March 8, 2023
Why a mood board is important in interior design
Aesthetic, Interior Design, Interior Design Marbella, International Interior Design, Mood Board
If you have ever wanted to express your creativity but have no idea how to organise your thoughts or convey your ideas, then prepare to have your mind blown. The solution is a simple but extremely effective mood board. This tool is used across all creative industries, particularly in interior design, to enable the visualisation of creative ideas.
Preparation, preparation, preparation
When embarking upon an interior design project, it is crucial that the interior designer is on the same page as the client. Prior to starting the actual design work, it is necessary to agree on a clear design direction.
A mood board allows the designer to combine ideas, textures, colours and of course moods in one place, to allow both parties to establish what works together, colour preferences and style. It is better to spend the time at the beginning so that you can identify likes and dislikes at the initial planning stage. Allowing any elements that don’t fit the brief, the overall interior design scheme or simply don’t appeal to the client to be rejected, rather than progressed and result in a potentially costly mistake.
Of course, it can also work the other way, as a client, you may have a very strong vision of how you would like your interior design to look at, and you may want to create a mood board to help you express this to your interior designer.
What you should include in a mood board
A mood board can be any shape and size, it could be as simple as a physical board with cut and paste pictures or a more complex graphically designed presentation. Whether you are a professional interior designer, a gifted amateur or you have just bought a new home and keen to dive in to transforming your space, your project should start with a mood board of some description.
Components of a room
The elements that you include in your mood board will by and large be the same for any different room regardless of the proportions, covering the mood, features, decoration and accessories.
Personality, mood, feel
The first and most elusive step is to establish the feel of your room. Consider what mood you want to establish, as this will be carried through in the other elements. The feel of a specific space may be informed by the location and architecture of the property. For example, the look, feel and style of the interior design in Marbella’s beachside villas would most likely be different to the feel of a contemporary city centre property.
Colour preferences
The colours you choose will have a dramatic impact on the personality of the space. A pop of colour can enliven a largely neutral colour palette, some colours open a room, others can give you a big warm hug. When considering your preferences, you need to know that paint colours look slightly different online than they will as physical swatches. The mood board can include both, to give you a general idea of the type of palette, if not the exact shade, that you are looking for.
Furniture
You may already own some items of furniture that you’d like to incorporate into a new interior design scheme. If this is the case, this is your chance to combine the old and new to see how they can work together, whether they can be combined or will clash. Big ticket items of furniture such as a chair or sofa, can be the starting point of an entire design and the mood board give you an opportunity to be bold and take risks before you commit to spending any money.
Floors and walls
It’s important to remember that walls and floors are more than just structural elements to a room, the choice of colour and wall treatment plays a large role in creating the ambiance. Consider trends, but also take into account the different feel and personality of a space painted a rich jewel colour like the Viva Magenta the Pantone colour of the year 2023 as opposed to a space painted a natural shade of stone. Similarly, marble is a population material for flooring in interior design in Marbella, as it provides a certain aesthetic and feel. Whereas richly patterned tiles or solid wood flooring would impart a completely different character, warmth and coolness, to the space.
Decoration
The term ‘decoration’ can be applied to a wide spectrum of elements when we are talking about interior design. It is often used as a catch-all covering all decorative items, window treatments, carpets, rugs, accessories and artwork.
Perhaps you have seen an original painting or sculpture that you want to base your interior design around. You can be as eclectic as you like, try out different combinations of texture, colour and styles, put different groups together to see how they fit.
Lighting
Lastly but definitely not least, there is lighting. Clever lighting can change the character of a room completely, creating cosy nooks and illuminating spaces, both day and night. There is so much to think about, from led to softbox, dimmers and bold statement chandeliers to discreet recessed fixtures and fittings. If you can narrow down the look and feel, you can get advice from a professional interior design like Originals Interiors on how lighting can really bring a room to life.
Putting the fun into planning
If you aren’t a professional designer, you probably won’t have access to graphic design programs such as Adobe Indesign or Adobe Illustrator to create presentations. Don’t worry, you can use other routes, such as Adobe Express, Canva or create a Pinterest board. You can even go down the old school with a bunch of swatches and textures for a fully immersive tactile experience.
Whichever platform you choose, the important point to remember is that designing a space should be fun and exciting. Nothing is set in stone, let your ideas percolate overnight and if you don’t like it, you can always change it in the morning!
If you would like advice about how to implement personalised interior design in Marbella or to discuss an interior design project, get in touch to arrange a no-obligation consultation with Originals Interiors’ team by email at originals@originalsinteriors.com or call (+34) 952 863 230.
Back to blog
