Are you thinking of tackling a renovation project and wondering what the first step of the process is?
Before you start picking out colours, planning the decor, ordering supplies, and diving in, it is important to have a clear vision of how you want your project to turn out.
Constructing a detailed vision of your renovation project can help save time, money, and hassle. One of our favourite ways to accomplish this is by creating a vision board or mood board.
From drawing plans to completion; showing what a renovation project will look like.
What Is a Vision/Mood Board?
Put simply, mood or vision boards are a visual summary of your finished goal for a reno project.
What Is the Difference Between a Mood Board and a Vision Board?
A mood board typically depicts how you want your finished project to look. A vision board envisions how the finished project will look *and* feel. Either method will help narrow down your choices and guide you as you plan and complete your project.
Whether you choose a vision or a mood board, either one will line up a clear end goal for your project and can be a great help in choosing designs, colours, decor, and keeping you on track toward your end result.
How To Get Started With a Mood Board
To get started with your mood or vision board, try writing down your answers to these questions:
- Why do you want to renovate?
- What is the timeline for completing your project?
- What is your budget?
- Do you plan on tackling most of the renovations yourself or hiring contractors?
- What is your lifestyle like? Be specific and pay attention to which room you are renovating and what aspects may be helpful to consider for each space: i.e. do you have kids, pets, track a lot of dirt and debris in from outside, do you work from home, spend a lot of time reading or painting, enjoy watching movies, enjoy hosting parties, enjoy cooking, etc.
- How do you want the atmosphere to feel?
- What would your dream home look like?
- Are there any aspects of your home that hinder your day to day enjoyment of it?
- What renovations or additions would make your home easier to enjoy or more convenient?
- Are there certain things you would like to get rid of completely?
Learn the History of Your Home
Before diving into your vision for your project, it can be helpful to understand the original architectural style and history of your home. This may guide you on the look that will be easiest to achieve and will best fit your home.
Working with the original features and design of your home rather than trying to complete something entirely different can be your project easier and faster to finish. Check out this helpful article to learn the differences between the different architectural styles.
Determine Your Design Style
Next, write down words that match the overall look, vibe, design style, and mood you gravitate to:
- Coastal
- Warm, inviting, relaxing
- Timber, natural materials, organic
- Neutral
- Modern
- Contemporary
- Rustic
- Edgy, unique, interesting
- Bright, fun, exciting, inspiring
- Modern
- Minimalistic
- Bohemian
Once you know which design style will best fit your house and your preferences, time to research! We love utilising our favourite Pinterest and Instagram sites for style inspiration.
A Pinterest board dedicated to all your favourite images and can be a helpful way to keep your ideas organised and easily accessible for reference.
How To Create Your Mood or Vision Board
Once you have decided on a design style and found some inspiration, it is time to create your actual mood board.
You can either use a physical material for your mood board such as corkboard or a create a digital vision board one on a site such as Pinterest.
Digital or physical boards work equally well as long as you can look at it easily and frequently for reference.
Then, follow the next steps:
- 1. Summarise your vision in 3 to 5 words (i.e. natural coastal vibes)
- 2. Write down how you want your space to make you feel (i.e. relaxed, calm, happy, peaceful, energised, inspired, etc.)
- 3. Create a hashtag for your vision
- 4. Choose your top 10 favourite inspiration images and make sure they match your ideas and words from the first few steps
- 5. Pin the pictures and words to your physical or digital vision board
Once you complete your vision board, be sure to refer back to it throughout your project to be sure you are successfully achieving the overall look, design, and atmosphere you are going for.
Add new ideas as you find them and continue to update your board as you go. When possible, ask for samples to get a better idea of how your overall vision will come to life.
Want To Create Your Own Mood Board For Your Home? We’d Be Glad to Help!
Yes, we love flooring, but we also love design!
From the beginning stages of planning to choosing flooring to installation to caring for your flooring for years to come, we are happy to help at any step along the way — and that includes the design process.
If you are starting your project and feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to start planning, feel free to get in touch with us.
We can help you with the step-by-step process of choosing flooring for your project and making sure it fits with your vision. Feel free to ask us for samples if you are having trouble deciding between different flooring types.
For more design tips, check out our regularly updated “Design and Decor” section of our blog.