How to create the perfect mood board?

Welcome back! I am glad you chose five minutes of your time to read and learn about how to make the perfect mood board! I have been thinking about writing this article for a long time, but I had to gain courage. Sounds familiar, right? I had to make sure I was ready to show you the ways that have worked for me throughout the years. I will show and explain ways of creating as an FF&E / Interior Designer and a Fashion stylist. I will show you different variations of mood boards since it is a huge part of presenting your design work. All of these tips and ideas are for free, but I am creating an online course for you, where you can learn all the little bits I am using daily. I am making a checklist as well, that you will be able to download and will be there for you when you need help with your work. It is going to help you check your work and see if you need to improve in some ways. If you see your list is not complete, you can reach out and sign up for my course. I am going to announce the first official date soon, so stay tuned! Now is the time to dive into the world of creativity!

1. Moodboards on white foam boards:

 It is a classic interior design technique. A lot of fun, but time-consuming. It will also eat up a lot of space in your studio if you are not sending them out to your client since their sizes are usually A2. Here you will use soft and hard finishes, as well as furniture or mood images. It is all about sizing and positioning with this practice. You need to find the perfect balance to stay within the frame and to make something three dimensional, but not too high. It means these creations need to fit either in a portfolio bag or somewhere in your studio. As a beginner, I have made the mistake of making them proper but too high. The examples I am showing here are not mine because I am not allowed to show them. However, these images will explain this style perfectly.

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2. Moodboards presented in boxes:

 Another common way of presenting your ideas in interior design. This version is more accessible if you pitch in-person to your client because it is more packed up, but easy to separate and re-work if needed. All you need to do here is to tastefully present the finishes you wish to use in the space. If you want to learn more about how to select timber, marble, or fabrics to fit your client’s needs, sign up to my mailing list to be the first one informed about my How to make a mood board course!

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3. Virtual boards:

  This is becoming a common practice among US designers and is probably my favourite way. One of the best parts in creating something new is where you hold the fabrics, marbles, wall coverings in your hands and place them together. However, some of you are still in school or just starting, which means you may not have a library to use for your selections. That is when you need to get creative and use your knowledge of designers and Pinterest. Please be aware of using Pinterest with moderation. I have an article here, where I explain why. Also, I have updated my Pinterest to suit professional needs more, which is good news! Please don’t hesitate to check me out and maybe follow my profile, if you like it! I have made two boards especially for this session, which shows different ideas. I choose to represent the home of a Parisian woman and a New Yorker. The Parisian is chic, laid-back, and playful with asymmetrical wood floors and curvy stones. The colours are soft and a bit muted, so it engages with the look and feel of the city. The New Yorker, on the other hand, is loud and eclectic, because she is vibrating with the city. I used bold colours and vintage or vintage-looking furniture. I also chose to be direct and put an image of these cities behind. It is not common practice, but I felt it gave more character to these boards. 

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4. Virtual lifestyle mood board:

 This may look easy, but it is not! One of the best ratios for Pinterest is to make 1000 x 1500 pixel images, which I always do since I post all my content there. It is your choice, to select your ratio and shapes, I put 6 images on both sides and a logo in the middle. This version worked the best for me. Apart from that, your most important task here is shade matching! Most of your attention should be on the undertones. Why? Because you are not creating depth, you are presenting these ideas on a flat surface! This is the toughest, but most rewarding way of making a mood board! Below you will see two different examples, where I show you a warm, feminine selection with pink undertones and a more masculine option with yellow undertones. They both represent a warm, sunny day, but in two completely different ways. I would love to hear in the comments below, what you take from these images.

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5. Lifestyle mood board on paper:

  I am not 100% sure if it still common practice, but it used to be fun. When I was in art school, we bought the cheaper fashion and design magazines to rip them apart into little pieces and create a vision board or a mood board. But even in my last year in 2012, we started making virtual boards. It works the same way as number 3, but on paper. Sometimes even mixing manual and virtual techniques. If you have access to magazines and little things you can stick on the board, it is great fun. However, I would not recommend using this technique, if you have a deadline. It takes a lot of time and sometimes become messy. One of my most cherished advice, I have gotten throughout the years is this: don’t be messy. It does not mean you need to do perfect, but try and stay clean. I used to make a huge mess with some glue and scissors but I have learned to moderate myself.

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I hope you enjoyed this article about creating mood boards, the checklist and announcement will come in the following days! Please don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list, like, and share this article if you enjoyed it!