As the seasons change, it’s easy to feel more inspired than usual, and if you’re looking to channel that inspiration, there’s only one thing to do: make a moodboard.
Whether you want to revamp your space, you have a DIY project that’s been heavy on your mind, or you’re just wanting to unleash some of that pent-up creativity, a moodboard is always the perfect solution.
A good moodboard can help you organise and explore concepts and ideas that have been floating around in your mind before you fully commit to any big changes.
But how do you go about creating a great moodboard? Read on to find out.
Understand the Essence of the Season
The first step is simply taking the time to connect with the exact mood of the season. What is it that entices you and you want to capture? The colours, textures, themes — everything that defines autumn can hold the key. The warm tones, the leaves, the pumpkin spice latte we know you love.
To fully connect, explore some seasonal activities, take pictures, log moments in your journal, and collect the moments that will later guide your visual choices.
Choose the Right Format for your Visions
There’s a moodboard, and there’s a moodboard. They can take many forms and shapes. The right one will fully depend on your workflow, personal preferences and natural inclinations. And God knows the Internet is full of options: Pinterest, Canva, Milanote, among many others, are all ready to take on a challenge.
But there’s also charm in going analogue, so don’t discard the corkboards, sketchbooks, and magazine cutouts. If you love a tactile, hands-on experience, that’s the way to go.
Choose digital if you want to save and share many ideas, but opt for physical for a more immersive and deeply personal experience.
And who said you can’t combine both?
Inspiration Treasure Hunt
The next fun step is to go feral online or in life and gather as much visual inspo as you can find. Magazines, social media, photography, nature, fabric swatchers – the world is your oyster. And don’t try to overthink the curating part; there’s no need. Just collect whatever appeals to you. You’ll have the time to refine it later.
However, there are a few sections of a moodboard you want to make sure you have covered: colour palettes, textures, patterns, and lifestyle imagery. And try to think beyond aesthetic appeal. Ask yourself what each item makes you feel. The emotions it evokes are crucial to truly communicating the feeling of the season, not just the look.
What’s the Core Theme?
You’ve dived into the season’s beauty, you’ve collected the treasures, you’ve chosen the format. It’s time to define the central theme of your board. Do you want it to be cosy, full of life, serene, playful, cheeky? A helpful way to define it is to think of your vision and try to define it with three to five keywords. From then on, create a mini-palette of “must-have” elements, or the key visuals, the stars of the show. These will anchor your overall composition.
Arranging, Layering… Curating!
Finally, it’s time. It’s time to bring it to life! All you’ve collected – arrange it. Group elements by colour, texture, or even theme (whatever your heart desires) and experiment with overlapping them, spacing them in different ways, and layering them on top of each other. There are no rules here, really, just take the time, have fun, and trust your inner art critic. Pay attention to the flow; the eye should move naturally across the board, and each element should contribute to the overall mood.
The Finishing Touches
It’s aliiive! It’s arranged! Now you can worry about the refinements, the small details that can bring the season alive on your board. Think about the quotes you love and you’ve been collecting across notebooks for years, the sketches you’ve made, the fabric samples from the last sofa purchase you couldn’t make yourself throw away, the pressed leaves… All of this has finally come in handy to deliver a sensory experience and deepen the emotional connection.
If you’re going for a physical moodboard, don’t hesitate to also include wall art that echoes your vision and the season’s theme. That’s an especially effective way to tie the moodboard to the interior. It will help you imagine how seasonal colours, textures, and themes can translate into your home.
A Moodboard? More Like a Creative Compass.
All of this wasn’t just a visual exercise; your moodboard is, in fact, a practical tool that can help you guide and channel your creative decisions. It can inform colour schemes, furniture textures, wall art displays, and seasonal décor choices. When it comes to fashion, it can inspire wardrobe curation, outfit combinations, and accessory choices—your whole style through the prism of the season. Even personal projects, photoshoots, branding, and lifestyle planning can all benefit from the clarity the moodboard can provide.
And if that was fun and helpful, you can always recreate it for the next season.
Play, Pin, Repeat
You just created your personal cheat sheet for inspiration in every part of life. Don’t worry about it being perfect — it probably isn’t, but that’s the best part of it. It reflects you and what sparks joy and inspires you to go through life the best way possible — your way.
The best part is that each season will give you another reason to connect with it, appreciate the gifts it gives us, and play with it in the most creative of ways. Grab your scissors, let the fun begin!
