In many homes the utility room is nothing more than a place to store cleaning supplies and home improvement odds and ends, but the utility room is a space with a great deal of potential. It provides square footage and can become a more useful area of the home. Instead of using your utility room as a catchall for items that could be stored in a garage or a storage shed, consider the following creative decorating ideas. A utility room can be decorated to look like a stylish part of the home using creative home decor ideas.

Clear Out the Clutter

The first step in decorating a utility room and transforming it into a stylish part of the home is clearing away the clutter. Move out items that can be stored in a garage or storage shed, and hide items that must remain in storage cabinets or a well-organized closet. A utility room can be very useful without looking like a storage facility that should be hidden behind a closed door.

Create a Decorating Theme

When trying to decide on a decorating plan for a utility room, come up with a fun and appealing theme. A utility room is the ideal place to have fun decorating in a quirky theme that you would not consider decorating with in another part of the home. For example, if you love fly fishing but have an elegant living room or a contemporary recreation room; consider decorating around a fly fishing theme in the utility room. Search for stylish metal wall decor in a fish theme or consider a realistic fish replica. Decorate a corkboard with a number of colorful fishing flies, and search for other fun and appealing fly fishing themed items. Any theme can be used when decorating a utility room. 

Make it a Space for Displaying Collectibles

Do you have an ever-growing array of collectibles in a curio cabinet that is quickly running out of extra space? Turn the utility room into a unique collectible showcase. Mount sturdy shelves on a bare wall, and use the space for expanding the collection. A collection that is grouped together is far more impressive than a collection that is strung throughout the home or placed in an overcrowded cabinet. A room especially for displaying collectibles provides a way to view the collection as a group, and it is an excellent way to decorate a utility room in a stylish and practical way.

Creative Wall Decor and Decorating Ideas

Consider the style of wall decor in an adjoining space, and continue the style and theme in the utility room. For example, if the utility area adjoins a kitchen decorated with wrought iron wall decor in a Tuscan theme, select wrought iron wall decor to match that theme. Leave the door open and the area will look like an extension of the kitchen, and with the same style of wall decor it will look just as impressive.

A utility area that has been transformed from a storage space to a stylish part of the home can look even more impressive with the addition of wall planters. Bring a touch of natural beauty to the space by adding wall vases, wall planters, or stylish wall pockets filled with floral foam and artificial or dried flower and foliage arrangements. High-quality artificial arrangements are ideal in areas where natural light is lacking, and they will look just as impressive as live foliage and flowers when displayed in stylish wall planters.

An enclosed space lacking a view can be greatly enhanced with the addition of acrylic wall decor. Fine acrylic works of art look extraordinarily real, and they provide a way to create an instant view. Search for acrylic wall art that will coordinate well in a utility room with extra wall space, and transform the area into a well-decorated space with an extraordinary scene that is sure to impress.

Take a look at your utility room and think of the many ways the decor can be updated and improved. Square footage is essential in a home, and a utility space simply used for storage is not being used to its fullest potential. No matter the size, a utility room can become a well-decorated part of the home.

All text copyright Shanel. Photo from Flikr - "utility room and master bath" courtesy of notacrime - "Cleaned" courtesy of Editor B - "utility room" courtesy of reprehensible