The living room is so close to being done, I can taste it! I’ve decided not to show you any more photos until the big reveal, because 7 installments of “Living Room Update” just seemed like too much. You can see what it looked like in the October Living Room Update, but it is looking pretty different right now! I put together a mood board with some finishing touches I have for the space, and thought I would share how to use a mood board to keep your design on track. There are a lot of pieces that go into a finished room, and it can be difficult to stay on track with your original vision. Starting out with a mood board is pretty important, but even further down the decorating road a fresh one can be helpful!
How to Use a Mood Board to Keep Your Design on Track
Why would you need a fresh mood board? Maybe your vision has changed or the style you thought you liked isn’t working. Maybe it was hard to find the items you wanted in the right color/sizes/prices. Maybe you got new ideas as you went along. Maybe all of these things happened to me in my living room! You can use a mood board to help you get focused again.
1- Ottoman | 2- Ginger Jar | 3- Faux Plant | 4- Light | 5- Wallpaper | 6- Book | 7- Tray | 8- Chair | 9- Pillow
How to Make the Mood Board
The actual making of the mood board doesn’t have to be that technical. For the one above, I used Adobe Illustator, but you could just use a word document! Right click on images online, save to your desktop or downloads folder, and then drag the photos into a blank word document. You could also just save those images onto a special board in Pinterest. The idea is just to see how those photos are looking together, which leads me to my next point.
What Should be on the Mood Board
Your mood board should include some pieces that are already in your space, or pieces that are very similar if you can’t find the exact ones. You want to have those existing colors and finishes represented. The board should also include items that you are thinking about purchasing to finish your space. Start with things that will complete the functional needs of your room. For example, in my board above you will see that we still need a couple of chairs, a tray for the new ottoman (which you saw if you follow me on Instagram), and pillows for the couch. Then start adding things that will complete your look. How do you know what those things are?
What is Your Mood Board Telling You?
Here are some questions to ask yourself about your mood board:
- are all the colors in my color scheme represented?
- are they in the room more than once?
- is there enough texture? (faux fur, wood, linen, velvet, canvas)
- are there enough metal finishes? (lamps, light fixtures, mirrors, accessories)
- is there more than one metal finish?
- are there enough natural elements? (plants, flowers, sometimes faux is ok!)
- do you like what you see?
Doing this little exercise can take a little bit of time (it’s fun!), but if you are stuck it can really help you get back on track and know what you need to go shopping for.
If you make a mood board I would love to see it! Tag me on social media or send me an email at shandy@happymeetshome.com
Want a free worksheet to help you decorate your space? Click the photo below.
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