Creating A Moodboard To Keep Your Project Focused

More often than not, when people decorate their room they have this one amazing idea that they envision transforming the room. This amazing idea could be a piece of statement furniture, it could be a pair of curtains, even a lamp that they’ve fallen head over heels for. They purchase this said ‘amazing idea’, they get it home and into that room and immediately – the space breaks.

Everything is now off balance, the colour doesn’t match but they’re clinging to this ‘amazing idea’ - frantically trying to match it up to a scheme.

Don’t make the same mistake twice, or even in the first place! Creating a moodboard will steer your project and keep you focused on a particular theme that will give impact to your entire room.

Understanding A Moodboard

A moodboard is exactly how it sounds, your mood, on a board. It’s a collage of inspiration, similar to what you will have created at school. A moodboard doesn’t have to be a work of art, it’s purely to visualise your ideas and see how they work together.

Many known interior designers create moodboards, it’s a handy tool in the industry!

Photo by Caitlin Wilson Design - Discover eclectic home office and library design ideas

Creating The Ultimate Moodboard

What you’ll need:

· Board to attach your bits and bobs on to

· Scissors

· Glue or tape

· Camera

· Printer

· Interior magazines

Step one: Finding inspiration

Whether or not you’ve found that ‘amazing idea’ we spoke about earlier, prowl magazines and websites like Houzz and Pinterest for inspiration. You’re looking for colour schemes you love, layouts that would work for your room, what’s on-trend and anything that catches your eye! But try to focus on choosing images showing the big picture as demonstrated below.

Mural by Twisted Pixels Illustration for Wallsauce.com

Step two: Choosing your colour scheme

Having printed any online images and cut out roomsets from magazines, lay them all out in front of you, ideally, in the room you're transforming. Piece together any images that have a similar colour scheme and see which group you’re drawn to.

Photo by Melanie Rittweger Interiors - Browse eclectic home design ideas

Top tip: Discard the rest of the images to save you changing your mind, or pop them to one side if it features an accessory you like.

Step three: Assembling your moodboard

Begin with a large, plain, white board, whatever material your like. Take your chosen images and attach them on the board until you begin to see a theme. Add samples of paint to your board that correlate with the roomsets. Not only will this clarify your colour scheme, it will also make you think about words to describe your theme. Is it calm and tranquil, or is it warm and tropical?

Photo by Distinctive Interiors Inc. - Search coastal home design pictures

Top tip: Using a flimsy board like paper instead of card will make it easier to fold up and put in your handbag or pocket when shopping

Step four: Accessorising your moodboard

Your moodboard should not only represent colour, it should also include texture. Head to your local haberdashery to collect fabric samples that may represent your curtains, throws or cushions. Same with threads, buttons, even handles for furniture. The more detail your include, the more focused your project will be.

For accessories you can’t get samples of, like lamps, furniture and candles, take a photo and print it to attach to your board.