How to Plan a Room Makeover Using Mood Boards

Planning a room makeover can be daunting! You may struggle to picture how the color, flooring, furniture and decorative accessories will come together or whether you'll end up with a mess on your hands. I find that using a mood board helps me pull my thoughts together and keeps me on track as I'm choosing finishes and shopping for decor. Here's how to make your own:


Take an inspiration walk and gather elements that catch your eye.

Sometimes what we need to get our creative juices flowing is to experience our space and seek out the things that make us feel something. It's easy to get sucked into a Pinterest-rabbit hole that leaves you feeling more lost than you were when you started out. I like to gather items in one, clean spot as a physical take on a mood board. As you can see above, I've gathered succulents in contrasting textured planters, paint colors I love, smooth stones and a limewashed wood heart pendant. This may not read as anything to you but to me, it helped me figure out my color palette and what sort of mood I wanted to evoke in my bedroom re-design.

Create a folder on your computer where you can keep photos of your main finishes, furniture and decorative accessories.

I'm talking the show-stoppers; the pieces that will be the very bones of your room. For me, this navy, ruched rocker was one of the strongest elements of my bedroom re-design. Most websites have images on a white background that you can right-click and save. If you're unable to right-click and save the image you need, use your computer's snipping tool to capture a screen shot of the image for your personal use.
Use PicMonkey to create your mood board without fuss.

PicMonkey is a free and easy-to-use resource for editing photos and creating collages and I love using it for making fast mood boards. Once you've collected your core photos, visit PicMonkey and click on the "collage" icon at the top. You'll be prompted to upload your photos.


Your photos will load to the bank on the left, where you'll be able to drag and arrange them on the collage. Once you have the look you want, click "save" and you're set.

I like to print my mood board collage and keep it near the items I collected (like paint samples, fabric swatches or whatever inspired my design) so I have a good sense of the overall direction of the room.

I cannot wait to see this room come together! We'll be having this Uniclic Laminate Flooring by Mohawk installed in our bedroom as a replacement to our dingy, beige carpet. Stay tuned for updates! If you have any questions about creating your mood board or you need additional help, let us know in the comments below.