Most of us (especially those of us with kids) spend more time than we'd like to doing laundry. And yet when it comes to aesthetics, the laundry room is often a neglected corner of the home, precisely because it serves such a practical function. We love laundry rooms where practicality merges beautifully with style.

The laundry room is actually the perfect place to take style risks, since it's almost always a private space where guests are unlikely to go. So why not choose the laundry room for that wacky graphic wallpaper you've been dreaming of, or a DIY stencil project, or a giant blown-up photo from a vacation?

Some of the details pictured in the laundry rooms above are both lovely and functionally clever. The chicken wire cabinet fronts, for example, in the first photo, are cute and rustic, and they also allow easy viewing of the supplies stored within. The first photo in the second row shows a nice little DIY fabric skirt to disguise naked plumbing under the sink.

Here are some ideas for ways to inject style into your laundry area:

• Wallpaper!
• A chandelier or other fancy light fixture
• Artwork (vintage laundry signs are always fun!)
• Cute, colorful storage baskets
• Bold, bright paint
• A graphic rug or mat
• Stenciled paint or a mural (here's your chance to get creative without worrying too much about the perfection of the results!)

How do you style up your laundry room? Please share!

(Images: Washington Post; This Old House; Electrolux; Sarah Richardson Design; Livingetc; Design*Sponge (6 and 7); Material Girls; Dornob; HGTV)

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