We worked with Katie, founder of Hello Haus Interior Design & @hello_haus blog, to bring you this practical planning guide on how to master mood boards. Here’s Katie’s step by step instructions to styling your space like a professional.
HOW TO MAKE A MOOD BOARD?
“As with most small spaces, the rule ‘less is more’ usually applies. Carefully chosen furnishings It’s a designer’s most valued tool and something I always talk to my clients about. If you have ever started a room design, bought the paint, the accessories and furniture only to realise at the end that it doesn’t quite work, it’s because you didn’t create your vision and jumped straight in.
We scroll over 300 feet a day on our phones, absorbing image after image and often falling down the Pinterest and Instagram rabbit holes. It’s so easy to do and I’ve been guilty of creating Pinterest boards amounting to 100’s of images, so getting off our screens and taking time to create a mood board with physical samples is a brilliant, creative way to get clarity.
SO WHAT IS A MOOD BOARD?
It’s a collage of materials, images and paint samples that evoke a “feeling” of the room you’re trying to create. It’s not meant to be the actual items of furniture and it may not end up being the actual materials but it’s a starting point of how you want the room to look and the fabrics you may decide to explore. It’s a brilliant reference point too, so when you do start to buy the accessories, paint and furniture for your room, you can keep on track with your original vision and stop making mistakes or wasting money on items that don’t work.
how do you make one?
I’d always suggest collecting interior magazines, grabbing some free material samples online or when you pop into a furniture store. Most online retailers will allow you to pick 8-10 samples at no cost. You can order peel and stick paint swatches online too or pick up colour cards from a DIY store. Take your time to gather these ready for your mood board.
STEP ONE:
Our Boxed Concept range is delivered in easy-to-handle components, which means building your sStart by thinking of a few words about how you want the room to feel. Do you want it to be energising, inspiring and uplifting or does the room need to feel calm, serene and relaxed? Once you’ve settled on your words start picking out samples from your collection that align with those feelings. Go through your interiors magazines and start ripping out any images you love. You might gravitate to bolder, more saturated colours or prints for a vibrant space or something more muted and natural if your mood was to feel rested.
Tip – It’s so important at this stage to not overthink it, just select the fabrics, images and swatches that you are naturally drawn to. Your gut tends to be right and you’ll have plenty of time to finesse your board.
step two:
Now you have selected samples start placing them on your white board. Layer them up and see what works well. Don’t rush this part! Take your time to replace, add or move them around your board until it really nails the words and feeling you want. Only when you truly love what you see secure everything down and keep it close to hand for Step Three. It could take you a few hours, a day, a week…it doesn’t matter! You don’t want to rush this part because it forms the basis of all your decisions for your project. Check back to your original words, does it still align?
step tHREE:
You’re ready to get going! Now you have your mood board finalised use this as your reference point when finding paint colour, furniture style, fabrics and the accessories you want to add. And that’s it! You’ll want to mood board everything, it becomes addictive so have fun!”
You’re all set to start making your own Mood Board, why not explore our colour finishes and begin planning your perfect space today!
