Do you know what’s one of the best things you can do when you’re starting your decor project?
It’s to create a concept board!
Seriously… it’s not just a great way to get you excited and your creativity flowing, but it also helps you to calm down the overwhelm and confusion.
Especially when you have so many different ideas floating around in your head. So creating one is super useful to give you clarity about the direction you’re going. It’s the perfect design tool to show you the feeling your home will have because it helps you to visualise the vibe you’re working towards!
And the best thing? Because this board is just to recreate the tone you want your space to have, nothing is set in stone, so you can just follow your intuition and add anything that makes you smile. Unlike the mood board that it’s composed of the actual products, you have carefully thought through and selected for your final scheme.
Here’s an example of a concept board – I’ve created this one for our home:
Just to be clear, here are the differences between both boards:
THE CONCEPT BOARD: It’s a board created at the early stages of your design process. It gives you the vibe your space will have. It’s the initial inspiration for your project.
You can create a tactile board, filled with textures, images, small objects and samples – my fave! Or a digital one – if you want to simplify things – like this one below:
THE MOOD BOARD: It’s a board created at the end of your design process. It gives you the final scheme for your room by showing you how your selected products will look together.
Here’s an example of a digital mood board with the final scheme:
So here’s what you’ll need to get started with your concept board…filled with what inspires YOU.
1. White foam board
I’d recommend you go for size A2 or bigger, otherwise, you might run out of space! And believe me… you’ll want a LOT of space!
But don’t worry if you don’t have one! You can just put everything on the floor or on a table, take a picture and used it as your concept board. Easy peasy!
2. Inspirational images
These can be magazine cut-outs, or printed images from your Pinterest boards, or from the internet. You can choose interior design images of things that make your heart sing, like a garden, or the sea for example.
3. Product samples
Some samples of fabrics, paint, wallpaper, flooring… or whatever you have available that you think would complement your board. You can include samples of things you already own and you know you want to keep it in your scheme, like a cushion cover or a tile for example.
4. Small objects and accessories
These could be anything you think that would go with the mood you are creating for your board. E.g. Vases, candles, candlesticks, jewellery, flowers, leaves, anything that makes you smile and has the colours you want to incorporate into your home.
5. Pins, washi tape or glue
It is totally your choice if you wish to use glue to stick your images on your board. However, I would recommend you use pins! Pins are practical and give you flexibility as you can easily unpin anything from it if you change your mind later on. Or if you want to take the sample out with you when you’re sourcing for the products for your home, just simply unpin it and pop it in your purse!
It’s time to create your board!
There are no rules on how to assemble your board, so just enjoy the process and take your time. One thing I would say is… It’s easier if you place your biggest image first and then arrange and re-arrange the pieces around it. It probably will take a few tries until you’re happy with the final result… so faffing is part – or most – of the fun!
I hope you’re now feeling inspired to put your hair up, turn the music on and create your own concept board – you won’t regret it!
And if you fancy some more design tips to help decorate YOUR beautiful home… then join me for my FREE Decor Workshops Tea & Tips, where every month you get access to live workshops and replays – packed with my design pro shortcuts and tips!
To a more colourful life,
Ju xx
