I bet a lot of us out there grew up scrapbooking the old fashioned way… tearing magazines apart, getting the pritt stick out and creating collages on our bedroom floor. These days most of us collect our inspiration digitally, turning to Pinterest and Instagram to create our own personalised mood boards.
Mood boards, concept boards, inspiration boards – call them what you will, but don’t forget about them! It doesn’t matter if you’re planning for your dream home that may take another 15 years to come about, or working towards your living makeover, it is never too early to start collecting inspiration. The more you collect the more you’ll tap into your exact vision
As designers we know that getting our clients involved in the design process from the start makes a huge difference to the outcome. While we all may think we have the same idea, it isn’t until you see the concept visualised that you realise you may be talking about completely different ideas. A picture is worth a thousand words and mood boards are the ideal tool create that picture for our clients. In the long run this also creates less back and forwards and less frustration with the process when everyone has the same vision and end goal in mind.
When it comes to creating your own boards, remember to cover all the elements you’ll need in your space – colour, finishes, furniture and lighting – so that your board is representative of the overall style you are looking to create.
Then mix these images with other images that inspire the style you are after. For example if you are looking to create your perfect beach house, include images of the beach and the location that inspires your home so that you can see all the elements working together.
Further down the line you’ll need to focus on the details, and if you’re still finding the process overwhelming it can be helpful to put the details, such as switches, power outlets, door handles, windows, doors, stairs etc into boards of their own. This helps create clarity for each element and gets you focussed and helps you refine your preferences.
The details are often where people fall apart when it comes to decision making at crunch time, so the more you’ve thought about it the more compelling and authentic your end result will be.
