My Fancy Bathroom Mood Boards Plus How I Make Them
This post is about bathroom mood boards.
Creating a bathroom mood board before and during your bathroom remodel or bathroom refresh process can be a total game changer. I’ve found that often I found, via making a bathroom mood board that the patterns and color combinations that work the best with my base materials (flooring and signature furniture or Art) are ones that I naturally wouldn’t gravitate towards. Making a mood board gives you a goal to move towards and makes the final outcome better and less of a (bad) surprise.
What is a Bathroom Mood Board?
A bathroom mood board is a visual collage that combines colors, textures, materials, and design elements to define the aesthetic of your bathroom. It’s a planning tool that helps you see how different elements work together before committing to a design.
Why Use a Mood Board for Bathroom Design?
- Visual Clarity: Helps you organize and visualize ideas.
- Avoid Design Mistakes: Prevents clashing styles or mismatched elements.
- Streamline Decision-Making: Simplifies choosing materials and finishes.
Layout and Organization of A Bathroom Mood Board
Your collage can be organized in an organic way where materials overlap or very structured. It’s really up to your preference. Here’s what does matter when you’re making a mood board:
- The scale of the items needs to be relative. You don’t want to show your floor to ceiling tile sample as smaller than your faucet fixtures… If there are elements that are main themes and larger then display them as larger on your bathroom mood board.
- Choose products and materials that are within your budget so you aren’t frustrated and disappointed later. Yes, maybe we LOVE that brass and marble enclosed shower but if our reality and budget is curtains on a tub shower combo then stick to including shower curtains or sliding tub shower doors in the mood board.
- Place the for-sure elements first and let them dictate colors in accessories and paint. If you are doing a bathroom refresh and have to work around existing tile then go with the flow… even if that tile is a color green you do not like, it would be MUCH better to work around that green by adding it into Art or using analogous colors to flatter it than pretending like it’s not there. Some of the most brilliant bathroom designs use strange colors or elements but you’ve got to work with what you’ve got if it’s not in your budge to change it.
- Update the mood board as you purchase elements and add them to the space. This way you are working with reality and not fantasies/ideals
How to Create a Bathroom Mood Board
1. Define Your Vision
Before starting, think about the look and feel you want. Is it a modern, spa-like retreat? A vintage-inspired space? Or something bold and eclectic?
2. Gather Inspiration
Browse Pinterest, Instagram, and design websites for bathroom designs you love. Save images of tile patterns, vanities, fixtures, and decor. Figure out what the common themes are. For our primary bathroom I saw almost all of my inspiration pics included marble, oak, and brass.
3. Choose a Color Palette
Select 2-4 main colors to guide your design. For example:
- Neutral tones for a minimalist feel
- Blues and greens for a coastal or vintage vibe
- Bold blacks and golds for a the dark and moody look
In addition to colors you are drawn to it’s SO important to figure out if you are more drawn to contrast, mono/duotone, or analagous color schemes.
I personally LOVE the analagous color scheme look where you are picking one main color and then the other 2-4 colors near that color on the color wheel (an example would be pink, red, orange, and yellow.
I also love and often tend towards a more monochromatic look wehre I’m layering mostly different shades of a color then adding in a bit analagous color or contrast in the accessories.
4. Include Materials and Textures
Add samples of materials such as:
- Tiles: Subway, hexagonal, marble
- Countertops: Quartz, granite, concrete
- Flooring: Wood-look tiles, natural stone
- Fixtures: Matte black, polished chrome, brass
- Textiles: Curtains, rugs, upholstered furniture
5. Use Digital Tools or Physical Boards
- Digital Mood Boards: Canva, Spoak or Photoshop are excellent tools. I use all three of these for my design process.
- Physical Boards: Use a corkboard and pin fabric swatches, printed images, and material samples. This is what I think most legit designers do for clients as they are collecting samples from companies but I am not that fancy or part of trade programs. I’m also not that patient so I usually start digitially and then I get samples as I go and am ready to add an element. Some of this also has to do with how quickly a design will go from mood board to reality- I’m financially challenged so my porcess is a lot slower.
Tips for Refining Your Bathroom Mood Board
- Stay Consistent: Stick to your theme and color palette to maintain cohesion.
- Balance Bold Elements: Use statement pieces sparingly to avoid overwhelming the space.
- Consider Functionality: Ensure that your design choices meet your practical needs, such as storage and lighting.
My Personal Bathroom Mood Boards
As I mentioned, our home remodel is moving as slow as mollasses (can you tell I was raised in the South?) and so I am not making bathroom mood boards for all the 4 bathrooms in our home yet because I know that over the years (YES, YEARS!) it is going to take to re-build our home after having to gut it due to toxic mold (that story here) that trends, product availability, our family’s needs, and my personal taste will change.
I will continue to update this post with new bathroom mood boards for our home as I make them but for now, let’s start with the mood boards I made for our primary bathroom.
Bathroom Mood Boards Made Using Canva
Canva Mood Board Templates
- I found the above template from Etsy. You can find it here.
- Etsy is also a great place to find inexpensive bathroom mood board templates for canva. I really like this one.
Bathroom Mood Boards Used Using Photoshop
How I use Photoshop to design is a lot more structured than my bathroom mood boards I make in canva. I start in Canva to get a loose idea of how the colors and patterns work together and then I will take a picture once I’ve gotten walls and flooring installed/painted and I will use Photoshop to place the items.
I don’t have a Spoak mock up for my primary bathroom but Spoak is usually used between canva and Photoshop when I’m trying to figure out the layout of a room and how the crude placement of items looks. I can quickly add items to a Spoak layout but it’s not going to look as good as Photoshop so by using these three platforms I use the best each has to offer while staying as efficient as possible.
If you want a one stop shop for bathroom mood board design then I would for sure recommend Spoak.
I use Photoshops new “remove background” feature and there generative AI feature (sometime helpful and often not) to help me take product listing photos and layer them onto a picture I took of my space.
Here’s my bathroom piture before adding possible accessory mockups so you can see how much it helps.
Final Thoughts on Bathroom Mood Boards
Bathroom mood boards are a game-changer for anyone tackling a bathroom makeover. They simplify the design process and give you confidence in your choices. Whether you prefer a sleek modern aesthetic or a cozy farmhouse vibe, a mood board can bring your dream bathroom to life. Check back on this post as well as my Instagram or TikTok for updates as I create more mood boards for our other bathrooms.
