How to Create a 3D Mood Board that Inspires

We all know that a lot goes into building 3D renderings and virtual staging projects. But what happens before the project begins?

In many cases, it all starts with a mood board. While not required by all 3D rendering services, some customers will provide a mood board to offer an idea of what they are thinking for their 3D project.

And in most cases, 3D teams will ask for a mood board specifically for virtual staging if they are building furniture from scratch.

Standard 3D projects use design plans, furniture schedules and pre-built plans to create a find rendering, but virtual staging is where you’ll get the most asks for a mood board. That’s simply because virtual staging offers endless creative freedom and a mood board can really help them get a handle on design concept.

So, let’s talk 3D mood boards.

What is a mood board?

A mood board is used in design to visually convey design ideas. Mood boards conceptualize the creation of art, 3D, interior design, or events through pictures, colors and styles that come together to create a full design idea. This in turn helps an artist fully understand the direction to take.

In the case of 3D or virtual staging, mood boards can be incredibly useful resources for interior designers and 3D architects when creating a final product.

How to create a 3D mood board that conveys your ideal design

1. Choose a main interior design style

Starting a mood board is the hardest part, but once you have that starting point for the type of mood and style you’re going for, the rest pretty much fall into place. And that’s where it gets fun.

To start, choose a key style you want to go for. You can even combine styles if you can’t choose just one (we know, it’s hard).

Here are some ideas:

1. Mid-century modern
2. Industrial
3. Nautical
4. Scandinavian
5. Bohemian
6. Farmhouse
7. Urban modern
8. Shabby chic
9. Traditional
10. Transitional

There are far more styles beyond these ten, but this should help you get a good start building your mood board. Check out more interior design styles to get your creative juice flowing.

2. Know your target audience

Of course, you can’t choose your main interior design style without knowing your audience. If you have a property in a city, you may want to avoid farmhouse or nautical (unless, of course, that is totally on brand and fits your audience’s style).

If you manage a multifamily community in the city of New York, perhaps you want to take a spin on traditional and urban modern. Or if your community is rural Michigan and your property is positioned near a college, consider a mix of farmhouse/shabby chic to appeal to a younger demographic.

Bright colors will appeal to younger generations, as well as seniors, too. So consider what resonates best with your audience. Ask yourself, what will your audience enjoy seeing the most during their housing search?

3. Find a good mood board program

You’re probably wondering, how do I build a mood board? We’re glad you asked. There are several ways to building the perfect 3D mood board.

While you can keep it simple by just Googling some images and placing into a Word doc, one of our favorite mood board platforms is… you guessed it, Pinterest.

Pinterest is an easy mood board generator, simply because Pinterest is made up of boards already. It’s easy to build, search and share.

There are plenty of other free mood board generators out there, like this one here, or this one by Adobe Spark. But we recommend Pinterest. It’s filled with endless ideas, furniture selections, and not to mention, tips and ideas that you can share along with your mood board.

4. Break down your mood board into multiple boards

A mood board doesn’t have to be a single standalone board. In fact, breaking it out into multiple boards can really help an artist get an idea of what you’re looking for, especially if your project is large and consists of multiple rooms.

Let’s say for instance you are having three rooms virtually staged. It’s best to break those up into their own labeled boards to keep your thoughts and ideas organized. This helps streamline the production of your project.

5. Don’t be afraid to play with color and originality

Have fun with your mood boards. Play with color and unique designs. We like to think of mood boards as the fun part of virtual staging because this is the time you get to take creativity into your own hands.

Remember that with virtual staging, you’re not buying that expensive piece of furniture or designer rug. You can have complete control and flexibility with a mood board.

Setting the mood: remember to have fun with it

While creating a mood board should be taken seriously, remember that you should also have a little fun with it. Mood boards give you the control to help formulate design ideas flexibly and on your own time.

If you're having some images virtually staged, you're probably not dealing with an interior design consultant. This time, it's you. Have fun with it, and do some research. Most of all, don't forget to ask questions to your 3D design team—they are there to help and provide feedback where needed.

As long as you know your audience, know the style you’re aiming for, and do your research, you can create a 3D mood board that truly inspires.

Want to upgrade your 3D renderings or take your virtual staging to the next level? Contact us today for a free quote.