Help & advice
Creating a mood board for your bathroom design
Before you start buying tiles or paint samples or even parts of your bathroom suite, you need to work out the basics of what look you are trying to achieve and why! This is where your mood board comes in – a group of pictures that capture the look and feel of the room you are renovating.
Practicalities
To start with, be realistic about how you use the room. Who uses it, what for and when? Is it bright and naturally lit? What is going to be practical for you, your family and your bathroom. Are those tiny tiles with lots of grout going to be too much upkeep?
Read more on how to find the best bathroom layout for my space.
Going broad first
Then it's about how you want to feel in the space. Before finalising a mood board, go off and gather a long list of all the images you like. This could be physical – magazines, photographs – or digital, this is where sites like Pinterest come into their own. Pin all the images you like (in a private board if you'd rather).
Materials that require low energy to produce, or natural materials delivered without intensive mining, have the least impact on the planet. Look for certification and information on sourcing and manufacturing processes when you are making a decision.
Read more on the pros and cons of different surface materials for the bathroom.
Narrow down
Ask yourself what you like about the images you've gathered. What's the common thread? Is there a colour that stands out or a texture, shape, look? And then ask yourself which of these can apply to your bathroom, in your house, considering what's practical for the people using it.
Create your mood board
Now that you've reduced your bathroom ideas and inspiration down to a few key images, populate a mood board for your bathroom. The images should all work together, with no single image standing out. For your bathroom you'll want to include:
- Colour - of the walls, ceiling (doesn’t have to be of a bathroom that colour!)
- Wall or floor textures - tile, stone, marble, wet wall design
- Fixtures / metals - what taps are you looking at? Chrome? Brass? Nickel?
- Style of sanitaryware - is there a hero piece like a washstand that you are interested in? Capture it. Or, is the suite square and modern or round and traditional?
- Lighting and accessories - are there any objects of character you want to incorporate like an old bench? What about the lighting, is there a specific look you want to achieve there?
Struggling to agree with a partner or family member?
Try creating a mood board each, then share with one another and discuss why you used the images you did – this will help you find some common ground!
Example mood boards made using Reno
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