SMID DESIGNER TIPS: HOW TO CREATE A MOOD BOARD
When thinking about how any interior design space will look, you will likely find yourself working through a wide variety of ideas and possibilities. Could you go modern? Should you stick with neutrals or try to pull in some color? Could you make the design more interesting by adding a pattern? Don’t forget about adding accents and texture with different materials! Did you forget about plants and furniture?
.. the ideas start to pile up and it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
So how do you organize all of these thoughts going through your head? How do you determine what you actually want to see in your space? A MOOD BOARD!
When connecting with new clients, we often start with a mood board exercise. It’s a great ice breaker that allows us to analyze and uncover your overall aesthetic. Whether you are re-designing one room or building something from the ground up, a mood board is always the perfect place to start. Even if you come in with no idea what your concept is, rest assured that SMID will be able to take your ideas and turn them into the design of your dreams!
MOOD BOARD LIKE A DESIGNER
Creating a mood board helps clarify your vision and establish the building blocks of what your end result could possibly look like. Not only does it help you to hone in your ideas, it also helps to communicate them to others. If you are working with a designer or another consultant, sharing a mood board can do wonders in communicating your vision and your overall sense of style. Your mood board can be as detailed or as simple as you’d like; the point is to organize all of the ideas swirling around in your head and start to make sense of them.
Mood boards can be digital or physical. Some people prefer to cut inspiring images from magazines or brochures and pin them to an actual board. Others prefer a more contemporary approach by utilizing programs such as Pinterest or Canva to collect images and ideas from the internet and separate them into digital boards to revisit throughout the design process. No matter what approach you take, a mood board will serve you well in organizing and communicating your aesthetic; even if you don’t know what that is yet!
When creating a mood board, we suggest several best practices to keep in mind:
01. DON’T HOLD BACK.
When searching for inspiration, try not to have too many preconceived ideas in your head; just start pinning what appeals to you and don’t restrict yourself. For example, if you’re making a mood board for a revamp of your kitchen, don’t be afraid to pin ideas or images that have nothing to do with a kitchen. The colors or textures conveyed in a photo of a completely different room can say a lot about what you would like to see in your new space.
02. ANALYZE & CURATE.
Once you’ve compiled a good amount of inspiration, take a step back and look at everything as a whole. Do you notice any similarities between your selections? Are you seeing a pattern? What types of styles and colors are you naturally drawn to? Analyze these things and narrow your collection down to a curated selection of photos that seem to fit together. Choose 10-12 images that inspire you the most and arrange them on a board.
03. HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANT STUFF.
While mood boards typically serve as a visual source of information, don’t be afraid to add a few notes or phrases to get your point across. This is especially helpful if you are sharing the board with your interior designer or another consultant. Pointing out specific things about an image that appeal to you will help to uncover your style and the overall direction of your design.
04. NO PRESSURE ALLOWED.
When creating your mood board, remember that it is a fun project and it’s not meant to be perfect. It’s an exercise to help get your creative juices flowing and a great way to organize your ideas and uncover the goals for your space. There’s no right way or wrong way to create a mood board, so, sit back, relax and let your creative side take over. In our experience, the best ideas come about when you aren’t thinking about them at all!
Now that you have all of this information, let’s get to work and bring your ideas to life! Visit our portfolio page to see our past projects for additional inspiration and for a preview of how we can transform your space as well.
