MOOD BOARD MAGIC

Starting on a design can be a little overwhelming sometimes, with decisions to be made about colours, textures and fabrics, as well as actual layout and the function of a space, it's no wonder people can feel swamped. But fear not, all you need is a little bit of mood board magic to get you on your way! There is no set way of creating the perfect mood board, they are a creative outlet to help you get your ideas and thoughts out into a more coherent, vision. But here are a few pointers of how we here at BoConcept Canterbury begin on a design, which may help you to better understand the process of creating that perfect mood board.

Narrow Down Your Focus

Often with a large project, the amount of different spaces can be the daunting factor. Although it is important to create a design that effortlessly flows through one space to another, it can help to narrow down your focus to each individual space to begin with. Start with one room, figure out your key ideas and go from there.

Inspiration

A great way to start off a design is to focus on themes and schemes, think about the atmosphere that you want to create in a space. If you're redesigning your living room, do you want it to be a cosy, snug for all the family to snuggle up and relax in, or is a more formal space to entertain friends and guests? There are some great platforms that you can use to start to bring ideas together, such as Pinterest and Houzz, which allow you to group together and comment on your favourite images. These can also act as a virtual mood board, which is particularly useful if you're not so creatively inclined. They a great source of inspiration too, I love scrolling my favourite Pinterest boards, it's a great way to get the creative juices flowing.

Samples

Little samples of fabrics and material always seem to fill me with excitement, and they can really bring a mood board to life. By layering them up with different images and colours, you can create the feeling of texture and variation that gives you a better idea of the overall scheme.

Creating Your Mood Board

Although mood boards are creative and can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes (like us all...), there are a few techniques that you can stick to, which help to make a more cohesive mood board, as well as design.

• Colours - Be sure to include your colour scheme, these can be specific paint colours, or swatches of fabric/materials that work with your design

• Layout - The way you put the images together on a page can really transform your ideas. Like in a real life design, work with the rule of thirds, and set things out so they balance each other on the page. It is also a good idea to group items together that would be near each other in the design. It seems like a basic idea but it really helps to convey clear imagery of the design.

• Boarder - Having a boarder around your mood board helps to give it a formal and precise appearance. When the boarder is in a colour that is part of the scheme it also really helps to tie the whole design together.

• Proportion - Remember to try and keep things in proportion, again this will help to create a more accurate visual of your design.

Here at BoConcept Canterbury, we create physical and virtual mood boards for our clients free of charge as part of our Interior Design Service. We sit down with our customers and talk to them about their likes, dislikes, needs and desires, and then create the perfect design to suit them and their space. If you would like more information on our Interior Design Service send us an email at canterbury@boconcept.co.uk. We'd love to help you make the most out of your space!

Let me know if you have any Mood Board queries, I'm all ears!

Katie