As a teen, did you ever rip pages out of a magazine of your favorite teen actors, fashion and outrageous new furniture styles? Then with globs of white glue, did you paste all those funky photos onto a poster board? Many people called these collages or mood boards. These inspirational photos helped you to formulate your personal style. They gave you something to aspire to!

When creating a design, a design board helps to inspire and create vision for the end result of a project. Design boards are also called ‘concept boards’. Their purpose is a visual representation of your ideas.

Not in the too distant past, design boards were created by tool and hand. Gathering material samples, creating board layouts, cutting and sizing, drawing miniature room ideas and gluing it all artfully on craft board. The glueing! Oh so much hot glue!!! These creations took hours and blood, sweat, and tears all for presentation.

Today it’s so much more streamlined. Our digital age has even broad design boards to our fingertips. There are so many computer programs, and even mobile apps, that allow a designer to gather ideas and create stunning concept pages that can be digitally presented to a client.

And… technology allows a designer with a click of a button to make changes and updates per the client’s desires.

No more remorse of having to return to the office and ‘attempt’ to pry the marble sample off the craft board without ruining the entire concept board that took hours to glue together. Now we can instantly change the finishes and even add them to a 3D computer simulation that allows you to virtually tour your new space.

Design boards are a necessity for us! It is an instruction manual for the whole project. Not only are finished chosen, but you can see how they will compliment each other. Not only can you see the actual furniture pieces that will be lovingly placed in your room, you can see how each piece of furniture speaks to the overall design. At this stage of the process, we have probably presented many design boards to our client and each one has progressed with the design choices.

The first design boards were more like the mood boards you created as a teen. They would have had images that inspired a feeling. The late concepts presented to you will be schematic. Floor plans will be presented showing furniture placement and finish choices will be illustrated so you can trust that what you’ve communicated to us about how you want your space will be accurately executed.

You know what’s even more exciting? Have you been keeping a binder of all the things you would love to have in your home?

Bring us the binder and let us turn your design dreams into reality! We can bring your inspiration items to life within your space. Let us turn your dreams into a beautiful design board that will help you envision your ultimate space and watch it come to life!

Stylishly yours,

The Chelsee Sowder Design Team

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