Creating a Mood With Color

Unlike a design board, a color mood board is truly about the mood you’re hoping to create. A color mood board is used to inspire you as you put together a color palette from the vision you’ve revealed on the board. This simply means that you’re saying to yourself “I want this feeling when I walk into my living room,” not “I want that chair in my living room.” Referring to your color mood board, you can identify decor and paint colors you’d like to try in your space, but it’s also valuable to communicate the mood those colors will create. 

Finding a Mood Board App

Mood board apps are the easiest way to create a mood board for your decorating project or color scheme. Mood and design boards were originally a cut and paste project. Piles of magazine clippings, scissors and a bottle of glue, could bring your project vision to life. Using an app allows you to try out new looks in limitless combinations.  You will need to choose your mood board app first. There are several options for mood board apps and programs. Many of these apps allow you to try them out to find the right one. Once you have chosen your app and learned the basics of using it, you’re ready to create your first color mood board.

Visualization to Inspiration

Visualizing a decorating project is the first step to creating the perfect space. By visualizing the look and feel of a room, your imagination can jump-start the decorating process.  Look for rooms and images that inspire you, and where the color piques your interest. Visualizing the colors you will use is a crucial step. When you can envision the look or feel that you want for your project, it’s time to collect your inspiration. Collecting images, ideas, and colors for your mood board brings your vision to life.

Finding Inspiration for Your Mood Board

If you can visualize a look or imagine a feeling that you’d like for your space, it’s time to get inspired. Start collecting links and images that feel aligned with your vision. A tip to collecting inspiration for your mood board is to not be too picky at first. You can always edit them out of our collection later. Create a folder in your online bookmarks to keep track of your links.  Pinterest is also a great option for collecting images and inspiration for your mood board. Most paint companies have easily saved online color swatches that you can bookmark for your inspiration collection. Don’t forget to visit the top interior design sites, too. They help you discover new ideas for your mood board and your home.

What to Put on Your Color Mood Board

A color mood board is all about color. Your color scheme mood board will come to life with color swatches, photos of anything that reflects your color inspiration including landscapes and products. If your color vision has a vintage feel, then a photo from a vintage decorating magazine could steer you to the perfect color scheme. If your vision is a Tuscan-style color scheme, a landscape photo can yield the perfect color inspiration, and can help you build a palette around it. 

What Else to Put on Your Mood Board

If you have your color swatches and photo inspiration on your mood board, it’s time to add a few more touches to capture the mood of the color scheme you’ve envisioned. The mood board apps offer fonts in many different styles, and the font style can also inspire a mood and help you express your design vision. The text on a mood board is used sparingly but can be perfect for expressing a concept or tying all of your ideas together. 

Using Your Mood Board for Decorating

Now that you’ve created a few amazing color scheme mood boards, it’s time to translate your inspiration into a gorgeous space. With your color mood board complete, you now have a clear vision of the mood you’d like to create, and can create a color scheme with confidence.