A physical moodboard is a collection of design swatches, finishes and textiles that you're considering for a room, brought together in one place so you can see how they work together before committing. Unlike a digital board, it lets you touch, layer and rearrange materials in real light, which makes it one of the most useful tools for planning a considered interior. Here’s how to build one from scratch, with a little help from Harlequin and Henry Holland.
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1. GATHER YOUR INSPIRATION
Before you start collecting materials, it helps to gather ideas first. Look to books on colour and art history, interior design history, design annuals, and interior magazines for reference points. Online design archives to build reference points (think the Smithsonian, Public Library, Internet Archives). If you have an artwork, print, even a postcard — start gathering these together, and ideas and themes will start to take shape. It may also be useful printing out your floorplan, noting what greenery, indoor plants you might have in the room too, as these will inform your palette. Think also of the view in the window of your space. Once you have a sense of direction, you can start pulling together your collection.
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2. CHOOSE YOUR BASE
Every moodboard needs a base to work from. This could be as simple as a painted tray, or a piece of thick paper, or something more considered, like an upholstered pin board in a guiding pattern or a fabric-lined basket. Some people choose to paint their base in the colour of the intended walls, giving an immediate sense of how everything else will sit against it.
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3. COLLECT YOUR SAMPLES AND SWATCHES
This is the heart of the board. Bring together paint pots, tiles, wallpaper, pattern and fabric swatches, along with any trimmings or piping you’re considering. Flooring and wood samples, tiling or stone samples, and even pressed flowers from the plants visible outside your window can all help ground the board in the reality of the space. Ordering swatches is one of the simplest ways to start building your collection.
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4. FIND YOUR ARRANGEMENT
Once you have your materials together, spend time experimenting with how they layer and combine. Look for compositions with depth, structure and contrast, pairing materials in different ways to see what works. Think about scale and consider what the base elements of the room are, what the undertones will be, and which features you want to stand out. This is where a moodboard earns its keep, allowing you to catch clashes or confirm pairings before anything is ordered for the room itself.