I’ve totally had laundry rooms on the mind ever since we announced the launch of the Wisk Laundry Detergent “Pimp my Laundry Room” makeover contest last Monday. If you missed the announcement, Material Girls is teaming up with Wisk and Whirlpool to give one lucky winner a laundry room makeover.

The laundry room is often the most neglected room in the house unfortunately.  I’ts not usually a room that we make a priority to decorate (especially when we have tons upon tons of other projects going on in the house).  That’s the bad news.  The good news?  A small space like this could easily be turned from drab to fab in no time.

The great thing about tiny spaces is that since you don’t need large quantities of materials for them, you can use more desirable materials (but in smaller doses) for these types of rooms.  For instance, you wouldn’t have to install nearly as much glass tile, wood flooring, marble countertops, and fabulous wallpaper in a laundry room as you would in let’s say, a kitchen.  So why not treat your laundry room with the DLC (the Designing Love and Care) that it so deserves?  Think of your laundry room as just another powder bath- a small, unexpected gem, that can give you that fabulous jewel box effect upon entering.

In the spirit of the video contest, I’ve gathered some of my all-time favorite laundry room images.  These are not your run of the mill rooms- they certainly put my laundry room (excuse me, laundry room/pantry/storage room) to shame!

Since you don’t usually use upholstered furniture in a laundry room, where else are you supposed to bring in pattern?  This is where amazing wallpaper comes in handy!

You are one lucky gal/guy if your laundry room has this much natural light (and a nice view while you are folding clothes doesn’t hurt either!)

Here’s another great example of wallpaper.  This one brings the outdoors in- no need for a window!  (they have even gone so far as to paint the ceiling light blue for a “sky effect’) Can I just say how much I love the lantern in here and the chicken wire on the cabinet doors?

Storage is key in a laundry room.  Using things like galvanized tubs, glass apothecary jars, tin cans, hooks, floating shelves, and labeled laundry hampers can really help one get (and hopefully stay) organized.

Don’t be afraid to go crazy with your backsplash!  Break out that subway tile, colorful glass blend mosaics, marble slab, natural stone (or whatever suits your fancy really!) The backsplash is the one place that you can really make a statement and you will need so little of the material for it, that you can go for that more desirable option without breaking the bank.

This clean-lined laundry room is literally a dream come true.  How do these people stay so organized and tidy in one of the most used rooms in the house?  I want to know their secret!  One guess- it could be those incredibly large green built-ins storing all of their stuff!

Getting new hardware for cabinets (along with painting your cabinets) is a great way to update the look of your laundry room.   I love how the owner of the laundry room below added adorable green knobs to their white cabinets- very unexpected!  Anthropologie perhaps?

Smoky grays and silvery metallics paired with bright whites is such a pretty look (just about anywhere); however, to keep the laundry room from looking too stark, the homeowner added wood accents through hangers and hampers to warm up the space.

In this room, the homeowner decided to make the focal point, the tile flooring.

What I would do to fit a whole desk area in my laundry room!  (and a chair!) Can you imagine?   I forget that I am looking into a laundry room when I see this photo!  The stained cabinets and wood flooring help this room feel so much cozier and breaks away from the typical utilitarian look that so many laundry rooms have.

And how could I not show you Jenny from Uptown Country Home’s laundry room nook?  I love the white fabric skirt she made to hide her washer/dryer and I have to say that her pink/turquoise color scheme isn’t too shabby either.  This laundry room would be perfect for our Marie Antoinette!

A great way to add texture (and privacy) to a laundry room is with a woven shade.  If you are not crazy about a natural shade, get a roman shade made out of your favorite printed fabric.

If your laundry room is feeling a bit dreary and drab, a bright color will definitely help to liven up your situation!

If you are like me (or live in NY), and need to take advantage of every nook and cranny in your home, why not make a laundry area multi-purpose?  This countertop poses as both a wet bar and a laundry room.  I’d come over and fold clothes for this person anytime, in exchange for a cocktail (or two)!

This laundry room could easily be mistaken for a kitchen.  Just look at all that counter space!  The one thing I would have done differently in here is added a few more accessories and/or pops of color.  I just finished reading Inspired Interiors last night and Suzanne did say that “when you do something very simple, like an all-white room, you have to have enough detail so it looks finished.”I couldn’t agree more.  For some reason this laundry room still looks a bit unfinished.

Don’t even get me started on my love for black and white checkerboard flooring.  It would look dynamite in a laundry room!  Also, consider adding a ceiling (or wall hung) light fixture for added sparkle in the room.  We just re-did my mom’s laundry room and we finally got rid of her awful fluorescent lighting in there and added a pretty bell jar lantern…looks SO much better!

See how much potential a laundry room can have?  Have I convinced you to want to re-vamp this tiny space?  We know that sometimes small spaces can be the most intimidating to get started on…so let us do the work for you!  Enter the Wisk contest by submitting a video stating why you deserve a laundry room makeover (and also which laundry personality fits you best).  We just may be at your doorstep ready to put the above tips and tricks to life and give your laundry room the makeover it deserves!