How To Make A Design Mood Board

This design conversation is sponsored by Blanco!

This is truly the year of the kitchen renovations!  I’ve seen so many bloggers and designers tackle kitchen renovations this year already and I’m hoping it’s inspiring you to tackle your own.  I must admit that the process of designing a kitchen seemed pretty scary to me at first.  Picking out the finishes for the faucets, hardware, deciding on lighting, etc. all seemed so overwhelming.  What truly helped me in creating a dreamy modern bohemian kitchen was designing a mood board.

If you’re thinking that a mood board is a bunch of magazine clippings, stickers, and glued on ribbon then we’re not talking about the same thing friend.  Meanwhile, that totally was what I thought a mood board was back in high school 🙂 

A design mood board is a collection of your inspiration, ideas, design elements, etc that you’d like for a space.  They are super easy to assemble and can be done digitally or physically.  I think my first experience with design mood boards was way back on Candace Olsen’s design show.  I just loved seeing her take out fabric samples, pictures of furnitures, and other design elements and placing them on a board to see how they coordinated.  The same concepts apply to a digital design mood board.

Not only is this a great way to begin thinking of a space, but it’s a great process for designing future spaces to see how they coordinate with the rest of your home.

How To Create A Design Mood Board

It’s easier to explain the process of creating a design mood board with an example.  So, I wanted to share the process of creating my modern bohemian kitchen mood board.  Later, check out the end result of my kitchen mood board with the Modern Bohemian kitchen reveal.

Step 1:  Decide Your Must Haves and Must Stays

One of the first items I selected as a must have for my kitchen was the Blanco Empressa faucet and Cerana farmhouse sink.  I knew I wanted this beautiful pair of kitchen staples to mix with modern lighting, cabinetry, and hardware.  Farmhouse sinks are very popular right now and they will continue to be.  Selecting a great sink that will last was super important to me.  You can read my review of the Cerana farmhouse sink and the benefits of fireclay sinks.

Creating a mood board for the kitchen helped me tremendously in seeing just how the stainless steel Empressa faucet would look with aged brass pendant lights.  And yes, I loved the mix metal look I was creating!  I used Photoshop to crop out the items, but this is completely optional.

I was able to keep the overall modern bohemian vibe by seeing how they would coordinate with other items I wanted on the digital mood board.  Since much of the kitchen would be replaced, I chose items that complemented each other to create a welcoming family kitchen.  The mood board also helped to reduce spending money on decor I didn’t need or wouldn’t help achieve my overall look.  A BIG HELP INDEED!

Step 2: Find Essential Items

After I saved all the images and links of the items I wanted, I saved all the images in a folder on my computer.  Then, I used Canva to create my mood board, but you can easily create a mood board on Word or print the images out and glue to a poster board.  Upload your images to Canva and insert them into a blank document.  The process is super easy and very user-friendly.  Add or remove items until you are happy with the design.  You can also add text for item labels or design elements.

For my kitchen, I included essential items that were necessary in any kitchen and some of the decor elements I’d include.  You can see I included my Cerana fireclay sink and added text that I wanted an apron front sink for the design.  Be sure to include all essentials for the space you are designing.  For example, a kitchen mood board should include: the cabinetry, hardware, countertop, flooring, sink, faucet, overall look for appliances, lighting, and backsplash.  You can see my own modern bohemian kitchen mood board below.

Modern Bohemian Kitchen Mood Board

Step 3:  Print, Save, and Review

This step is totally optional, but I recommend printing out your mood board and inserting it into your home binder or design binder.  I keep essential information about my rooms, where items were purchased, paint colors for walls, inspiration photos for the house, and any other details that help me create my home.  Whenever I start thinking of remodeling or designing a space, I review my mood boards and binder to make sure that my new room will maintain the overall vibe of the house.

Have you created a mood board for your home?  Let me know which rooms you made in the comments below.  Try creating one for your next space.  It’s super fun and serves as a wish board too!

Did you check out the end result of my kitchen mood board?  See my two tone modern white bohemian kitchen reveal!