You visit your laundry room often, maybe even every day. Is it a boring room with monotonous colors? The drabbest spot in your home? Why should it be? Sure, your laundry room isn’t a showcase, and you don’t entertain friends there, but that’s no reason it can’t be a pleasant and appealing place.

Here are some laundry room design ideas to bring style to a space you may have overlooked.

Wait! My laundry room can have a style?

Why not? It’s a room, too, (or part of a room) if not as exalted as a dining room or a den. A contemporary, classic or modern ambiance might not be achievable, but that doesn’t mean it can’t express a theme. For example, how about industrial style? Not sloppy or accidental industrial, but thought-out industrial with useful but attractive shelving and clean straight lines. A rustic look can work too, with distressed or antique choices. You can even do casual, as in a family room or den with pastels and informal woods.

Let’s look at some specifics on how you might upgrade your laundry room in one of these modes.

Color. What color is your laundry room? White? Gray? Blah? The color it was when you moved in? Shades of white can be fine, particularly if there isn’t natural light, but why not paint in some colorful accents? Gray is good, too, particularly if you use two or three shades of gray as a backdrop to an industrial theme. But how about a happy blue or green? You can get away with some playfulness that wouldn’t do in a living room, such as painting red stripes across your gray background, or using different colors on different walls. A laundry room is a great place to take some risks and make some dramatic choices.

Lighting. Quite possibly there aren’t windows, or, if it’s a lower level, only small and high ones. You may not absolutely need curtains, but you can use sheer ones to maximize what light there is or colorful coverings to cheer things up.

Many laundry rooms have a single light in the middle of the ceiling. What would happen if you replace it with a more dramatic fixture, or let hang a pendant or two? Consider high hats or track lighting. If there are cabinets, under-cabinet lighting might be the ideal choice. Light the entire room rather than leaving an overmatched central bulb to do it all.

Shelving. You can use steel bolt-togethers from the hardware store for your laundry room storage, but an upgrade will make it feel more like a room and less like a garage. Industrial style shelves in a wood-metal combination are practical, utilitarian and a couple notches higher on the attractiveness scale. Another option is open bookshelves and storage units of rustic or distressed wood.

Depending on the size of your laundry, you may have to rely more on wall shelving. Think about a set of floating shelves, a wall cabinet or wall shelving units merrily painted to match your theme.

Seating. You don’t need a chair or sofa. After all, you’re not going to relax and watch TV or sip afternoon tea with your friends. But what about a bench where you can sit and fold clothes? There are casual benches that look right at home in a laundry area and even give it a touch of comfort.

Tables. Wouldn’t it nice to have a work surface? How about a lightweight table pushed against the wall that pulls out when you need it? A folding table will also work, as will a rolling cart.

Baskets. You can pile dirty and clean laundry in open hampers, but a few wicker baskets might improve the lines in your neater, upgraded room. Minimize their footprint with a basket stand that holds two or three. If floor space is at a premium, hang some heavy bags, such as burlap, from wall hooks

What else? If you have a bit of wall space put up a few pieces of colorful artwork. A cheery picture over the washer or tub might make you chuckle every time you look up. A wall clock gives the room a lift. If your home is one with a little extra laundry room space, why not include a wall-mounted coatrack for overgarments and other hangables. Or this room might be the best location in the house for a wine rack.

Your laundry room may not be your first redecoration priority but you spend time in it day after day. Some of these suggestions can make that time a little more enjoyable. Best of all, you can experiment and try fun and different laundry room ideas that just wouldn’t fly anywhere else in your home.