How to Visualise your Decorating Projects

How to Visualise your Decorating Projects

One of the main things people say to me when they’re talking about home interiors is that they have real trouble visualising how a room will look when it’s decorated.

I can totally empathise with this because I have exactly the same problem.

I just can’t always see how the room is going to look by the end of the project and it bugs the heck out of me. For one thing, I think after writing, researching and shopping for homes stuff for over 4 years every single day, I should be able to do it. But my mind just doesn’t work that way.

I am a visual thinker. I like to see images and pictures and the world is a more obvious place to me because I do. So when I don’t have a clear vision of how my decorated room is going to look I feel very frustrated.

Many years ago before I started blogging and writing about home interiors (when I had a very different life!) I used to automatically make moodboards when I was decorating. It was as if I subconsciously knew that I needed to do it. And after all, every magazine and the Changing Rooms programme used to do exactly the same thing. In those days, I’d do it on a noticeboard or a large piece of card and spend hours cutting bits out of magazines and sticking them together with paint chips and fabric samples.

Now I pretty much do exactly the same thing but in a more technical and virtual way.

And of course I know I’m not the only one. Companies and architect firms do this all the time for their clients, I guess the assumption is always that the client wants to really see how a place will look on completion. And the bigger the project the more difficult it can be to do that. I love what a company like Cubika Design does for example, taking plans and ideas and making them a reality whether in a virtual image or drawing, and of course then showcasing the after images too. Their 3D visualisation service enables their clients to see how a project will develop, improves communication and aids design development and the sharing of ideas.

Would these systems help you?

1. Pinterest. Ok so if you follow me regularly you’ll know how much of a Pinterest geek I am. Now because I do want my Pinterest account to reflect the blog and my style, I don’t always make personal projects live on my account. If I’m putting together some ideas for a personal decorating project I’ll keep that board secret. In fact, in my secret Pinterest boards section I have a board for each of the rooms in my house so I can gather ideas (and delete them) as I go.
2. Photoshop. A little while ago I did a great Photoshop course with a lovely bunch of interior design students and really got into the whole thing. I realised then how great it is for pulling together design ideas (why else would interior designers be using it!) and how flexible and realistic looking it can be. Obviously not everyone has access to Photoshop but if you use it for editing photos, the possibilities with interior design are also there.
3. Polyvore. I used to use this site all the time and it was great for creating moodboards I could use on the blog and in for my own personal decor projects. I’ve kind of got out of the habit but this is a really good one to try when you want to see how products are going to look together. What’s so great about it is how you can pull in real images from the web – and it will even keep track of the price of everything too. I wrote a tutorial on how to use it a while ago which might be useful.

I think we shouldn’t be afraid of planning and researching our ideas and pulling moodboards together to help us. Is this something you could do for your next decorating project, or are you doing it already

Images courtesy of Cubika Design

Collaborative post

Original article and pictures take lovechicliving.co.uk site