The Day We Brought Our Moods to Work!
This past week we had a fun and interactive time in the design studio, compiling fall mood boards! Each team member had a week to think about and curate their fall mood board. We then compiled all the boards and placed throughout the studio! It was a great team building exercise to appreciate and study the components and creativity of each board that our fellow work mates had so carefully crafted!
Amanda’s board featured her ideal home aesthetic with marble accents, gold hardware and organic colour reminiscent of farm fields and wide-open spaces.
What we learned is that fall has many moods, personal to each person, interpreted as expressions through design. What an interesting and unique way to tell our moody fall stories. What was also evident is the way each person communicated their specific work role using their mood board. Also, each mood board contained a special touch by using items from home, keepsakes and other such details. There was a necklace from a grandfather, a turtle pin cushion, a candle holder, a distressed and worn pencil case and a checkered sweater to name a few.
Chris’s board used exotic touches like an ostrich egg to convey a neutral colour palette along with hints of leather, a small painting and rough weathered tile.
Pairings of textured fabrics and colourful wallpapers were also present along with tile samples and other design staples. Upholstery swatches, flooring pieces and rug samples rounded out the accessories that we all selected to finish off our boards.
Jenis used her grandfather’s necklace to communicate a special story accentuated with antiqued weathered brass hardware and a favourite scarf.
Mood boards become artistic creations when built together as a team and visually render from all angles akin to abstract art. The art of sharing creative expression is connective and unifying. The coming together of creative minds is a powerful force and influence. I think we all started to further understand the power of mood boards and how we use them to connect and convey ideas and direction to our clients.
Evan and Trina’s boards used soft influences and weathered barn board as a jumping off point.
Mood boards are such an essential tool today in our Home by Tim + Chris world, but they actually have a fascinating history in design. Here’s a breakdown of how they came to be and why they became central in interior design:
Adoption in Interior Design
Interior designers in the mid-20th century began adopting this practice as a way to show clients not just individual items, but the overall feeling of a space. Instead of relying on floor plans or fabric swatches alone, designers started arranging photographs, paint chips, textile samples, and sketches onto boards. These became a tactile, interactive way to capture a concept before moving into costly installations.
Mood boards can also include furniture, cabinetry and lighting direction.
A spring mood board example that consisted of colour swatches and tile samples for a Sturgeon Lake cottage project.
The Rise of Client Presentations
By the 1970s and 1980s, as design became more client-centered and commercialized, mood boards became a staple of the presentation process. They bridged the gap between technical drawings (which clients often struggled to interpret) and the designer’s creative vision. A well-crafted board helped clients see and feel the direction, building confidence in the project.
Kevin’s board featured art by Joan Horsfall Young, a Fenelon ornament and timbits for the win! Note to self for client mood board ideas!
Digital Transformation
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, digital tools like Photoshop, InDesign, and later Pinterest and Canva, shifted mood boards from physical foam boards and cut-outs to digital collages. This allowed designers to quickly swap images, explore multiple directions, and share boards virtually with clients.
Our designers use mood boards to build your visual design identity. They are a way to ensure your style and design aesthetic match the project outcome.
Evan’s use of soft wheat colours and tile textures showed as stark contrast against a strong peach paint swatch.
Mood Boards Today
Now, mood boards aren’t just about aesthetics—they’re about storytelling. In interior design, they help convey the mood, lifestyle, and atmosphere of a space, not just the objects that will fill it. With VR and 3D rendering on the rise, mood boards continue to evolve, but the principle remains the same: they’re a bridge between imagination and reality.
We love diving into the world of textures, colours, and inspiration with our mood board creations. Playing with some fun colours and interesting mixes of fabric to find what works for clients and their beautiful homes.
In short: Mood boards grew out of creative collaging practices, evolved into a client communication tool in mid-century design, and have become one of the most powerful ways to set direction and emotion in a project.
Example of a client mood board in studio from a previous project.
We also see mood boards taking on a seasonality approach whereby we can build colour, feeling and texture into our presentations. Our recent mood board exercise focused on fall and we were able to depict and tell a seasonal story. Personal expression is something we foster as a work team and we look to one another for inspiration and design diversity. Mood boarding together was a fun and surprising exercise. Each personality and skill set were apparent in the result and having a view into how each person interpreted their board really had us in awe of the talent and expertise that we possess as a team at Home by Tim + Chris!
Lisa’s board used upholstery inspiration with art to depict warm shades against a stunning wallpaper design.
Our original mood board idea was inspired by these home refresh board ideas by Luxe Interiors and Design: https://preview.luxesource.com/article/fall-home-decor-and-design-mood-boards
We hope our mood boards inspire room refreshes and design ideas. Mood boards are one of the most powerful communication tools an interior designer can use, because they take abstract ideas and turn them into something clients can actually see and feel. They bridge the visual gap, and they build trust with our clients and they spark collaboration.
Joanne’s board with feathers and outdoor materials told a story of migration and season shift.
For more design project inspiration take a walk through our Project Portfolio
