All you need is a plank and two old belts, and you've got yourself a shelf that visitors will actually comment on. Photo: Bosch/DIY Academy/dpa

If you have two old leather belts that you don't wear any more or that don't quite fit, try using them to hang up a shelf. It's far easier than it sounds.

According to Cologne's DIY Academy, all you need in order to turn a couple of old accessories into eye-catching decoration are: Two leather belts about a metre long and a suitable piece of wood. A good choice is a plywood shelf (medium density; MDF) about 85cm wide, 25cm deep and 2cm high.

In your toolbox you'll also need two screws with matching wall plugs, and four short screws. You'll also want to have a carpet knife, a screwdriver, a drill, a ruler, a spirit level and a pencil handy.

Take the belt and on the side without the buckle, make a straight cut about 1.5cm to the right of the first hole.

Then measure about 87cm to the left and cut both belts there as well, to remove the buckles.

Here from this end, though, you will need to make a hole using the drill. Make it in the middle of the belt, at the same distance as at the other end.

Next, measure 10cm from the two ends of the shelf towards the middle, and mark it using the pencil. This will show where to drill the holes in the wall.

Now go to the wall and mark the drill holes at the height you want for the shelf. Bear in mind that the belts will hang from this hole so your shelf will hang down lower below.

Then drill two holes into the wall and put the wall plugs in. Then create a loop with the belt so the holes at each end of it are on top of each other. Now, screw it into the wall.

Repeat the process with the other belt, then put the shelf in the middle, and use two screws to fix the underside to each belt. – dpa