Working with Mood Boards
Why so Moody?
Starting a decorating project with your interior designer can be a daunting task.
Many clients feel they don’t have a focused style or can’t find a way to communicate
their ideas clearly. With so many options for colors, materials, lighting and themes,
getting started can often be the hardest part. This is where MOOD BOARDS come in!
A mood board, whether physical or virtual, is an arrangement of images, materials,
textures and text intended to evoke or project a particular style or concept.
Creating a mood board with your interior designer helps both parties communicate
and share ideas in a visual way, and will ultimately help you determine what
“works” early on in the design process. They are a great collaborative strategy that
will help eliminate the often-costly mistakes of knee-jerk purchases. Using mood
boards will also ensure that you and your designer share the same vision
throughout the lifetime of the project.
Getting Started
Think of your mood board as a parameter for clarity and understanding about the
scope of your project. My advice? Be creative as possible! I advise my clients to tear
sheets from magazines and brochures, collect color swatches and textured fabric
samples – even inspirational quotes that go to the core of who you are or what you
want your new space to represent. It then becomes the interior designer’s job (my
job) to distill this all into one cohesive, beautiful style.
Talking with a client over a mood board is a great way to open a discussion about
what elements matter or what needs rethinking. It provides an invaluable point for
conversations that may be difficult later on. This process helps resolve potential
problems before they become bigger issues – saving frustration, time and money.
Don’t have time, or space, to construct a physical mood board? Pinterest is a
fabulous tool for collecting images digitally. From my experience using the platform,
many suppliers often have a “pinning” option for products on their website, making
it easy to trace back when you’re ready to make purchases. Pinterest is also a great
platform to see what other designers are doing and what aesthetics appeal to you.
Be creative. Be inspired. But most of all – HAVE FUN!