So, you’ve been dreaming of the perfect kitchen for as long as you can remember and now it’s time to start the planning process- but, where should you start?
We believe a moodboard is a great first step to help you hone your creativity.
In this Journal post, we’ll look at how to pull together an effective moodboard and how creating one could help you plan and experiment with ideas for your kitchen renovation, whilst helping your kitchen designer get a clear idea of what you’re searching for.
A moodboard is a place to collect samples and experiment with ideas, with colours, textures and patterns that inspire you. You could start with simply an idea, from a picture you’ve found in a magazine, from a colour you’ve always loved or from a kitchen accessory you already had.
A moodboard is a brilliant tool, no matter how creative you are, for allowing your ideas to become a reality, and to help others, such as your kitchen designer, get a true feeling for what you’re trying to achieve in your kitchen renovation.
If you have so many ideas that you’re not sure what to choose, creating a moodboard can help you to identify patterns in your preferences, pinpointing your personal style and allowing you to move forward with your kitchen planning.
The best way to kick-start your moodboard is by collecting together all the inspiration you have- this could be magazine clippings, pictures of kitchens you love, colour swatches, kitchen accessories or textures. From these, you should be able to see some sort of regularity and pattern to your preferences, and if you can’t, play around with everything you’ve collected to separate them into similar styles or colour palettes.
Picking your focal colour- the shade that will make the biggest statement in your space- is a vital starting point in a moodboard. This is the colour you will base everything else upon- from handles and flooring, to your kitchen accessories and textiles, so it’s important to use a large sample in your moodboard for a closer represent.
If you’re creating a moodboard alone (before heading to a kitchen designer), create a paint swatch of your chosen colour, or a selection of colours you like if you’re yet to decide, and experiment with complementing shades. If you’re creating a moodboard with your specialist 1909 retailer, they will be happy to use samples to experiment with colour combinations for you, offering advice and image examples (where available) to help you visualise how your colours will look in a kitchen.
Here, we’ve chosen Cadet Blue as our feature colour, pairing it with the calming Dove Grey and a beautiful Neolith Calcatta Silk worksurface, for a uniquely refined yet retro feel.
Handles are a finishing touch that can completely transform the look and feel of a space, so it’s important to make the right decision to best suit your dream kitchen. Experiment with different finishes and styles, considering what the best finish is to match your colour scheme and thinking about the practicalities of different handle styles.
If you’re not working on your moodboard with a kitchen designer so can’t access a range of kitchen handles, why not collect images of handles you like, using these to visualise how they would sit against your chosen colour scheme.
The handles shown here are the Antique Bronze knurled knob and bar.
So, you’ve chosen your colour scheme and the main detailing, so now it’s time to start layering up on your moodboard and consider pieces that will bring life and individual style to your kitchen.
Mixing textures is a great way to create depth. In our moodboard, we’ve chosen natural elements to complement the bright, playfulness of Cadet, with greenery and a wooden chopping board that both stand out beautifully against the colour scheme.
You could also bring textured depth through fabric samples, to represent the tea-towels, aprons etc. that you will use to accessorise your space. Experiment and work with your inspiration, until you’ve found the perfect selection of pieces to suit your design.
The last thing left to do with your moodboard is to bring the personality you hope your kitchen will have. This might mean playing around with accessories you have bought in anticipation of your renovation, items you’ve always had, or things you know will be on display. Do they match your kitchen look? Do they complement your chosen colour scheme?
We chose to use neutral accessories to match the calming tone of the kitchen, for a clean-cut balance of modern yet traditional.
1909 Slab kitchen in Cadet Blue and Dove Grey
Are you going to create a moodboard to plan your upcoming kitchen renovation? We’d love to see them!
Tag us in your moodboard pictures over on social media.
Searching for a 1909 specialist retailer to help you start your planning process? Find your closest expert here: https://www.1909kitchens.co.uk/retailers
Explore our full kitchen range: https://www.1909kitchens.co.uk/kitchens
Book a complimentary design session with your local 1909 expert to start planning your dream kitchen.
With our beautiful brochure, you can explore 1909 inspiration from the comfort of your very own home.
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