
17 Jul 3 Insider Tips: Hints and Tricks for Creating Personal Mood Board Just Like the Pros
Personalized mood boards are a great way to visualize, edit and communicate a creative vision to others. For design projects of all kinds, mood boards are can be an indispensable guide for achieving the desired impact. But it won’t surprise you to hear that not all mood boards are created equal… and it is often too easy to tell the novices, from the professionals. Thankfully, our Design Team is here to help, with a few insider tips and thoughtful touches, you too will be able to create striking mood boards just like the real pros.
To set a truly engaging mood, consider the impact on every one of the senses – To best engage your guests and create the desired impact in your living spaces, you must consider more than just the visual cues in the environment. Think about the sounds, the smells, the textures and the tastes that you want your guest to associate with your home; then use the inspirations as sensory cues in your mood board. Especially when designing interior spaces that intend to create specific atmosphere – Soothing away the stresses of the outside world? A professional attitude? A kitchen that awes? A sunny nook that begs for a reading break? – You must engage as many of the senses as possible. So don’t forget to address these important details in the inspirations you include in your mood board.
Go digital, physical or BOTH – Digital tools like Pinterest and Instagram are innovative modern resources for developing some great mood boards…but there is no denying that they can feel a little 2D. We are tactile creatures and so we love to touch and feel materials and objects to really enjoy our experience and connect with a design vision. Next time you are putting together your mood board resources, don’t be afraid to add real samples of the fabrics, tiles and other products you would like to use. You can also add other objects that will inform your design vision – seashells from an inspiring getaway, your favourite beads in all sorts of colours and shapes, postcards of destinations, flower collections that will direct your colour palate… the options are really endless and should be as unique as you!

Start big, and then reduce – A great mood board is really a visualization of a great design brainstorming session. There are no wrong contributions when you are brainstorming and it is best to let your creativity run wild, consider new possibilities and even discover new potential that had yet eluded more passing considerations. To really get your creative juices flowing with the first ‘draft’ of your mood board, be generous and include as many inspirations you think will be informative… then step back and consider your choices with a critical eye. Remove redundancies and items that clearly don’t support your design vision. Move objects around and reconsider their value to your what you are trying to communicate. Rearrange and tweak until you have ended up with only the inspirations that make you happy. Then you are ready to call it “Final”!

When you are ready to start your next interior design project, National Drapery’s team is here to help from the beginning. We can help you find the perfect fabric and wallcovering swatches for your soft surfaces, give you access to the widest range of drapery hardware, help inform your colour choices and assist in brining your mood board visions to life. Request a call, book an appointment, or drop by our Toronto showroom today.