Kickstart your scheme with a mood board

13 Apr 2017

Designer Kate Alexander of Places & Graces shows us how to create a mood board to help plan your interiors. 

Kate used one of the new Resene Curtain Collection fabrics (Silhouette in colour Bud) as a starting point for her board, loving the organic nature of the pattern and its muted green colours.

While the freshness of the fabric might appear to suit summery settings only, by adding warm, textural elements, Kate created an evocative autumnal look. Here are some of Kate's tips:

• Scrapbook images as inspiration. An image by Australian photographer and stylist Kara Rosenlund was used for this board.
• Use a mix of gloss levels. Here, the mix of satiny sheen on the tile and the fabric contrasts nicely with the rustic look and feel of the sisal flooring.
• Colours that go with the scheme are Resene Spanish White (for the walls), Resene Paddock (for a feature wall or adjacent room), Resene Aloha as an accent colour and Resene Always for a touch of femininity.  While you may not actually paint anything in your accent colour, having them on hand will help you when you shop for accessories.
• Keep your colour palette tight – say four or five colours – and distribute them around the room. Here, Resene Aloha is echoed in the brass tap, the edge of the bowl, the oak flooring and the leather handles. Resene Paddock picks up on the green in the fabric.
• Bring the colours of nature inside. Resene Aloha is the earth and Resene Paddock represents the trees. Resene Spanish White is a classic warm white. 
• Use a variety of crisp lines and soft shapes. Some pieces of furniture or materials like flooring and tiles are hard-edged by nature, so counter-balance those with rounded, more organic objects.

Products used on Kate's board: Sisal from Artisan Flooring; leather handles and twig wreath from Collected; tile from Tile Space; oak flooring from The Wooden Floor Co; other items, Kate's own.

For more inspirational mood boards, see the Resene Instagram page. 

Published: 13 Apr 2017