Behind the Moodboard: The Nuts and Bolts of an Interior Design Scheme
Moodboards are pretty. They’re nice to look at. They’re inspiring, and I most certainly love them…. BUT… when it comes down to the nitty gritty of an interior design scheme, they are merely the shine - the polished exterior of the nuts and bolts of what really makes an interior design refresh or renovation successful.
The inner workings of an interior design scheme are all about the ‘Spec List’.
It’s the mechanics - how it all fits together.
It’s also the PLAN.
The MAP to success.
Without it, you’d be lost.
Lost in a world of beautiful inspiring moodboards showing ‘what you could’ve won’.
If only you’d had the instruction manual, map and compass that is ‘The Specification List’!
It’s basically a glorified shopping list, but so much more valuable than your weekly trip to Aldi. It’s a shopping list to business profits, to happier guests, and to wow-factor interiors. It is the bible for your design scheme and will lead your way in times of panic, stress and ‘what the hell am I doing?’ moments. Return to your Spec List and all will be well.
Of course, this is only the case if you’ve spent the time to compile one in the first place! And it does take time.
I would be lying through my designer’s teeth if I told you it was as easy as writing a ‘shopping list’, because its more like creating a map covering undulating mountains, lakes and unpredictable terrain - a tricky task but you KNOW that the map will help you navigate what is to come, so it’s worth the effort in the long run.
OK, so comparing a Spec list to a Duke of Edinburgh Orienteering challenge, may be a bit extreme (there’ll certainly be no need for walking boots and a pac-a-mac when creating a specification list) but stick with me.
The route to a successful interior design scheme - one which results in an interior different to your competition and which wows your potential guests in every image that they see and every room that they walk into, is a time-consuming process involving consideration of many aspects and a reliance on creativity coming on demand. It is developed, it is reassessed, it is edited, it is changed, until eventually the route becomes clearer, and progress can be made.
Once in place, the Spec List is invaluable to the success of the realisation of that ‘vision’ in the moodboard. This is what everyone else will see. But YOU know what goes on in the background! You know how fast your feet were peddling in order to create that considered and perfectly put together look (I’m thinking of the Flintstone’s car here - such a lovely ride, but so much work to get there!).
When I create a Specification List, it works in conjunction with a moodboard, and always comes with specific visuals to show HOW the items in the list combine perfectly to create the desired look. This visual addition really brings the list ‘to life’ and allows any ‘non-visual’ person to see the possibilities of the various combinations - numerous combinations! - of the items listed.
To carry on with the map-reading analogy, it’s like seeing ahead of time the significant points along the route so you know what’s coming and what to expect. It makes the journey more exciting because you have glimpsed the future - and you know how worth it will all be in the end.
So if you want that impressive, awesome, wow-factor interior, you will NEED a plan of action, and that plan comes in the form of a Specification List.
While she may be the ugly sister of the beautiful moodboard, she is undoubtedly the one which will blossom when you see her true worth!
I offer a full bespoke Design Scheme & Specification List for your property - meaning you can save time planning and compiling both! Or Ready-To-Go Schemes too!
Both mean you’ll be happy in the knowledge that I’ll provide the ‘right’ map to take you where you want to go (a better interior design = a healthier occupancy rate = a higher nightly rate = a better profit!)
Photo of me: Kerry Harrison Photography