Want to create your dream room but don’t even know where to start? What if I told you there’s a tool that can help get your ideas organized and on the right path from the get-go?
A mood board is a visual representation of ideas for a design project. At it's most basic, a mood board is a collage of images.
This collage is a designer’s go-to tool for a project’s initial planning phase. It represents ideas taken from the initial discussions between a client and designer (or anyone wanting to design their own space). It's goal is to establish clear direction on a project before actually beginning design work.
The mood board lets you put your ideas together in one place, then take a step back to see what works well together and what doesn’t. It helps inform your design direction and avoid potentially costly mistakes down the road. The last thing you want is to put several hours into a project only to realize later it’s not going in the right direction.
Learn how to create a Pinterest mood board
Start pinning rooms, color schemes, furniture and accessories that you like. Try to avoid having too many preconceived ideas and just start pinning what appeals to you.
- Look for the individual shots of furniture with only the plain white background so you can see it alone with your other items without the “visual noise” of a staged room scene.
- If you can’t find the product you’re interested in already on Pinterest, go to the manufacturer’s website, hover over the top left and look for the red Pinterest “pin” icon to pop up on most all product website images. Clicking on this allows you to pin directly from a brand’s site.
- Try it out on any image on this blog - just hover and pin! Or check out our NEW OA LIVING PINTEREST and start there!
Be sure to include all the elements of your space. It can be easy to forget the more boring but important pieces like window treatments or flooring. Pinterest makes it easy-peasy to go back in and add/subtract to your board until your heart’s content.
If you want to have a piece of nature at home, you need to check our home collection.
Interior design mood board elements
- Overall “feel”, mood, or room-style inspiration pins for your space
- Furniture pieces - both representing what you already own and new pieces you’ll need so you can see how they will work together
- Artwork
- Rugs
- Window treatments
- Paint swatches (these vary wildly when digitized vrs reality. Check out my post on picking paint colors.)
- Flooring
- Accessories
For decoration advice you should read: How to create a color palette
Once your mood board is complete, take a step back and mull it over. Give it some time to percolate in your head.
Once your ideas have marinated for a while, make any edits or adjustments if anything just doesn’t feel right. I’m big on “gut checks” with design and life in general. So pay attention to this feeling, and don’t try to force a round peg into a square hole so to speak.
Sunshine brightens any mood! If you haven't done so already, be sure to read Boost Happiness in 3 Steps to learn about the power of light and the color yellow!
Most of all, take your time and have fun with it. It often takes a while to get our projects rolling, whether we’re our own “clients” or professional designers, so we might as well make the most out of enjoying our planning process.
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