How to create an interior mood board.

Moody blues. Designer tips on creating an interior mood board.

Words by

Louvolite Australia.

Topic	Designer Tips
Photography	Louvolite, Pinterest + dc+b
Share	Email Facebook Pinterest

Moved house? Renovating or just want a decor refresh? Creating a mood board helps your vision come to life.

A mood board can be created digitally using Canva, PicMonkey or Adobe Design programmes, or it can be tangible using collated images and samples. By laying out your ideas you build a clearer idea of how they work together in one place and if there is something still needed.

Having a clear image of what you want makes it easier to get a mood board together, so if you’ve found an interior image you love, go for it and plan your room around that.

Jo, the wonder woman behind our lifestyle photography and fabric collections, shares her tips on what to consider and include in a mood board. Let’s go through it together, step by step…

1. Make a floor plan + take an image of the room.

With a floor plan you’ll now be able to see how big your room is and use the space dynamically by picking furniture and decor that will fit in the space and in relation to each other.

2. Search Pinterest, home blogs + magazines.

We’ve all been down the rabbit hole of Pinterest or Instagram, with so much inspiration these online tools can help you find the look you’re after. Their ‘shop now’ features can quickly make ideas become a reality.

Home blogs and magazines are also a great way to gather inspiration and research how to prep your space, durability of products, finishes (matte, gloss, etc.) and DIY tips.

3. Choose your colours - using paint chips.

Next, think of what colour palette you’d like, it may be based on an interior image you’ve seen or from a piece of furniture or art you already own. Think about the room’s purpose and how you’d like it to feel then choose your base colour and a few accent colours, which can be contrasting or complementary based on your style aesthetic.

Jo recommends…”using paint chips! They provide a realistic representation for paint colours and textiles, rather than a digital colour that differs off screen.”

4. Select your flooring.

For flooring, along with aesthetic, consider the material based on the durability you need, how easy it is to clean and if you’ll be needing to install underfloor heating. Gather a few example images to see which works best with the rest of your ideas.

5. Pick perfect lighting.

If you’re changing out your lighting completely, think about the key areas of your space you want to illuminate and by how much. Or maybe your room has ambient lighting but needs task or accent lighting.

6. Choose the perfect window shading.

With so much more choice now, window shading can really enhance the personality of your space. You can have patterned, textured or a plain colour fabric with Blinds and Curtains, or keep it minimalist with Venetian Blinds and Shutters.

The innovative strides in Blinds alone means you can easily find your perfect Blind based on how much light you want in your room, the need for privacy, being able to access to your outside space without fuss as well as ease of operation with remote and voice control.

7. Select a stunning wallpaper.

Wallpaper is a great way to add dimension to your room, whether it’s a statement print or texture.

Visit our Pinterest board for some more interior inspiration.

8. Pick key furniture pieces.

Gather loads of images of key furniture pieces, find out their dimensions so you can whittle down to what fits in your floor plan as well as looks good in the space you have started to visually create.

9. Choose your soft furnishings.

Soft furnishings is where you bring through your accent colours. With the addition of cushions and decoration try not to over clutter straight away, rather, gradually develop items that bring you joy or if you are refreshing your home get rid of the items that do not bring joy into your life. The KonMari method teaches you to focus your energy positively on your joyful items, in order to create more happiness in your life.

By pinning or saving lots of images, with Jo’s 9 points in mind, you’ll see what subconsciously you are drawn to and what the common elements are.

These commonalities are what you’ll include on your mood board and if you’ve missed anything off, you’ll know what to specifically search for.

Once you’ve created your mood board, digitally or physically, it should help keep you visually focussed during your project. We’ve included three layout templates that could help you on your way.

Happy creating, and definitely tag us in your mood board projects.

dollar curtains + blinds has specialised in crafting custom made window coverings for over 50 years. Contact us today, visit a store or book a free design, measure and quote. Our Interior Consultants can help you to make the perfect choice.

Back to

Designer Tips

Up next

Unravelling textile testing – colourfastness.