Make a Mood Board

A mood board is a curated collection of images compiled by you, according to what you like. It represents the overall essence of the landscape you’ll be creating, and can be referenced throughout the design process as an anchor for decision-making. Don’t worry if you don’t have a clear vision to start– this process will help you discover and refine your preferences.

1. Collect Images

Collect any pictures of landscapes or landscape features that you like, without thinking too hard about why you like them.

• You can get your images from a variety of sources: personal photographs, garden and landscaping magazines, the internet, even rough sketches– whatever is most accessible and interesting to you. Pinterest can be a good resource for finding inspiration photos, and you can save images you like directly on their platform.
• The larger your pool of images is now, the easier it will be to spot patterns, themes, and outliers in the next step. 
• It can be helpful to compile some references of things you don’t like, especially if you note what you don’t like about it.

2. Take Stock

Spend a minute taking in your collected images. Generally, you should like what you see!

Take notes on your images. Brief descriptions of what you like about different images are helpful, like: “color palette,” “patio,” or “cozy feel.” Longer explanations are even better, such as: “like the pergola design; don’t like the material,” or “love the way the flowers spill onto the path.”

3. Whittle Down

Set aside images that are the strongest representations of what you like, making a new, more focused collection.

• Remember that an image can be useful even if you only like one element in it– maybe you save it because it’s the best example of the pathway material you like, and you don’t care about anything else in the image. If you haven’t already, make note of those distinctions.
• You will probably notice a recurring style or feature that you saved multiple examples of– be sure to keep one or two images from each of these repeated themes.

4. Finalize

Make sure you can see all the images in your new, narrowed-down pool. Ask yourself the following questions (if more than one person worked through this process together, have each individual answer these questions separately, then compare results):