmetic add-ons we can easily do to enhance our homes.
'Designers see the bigger picture - they give you the space, but it's up to you how you use it,' says Leung, of Clifton Leung Design Workshop.
Leung has a number of DIY 'tips for better living'. Most, he says, can be done by amateurs and on a limited budget.
With the Year of the Tiger approaching, it's the ideal time to accessorise in red. Red cushions, for example, will mark a bright end to winter and an auspicious start to the new year. Buying some house plants such as stands of bamboo will be bring good fung shui and also provide an attractive screen around the things you need but don't want to see, such as air conditioning units.