If you ever work with a decorator (like moi), you will come to understand the importance and value of the design board.
The design board is the key tool that is used to get you – the client – to the final design. So I’d say it is pretty darn important, yes? Ok. Read on.
The Consultation
Before we get into the mood (pardon the pun), it is important to know that everything in the design world begins with a consultation. Essentially this is a design meeting where we talk about the project, your needs and desires for the space, who uses the space, how you use the space, colour preferences, finish and furnishing preferences, and also how you want the space to “feel”. There is a lot more involved in the meeting and a bunch of upfront work I get my clients to do before we meet. This meeting gives me a ton of information to now proceed to the mood board.
Mood Board
Typically, the design of a space begins with a mood board. I like to call this the first step of design board evolution. A mood board has images, materials, textures, fonts, and colors that evoke the style of your project. Here are 2 mood boards I created for the living rooms of two separate clients:
See how each mood board clearly depicts the look and feel of each living room? They are both quite different, yes? How powerful is this mood board in moving forward in your design? Very powerful! Because you and I are now in the same mood (see what I did there?) and you just gave me the power to choose pieces that fit the look and feel you want. Nice, eh?
Alrighty, from here the mood board evolves into the design board.
Design Board
A design board is the complete room design. The board (foam-core board is what I like, but it can also be a digital board) includes the floor plan of your room, colour scheme, furniture selections and finishes, materials, wall paper, as well as décor items. It provides the exact location and dimension of every single piece in the design. It also includes pieces you have chosen to keep (and you can see if it ‘fits’ your desired mood).
The design board evolves throughout the design process, with selections coming and going. You see your room evolve, change, until the final design. This is a design board that evolved from one of the mood boards above. Can you guess which one? It’s pretty obvious, hey?
So what?
So why is the design board so important for you? Because BEFORE any purchases or commitments to sell your first child are made, you – the client – will be able to:
- envision what your space will look like at the end of the project
- decide upon individual items based on how everything looks together.
- avoid buyer’s remorse because you know all items will fit and look fantastic together.
- be confident in your purchase decisions, knowing all the specifications (size, colour, finish, etc.) of each item.
- be happy that you hired me!
And how great is all of that? Pretty darn great, if you ask me! Have a peek at what is all involved in my Design Consultation.
As always, if you need help drop me a message or join Design + Decor, my community group on Facebook, and post a question.
Cheers,
Roxanne
