HOW TO START THE RENOVATION PROCESS
WEEK 3- HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN MOOD BOARD
How are you going with the How -To Renovate series?! I absolutely love seeing your ideas and questions come through via email … WOW, you’re so involved in this process, I love it!
If you’re just tuning in now, it’s not too late to get involved (actually it’s never too late because this series is designed to be easy to start at any time!) and you’ll find part-1 and part-2 here.
If you want to bounce ideas or have any questions along your renovation journey, (or just need help!) let me know and we’ll work it through together.
Part-3: Create your own mood board
Now that you’ve determined what area you’re going to renovate (part-1) and what your budget is (part-2), it’s now time to look at how you want your space to look and feel.
Are you ready for a surprise? Hold onto our hats, my friends … the style you love and the style you are dreaming of for your newly renovated space may not have a name! That’s right, it may not be Hamptons, Hygge, contemporary, industrial, or any other popular ‘style’ … but, what it will be is your style! That’s what’s most important after all.
How to find your style?
Where do you go for your inspiration? My traditional favourites for inspiration are print magazines, catalogues, and then of course are our online top choices such as Pinterest, Houzz, Instagram and Blogs.
Some of my favourite social media accounts for inspiration are:
Mim Design Studio @mimdesignstudio
Flack Studio @flackstudio
Carla Coulson @carlacoulsoncoaching - I love her travel adventure photos!
Holly Becker @decor8 - this was one of the first blogs I followed years ago before blogging was huge! Her books are very insightful too for tips on how to decorate.
The Design Files @thedesignfiles
Rachel Castle @rachelcastleandthings - her artwork is so uplifting and makes me so happy!
Some of my go-to magazines are:
Inside Out
Inside
est Living
Habitus Living
I’m pretty sure that you’ve already got your own fave magazines and social accounts where your imaginations run wild daily! That’s great, add them to the list!
Okey dokes, stay focused people! I know that at this point it’ll be easy to get lost in dreamland.
The second step is to bring all of these images together and make sense of it all.
There are two options to create your mood board: the old-fashioned ‘on paper’ method, or an online version. Either way is perfectly fine and it’s really a matter of which works best for you (it’s as individual as your own personal style!).
‘On paper’ method:
From your local newsagent or stationers buy some heavy A3 card stock and a glue stick. Using your hard-copy magazines cut out the all the images that appeal to you and start laying them out (no gluing yet!) and collating into themes.
Digital method:
If you’re solely using Pinterest or Houzz you can save your images to boards that you create within the app itself – name your board to match the space you’re renovating (eg. Laundry ideas, Main bedroom ideas, etc).
A great alternative to Houzz or Pinterest is online digital mood board programs. One of my faves is Style Sourcebook. It’s super easy to use and there are lots of preloaded furnishings, colours, and finishes pre-loaded too – there are plenty of others so choose which one works best for you.
By now you’ll be itching to do something with all these images you’ve collected, so let’s get stuck in! Look all the images you’ve laid out … you should start to see a pattern. Maybe you notice lots of images with of whitewash furniture or antique pieces,or bathrooms and kitchens that re quite contemporary or earthy? ? Play around with your images and take away the ones that aren’t working. After adding/taking away and trying different pairings you’ll find that your scheme has evolved. When you’ve reached the point that your collection represents what you’d like your newly renovated space to look like it’s time to get out the glue stick (or create a new digital board) and create your mood board!
Having either your hard copy board or your digital board on your laptop or iPad will be super helpful when you’re shopping for tiles, benchtops or meeting with your architect or designer. You’ll also find it an essential ‘go-to’ when you’re shopping for furnishing items too!
When you break it down, it’s pretty simple! So much fun too! But … I’d also like to jump in here and say as fun as this step is (and as simple as it is) it’s quite OK to be overwhelmed and uncertain in your choices. That’s where a professional interior designer is one of the best investments you can make in your renovation project. Don’t forget, I’m right here in this process with you and if you feel that you need a sounding-board or a ‘reno partner’ get in touch with me and we’ll chat about the next step.
Next time in Part-4 we’ll be discussing the when, what and how of getting professionals involved in your renovation.