How to Create a Mood Board for Decorating with a Free Template

Before we dive into Canva, let’s look at the benefits of using digital mood boards vs physical ones. Each type has its own set of advantages and it all depends on your needs and personal preferences.

• Digital boards allow for quick edits. By utilizing image saving and screenshots, you can add anything your heart may desire to the room’s design. There’s no need to have a sample of the physical product in hand.
• Physical boards are beneficial when you need to see and touch the actual elements that will go into a room.
   

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Creating digital mood boards is a fun part of the design process! All of the design professionals that I know of make use of them for every interior design project. 

There’s no need for any graphic design knowledge because all you need to do is select a mood board template from Canva’s vast library. More on how to do that is below.

I’ve used them lots of times when I’m going through the creative process of pulling together all of the design elements for a room makeover. Here are just a few:

• my master bathroom
• a tiny dining area
• my master bedroom

Most recently, I used one when I was working on design inspiration for my breakfast room makeover. I guess you can tell that I’m quite a fan!

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Mood boards for all of those makeovers were created from scratch. In other words, I placed all of the elements (the fabrics, color palettes, light fixtures, etc) on a blank canvas myself. That was before I discovered how easily I could have done it with a free Canva template.

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Let me show you how to take advantage of this awesome tool for free for your own decorating projects!

💡 TIP: Determine your design style if you need help getting started.

Step 1: Sign Up or Log In to Canva

First things first, head over to Canva.com. If you already have an account, just log in. If not, you can sign up for free using your email, Google, or Facebook account. It’s quick and easy!

Step 2: Choose the Right Template

Once you’re logged in, type “mood board” into the search bar. You’ll find a bunch of templates specifically designed for creating mood boards. Have a look through and choose one that catches your eye and feels right for the style you’re thinking about.

I chose the one below for today’s mood board tutorial. Don’t worry about the images and colors that are already on the template. The entire thing is completely customizable!

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Simply click on the element that you want to change the color of, change the size of, or delete. You can also duplicate items by clicking on the item that you want more of, then click the + sign.

You can also drag images to different places on the template. More on that below.

Step 3: Collect Your Inspiration

Now for the fun part! Gather all those inspiring images you’ve been saving. Think about textures, colors, furniture, and anything else you love. You’ll need these for your mood board.

Save them to a folder on your PC, phone, or tablet.

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Most of the images that you save will have a background of some sort. The background can be distracting, so I prefer to remove it before adding an item to my design.

If you use the paid version of Canva, it includes a background remover tool. But you can also find free tools online. Simply do a Google search for “free background remover” and you have your choice of several options.

Here’s an example of an image before and after the background was removed.

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💡 TIP: Even if you don’t know the exact elements or look that you want for a room, creating a mood board is the perfect place to get started refining your look.

Step 4: Upload Your Images

On the Canva interface, you’ll see an ‘Uploads’ section on the left-hand side.

Click it and then drag your images there or use the ‘Upload an image’ button. Your photos will then appear in the Uploads section.

Step 5: Create Your Mood Board

Drag and drop your uploaded images onto the template. Arrange them to your liking—you can resize and move them around until everything looks just right. 

This step is all about experimenting with what looks best, so take your time and play around with it.

Below you can see that I started deleting some of the elements that were already on the template. 

You have the choice of deleting the image or deleting the frame or grid. If you only delete the image, you can replace it with one from your uploads, but it will auto-fit into that frame.

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Here is the example, ready to go. You can see that I chose to delete only the images, but kept the grids and frames. I’ll be resizing some of them and adding more as I go.

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Step 6: Add Text

This template came with text already on it, but you can change, add to, or delete it just like the rest of the elements.

You can choose from a variety of fonts and colors. Add text to label your images or to jot down any ideas that relate to the visuals.

I changed the wording on mine, but kept the font the same.

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If you want to add descriptions or notes to your mood board, click on the ‘Text’ button on the left side menu. 

Step 7: Fine-Tune Your Design

Adjust the finer details of your mood board. Canva allows you to change the background color, add shapes, lines, or icons, and even apply filters to your images.

These tools are great for giving your mood board a polished look.

Step 8: Review Your Work

Take a step back and review your mood board. Make sure it represents your vision and feels cohesive. This is your visual plan for your space, so it’s important that you’re happy with it.

And here is my completed project! You can make yours as complicated or as simple as you like.

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When I’m putting one together, I prefer to include each piece of furniture and as many elements as I can – a rug, accessories, textiles, and even paint colors.

Even though all of the elements may not make the final cut, visualizing a completed room is crucial to my creative process.

Step 9: Download or Share Your Mood Board

When you’re satisfied with your creation, you can download it to your computer in a variety of formats like JPEG, PNG, or PDF.

I always print mine out and carry with me so that it’s always handy if I’m out shopping. 

Alternatively, you can share it directly from Canva to anyone who might be helping you with your project, or even post it on social media to show your friends.

Step 10: Save Your Project

Projects auto-save in Canva, so that you can come back and edit it anytime if you find new inspiration or want to adjust your plans.

And there you have it! Creating a mood board doesn’t have to be complicated, and with Canva, it’s actually quite fun. 

Now take another look at my completed breakfast room makeover. You can quickly see that it doesn’t look exactly like my mood board.

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But that’s okay! The secret trick to using a mood board is to act as an inspiration board that helps to keep the direction of your project headed in the right direction.

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When I first started working on my breakfast room I had no idea exactly what I wanted the finished product to look like. I only knew how I wanted the room to “feel”. 

Once I found my inspiration (which was the fabric), I was able to determine a color palette, what I already own, and what else I could bring into the room. The mood board made it easy to visualize it before it was reality. 

I hope you give mood boards a try! I think you’ll find that creating one is a practical step when starting any decorating project. It will allow you to see all of your ideas laid out in front of you and make it easy to make adjustments beforehand.

Chapter 3 of the Simply Decoration series: Find Your Home Decor Style With a Quiz

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