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How To Save Thousands On Your Home Renovations With This One Simple Addition

When it comes to decorating your home, whether it’s a simple change of paint or a more complex renovation, you could potentially be washing thousands down the drain if you don’t plan from the very beginning.

The old saying “fail to plan, plan to fail” certainly rings true in this situation, especially as so many of us have purchased things for the home in the past, only to realise soon after they don’t suit the space.

Whether it’s a colour that doesn’t quite match, a fabric which isn’t necessarily suitable for the environment it’s in, or a piece of furniture doesn’t fit properly, we’ve had those sinking moments of décor regret.

Which is why we wanted to talk to you about the power of a mood board and share how creating a mood board can save you not only money, but time and stress. And let’s face it, in this day and age, that’s something we’re all looking to cut back on.

What is a mood board?

An interior design mood board is either a digital or physical board which combines ideas for your planned space; from furniture to styling ideas, colours and fabric swatches. It enables you to see how ideas work together and helps you to envision the space better.

What are the benefits of a mood board?

As well as the above, creating an interior design mood board before you start any decorating project helps you to get clearer quicker on your plan for the room.

For example, if you’re struggling to understand your personal style but notice that on your initial mood board you’ve pulled together lots of coastal elements, you can see what colours will perhaps work better in that space.

Meanwhile, If you choose to create a digital mood board, you’ll also have a reference available on your phone when you’re out shopping for furniture, accessories and paint, and stops any purchases that will cost you in the long run.

One of the biggest benefits of a mood board which often goes overlooked, however, is being able to show your partner your vision. It can be so hard to describe how you’re planning on changing a space, especially to someone who – let’s face it – doesn’t have the time nor the passion that you have. A mood board shows exactly what you have planned and helps someone understand your vision much clearer.

We have three ways for your to create a mood board below: The Physical, The Basic Digital, and The Professional Digital.

1 - The Physical Moodboard

A physical mood board is simple. Visit your local craft shop (Hobbycraft is great for this) and purchase a large A2 board. Cut out or print out ideas that you like from home design magazines, get paint sample swatches from your local DIY shop and see if you can have fabric swatches from the places you plan to purchase your soft furnishings and furniture from. Lay your ideas out together and see if your plan works before committing to glue.

2 - The Basic Digital Moodboard

However, if you’re looking to create a basic digital mood board, there is a simple way to do this.

  • 1 First of all, head to Pinterest, Google and your favourite home décor websites such as HomeEnvy Members' Club and save all your ideas into one folder on your desktop.
  • 2 Log in Canva. Canva is a great free tool for creating any digital product such as social media graphics, posters, magazines, and, of course, moodboards.
  • 3 Once you’ve opened Canva, go to Create A Design.
  • 4 Click custom dimensions and create a board which is 750px x 1330px. This gives you the perfect dimension for a digital moodboard on your phone.
  • 5 Click Elements on the left-hand side.
  • 6 Click Grids and scroll to the bottom to see the different grid formations available. For a strong moodboard, you want between 7-10 boxes available.
  • 7 Click on the grid you’ve chosen and drag it across to your moodboard template. It will automatically fit the space.
  • 8 Go back to the left-hand side and click Upload. Here you will be able to upload your images.
  • 9 Click each image once uploaded and drag it across to the box you want it to sit in. You might have to move the images around until you’re happy with the layout.
  • 10 As you can see from our example above, we’ve added blocks of colour. A simple way to do this is to click the colour gradient swatch on the top tool bar and click the + sign. This enables you to choose the perfect shade to go with your design. Even better, if you know the CMYK colour code, you can add this manually with the #.

3 - The Professional Moodboard

You can create a much more advanced mood board on Photoshop and Powerpoint by layering furniture on rugs, adding paint colours next to wallpaper and so much more.

We have an exclusive Moodboard Masterclass available right now teaching you exactly how to create your own 2D moodboard for your home designs in both Photoshop & Powerpoint.

It’s an excellent tool to get your design process off to the right start, saving money and time along the way. Do you want to work as interior designers do? Then check out the Moodboard Masterclass here.

This week, we're offering the Moodboard Masterclass bundle (masterclass, templates, supplier & trade directory) for only £7 (saving over £100).

We'll also be giving you the chance to share your mood boards in our FREE Facebook group The HomeEnvy Community where we'll be offering advice and on your designs and ideas.

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How to save time, money and stress when decorating

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