How To Create A Mood Board In 3 Easy Steps
November 7th, 2023
I personally find creating a mood board great fun as it can really help you to focus your vision and unleash your inner designer! If you have never created one before, but you’re itching to crack on with your next decorating scheme, we are here to help! Here are 3 steps to help you create your own mood board.
Think about the kind of scheme you’d like to create.
If you have a colour you’re obsessed with, have a particular look or feeling you want to achieve, or have a piece of art or furniture you want to take inspiration from, then you have a great starting point! This will be where you begin.
If you don’t, then seek inspiration from other sources. Magazines are a great way to see how other people have achieved a specific look or used colour in a certain way. You may be inspired by surroundings - whether you’re on holiday and have fallen in love with a particular landscape or local colours and architecture, or you love visiting places right on your doorstep, incorporating this into your home adds a beautiful touch that is so uniquely you – so take pictures and add them to the board!
For me, I wanted to create a delicate bedroom space that I would find relaxing at night-time. My bedroom is a converted loft, so I love the feeling of being high up in the clouds away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Head into your local Brewers.
The next thing you need to think about is the kind of colour palette you want to build. Brewers have plenty of colour cards from all the best brands for you to take away so you can start to pick colours.
If you want to see how the colours look in your space, buy a variety of sample pots of the colours you like and paint them out on lining paper – don’t forget to write the colour on the back so you know which colour is which! Placing them around the room will help you see how the colour reacts with the light available in the room. Once you have the colours you like, it’s time to commit them to the mood board!
You can also discover a wide range of wallpapers and fabrics in store, so be sure to order a few free samples to help you think about how you’d like to incorporate texture and pattern into your scheme.
Grab a tea and start designing!
Once you have all your samples and inspiring images, you can begin laying them down on your board. Mount board gives you a lovely sturdy base to work from and will stand up on its own nicely. Choose a large board so you have zero space restrictions when laying out your samples. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your samples and put together pieces you may not be so sure of, as these are usually the combinations that work best!
Once you have curated your samples, you can then lay them down in a way that makes sense to you. Personally, I prefer a clean mood board, so my mind isn’t muddled when I look at the scheme. Place your colour samples together so your palette is clear and balance the range of other samples and images so your eye can be guided round the full board. Be selective in your choices as this will be the best way to help you translate your board into the finished room. You can either annotate the board with the colour choices and brands you have selected or keep a little list on the back of the board, so you know exactly what you need when it comes to decorating.
Once you are happy with your board, display it in the room you’re working on so you can really start to visualise the space and get inspired every time you walk in! You can then use this to help you make decisions about colour, soft furnishings, furniture and wallpaper. I would also recommend taking a picture of your board so you can constantly refer back to it when you’re out shopping for décor.
Once you are done with your mood board, make sure you store it in a way so you can come back to it if you want to. I never get rid of my mood boards as I think they are a lovely way to see how far you have come and it’s something you can constantly refer to and seek inspiration from.
