Casual Vintage Living Room Mood Board
You might be wondering why should I use a mood board? or what is a mood board? Let me share a little insight I’ve learned as I have decorated my own home over the years. I’m by no means an Interior Decorator, but I obviously LOVE to decorate my house with my style and aesthetic. Over time I’ve figured a few things out. The first thing I’ve learned is that a great space takes time. At least for me. All these TV shows that throw together great spaces in a weekend are deceiving. It takes more time to craft a decor style and room than you think and if you love a vintage style home like I do, collecting the perfect accents is a process. 
If you are wondering what a mood board is and where it fits in, here is the run down. A mood board is a collection of ideas and images that sit together in one place and give you a snapshot view of a space. Now you may wonder why going to all the trouble of a mood board is important and here are a few reasons you should create a mood board and tips on how to do it. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I might receive a commission, your price stays the same. full disclosure here. 
Why you should use a mood board in decorating
- Failing to plan is planning to fail – If you don’t start decorating a room or entire house without a plan in mind you will most likely end up with something that is not quite how you dreamed in your head. This typically leads to overspending and wasted time as you try and try again to get the right elements to come together.
- Start with a theme or “feel” in mind – I always say a room needs a jumping off point. A place where it can start to take shape and form, a guiding light if you will. It could be something as small as a pillow, a feeling like “moody”, or a reminder of a favorite place. This pinpoint idea will be your building block and guiding force.
- Start a File – Back in the day we used to just rip pages out of magazines when we liked something. Nowadays we have curated content at our fingertips! So start a file digitally (or the old fashion paper way). I always encourage people to start a Pinterest board for each room they are looking to design. You will see your style, color preferences and design choices start to emerge naturally by your selections. Once you add 10-15 images, go look at the overall board and you will be shocked at the story it tells. This is the start of your dream room mood board!
- Stop and think – Creating a mood board causes you to stop and think, to be intentional about the elements you add to a space. It stops you from buying that rug you see on a whim and buy just because it’s 40% off only to get it home and realize it doesn’t really work. Then you change your whole game plan just to make it fit in a space it shouldn’t go in. Am I right? Who’s done that? I know you are anxious to start buying stuff for your space but back up the train a minute!
- Research all the parts and pieces – a mood board will force you to find the perfect pieces. You will need to look through 50 chandeliers online to narrow down the perfect one for your space. You will be able to get a good grasp of what things are going to cost and stick to a budget. It’s easier to shift gears on paper than once you have items in your home! You may not find the exact thing you need for a space during this process, but you will find the exact idea of what you need to hunt for.
- Prepared to hunt – A mood board forces you to think through every element you need in a space including the size. When you are armed with dimensions for furniture and yardage needed for fabric you are able to pull the trigger and make a purchase when you come across the perfect product for your space! You will know immediately what colors will work and won’t, how much of something you need and if it will indeed ‘work”. You can also practice patients and wait for sales or coupons when you know exactly what you need!
- Layers & texture – Every good room has a multitude of layers and texture. By laying all the elements of a room out in front of you, you’re able to make sure the layers and textures are there and not overabundant in a certain category. Often people add too many of one thing to a space and it throws the whole room off. Too much typography art, too much metal or too much wood. Not enough greenery or three-dimensional wall art. If you look through a magazine the rooms you are drawn to likely have a good mix of layers, pattern, and texture. Make sure yours has the same by planning with a mood board.
- How to make a mood board – I start by saving pictures of the products, colors, and textures I want to incorporate in a file on my computer. I also create a Pinterest board SPECIFICALLY for each room, often I keep these boards hidden as I work through my ideas. (Just gathering my thoughts in this manner has helped me make a room the way I want it on the first try instead of trial and error.) Next, I lay the elements out in a digital canvas using PicMonkey or Canva so I can seem my selections in one spot. Then you tweak!
- Edit – Edit your selections. Ask questions. Walk around the room if you can. Imagine every element in its place. Ask yourself if you have a good mix of materials (wood, metal, fabric, rattan, leather, etc), do you have a good color palette selected (Wall color, flooring, furniture, accents, artwork), is there texture in the room (dimension on the walls, plants, variation in heights and sizes, different fabric textures). Investigate if your theme or feeling is apparent (but not overly apparent!). Is there something you need to take away?
- Practice makes perfect – I promise if you become this intentional with your decorating you will be pleased with the results. You will hone a decorating skill that you didn’t know you had! Remember it takes time and thought to craft a space you love and you are TOTALLY CAPABLE of pulling it all together. Let a mood board help you! In case you like any of the elements I researched and added for my vintage casual living space I have a source guide for you below! Best of luck and let me know if you have any questions.
I am so glad you said it would take time to put this room together. I feel like the rooms in my house are like the garden things are constantly evolving and changing. What i liked twenty years ago when we moved in are not the same things I like now such as furniture arrangement and curios. My mood board is a physical thing so I can take things out and add other things as my “mood” changes.
Thanks for the suggestion to have a mood board. In 7 years of being married, I feel like my style is best described as “all over the place” meaning there’s not really an overall theme when I wish there were. Mood board is a great idea! I especially love this tip: “the rooms you are drawn to likely have a good mix of layers, pattern, and texture.” I get in ruts of too much of one texture or pattern. It’s a good reminder to mix it up!
Just so you know…. put into practice what you shared in this post and made a mood board! Invited you to view it just for fun. Just want to encourage you that you’re making an impact! 🙂
This makes me so happy you have no idea! I hope it helped you pull your thoughts and vision together. I will check it our asap, cant wait to see!!
Thanks and i like the idea. Have a great weekend.
Heard of them, have never done one. But after reading this I better do it. Struggle with “pulling the space together”. But when you have to design around blue carpet it’s not easy. And this will not change while our 2 old girls are with us. My dogs are 16 and 16 1/2. Accidents happen. And your puppy is a cutie! And she fits with the decor too! Beautiful design choices.
Boy, am I a planner. And a hoarder of craft supplies. My biggest difficulty in decorating a room is that my husband and I have different decorating styles. But he seems to like country in the kitchen, so I make sure the country is organized and functional. I’m the one with OCD, but he’s the one who keeps the floors and counters shining. Together, we’ve had 50 years of decorating compromise, and it works for us. Thanks for the mood board. I now have a name for my preferences!
Again, I feel like you are speaking directly to me. (My pastor does the same thing-lol) Thanks for the simple tips!