*This blog post is a paid advertorial with Corian Design*
When we extended and renovated our kitchen back in 2012 I had just given birth to our second son and was about to embark upon a career change that would involve forfeiting two thirds of my previous salary (remind me why I thought that was a good idea again?!). That meant we were working to quite a strict budget and so there were certain items on my wish list that I had to compromise on. Worktops were one such item.
I had my heart set on marble, concrete, or Corian surfaces but it was a case of champagne taste and lemonade budget. In the end, we ended up going for wood. Five years later, I still regret that decision. It is not that I don’t like the wood it is just that I don’t love it and I have been slowly working on persuading Mr. Malmo that it would be a good idea to upgrade the worktops ever since.
The worktop in the holiday home we recently stayed in during a trip to the Netherlands made me regret my original wooden worktop choice!
So when Corian® Design asked me to try their new Moodboard Maker tool I jumped at the chance! I am one of those people who is literally unable to visualise anything using only my imagination so the Moodboard Maker is the perfect tool for me.
Who is Corian® Design?
Corian® Design is a designer and manufacturer of high quality Solid Surfaces which are made using a blend of minerals and acrylic and can be shaped into literally any design or size you want. There are over 100 different colours and patterns available to choose from so whatever your interior style there will be an option that will work for your space.
The Corian Moodboard Maker
If you are ever having a bad week at work or the kids are winding you up, forget yoga, pilates or meditation and get mood boarding! It may be less likely to tone your abs, improve your core or flexibility, but I think it is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic things you can do as it allows you to escape from reality for a little bit and get in touch with your creative side. The mood boarding I have done in the past when planning out room schemes has been of the analogue variety in the sense that it involved pritt stick, scissors and lots of ripped out pages from magazines. I was really keen to try the much less messy digital version.
An introduction to the Moodboard maker
I am not naturally good with technology. Actually, I am naturally terrible with technology. I have an innate ability to crash an app at 50 paces and I think the IT guy at work has now started fielding my calls to avoid the almost daily questions I have about how to use Microsoft Excel. Therefore, when I say if I can use the Corian Moodboard Maker tool, then anyone can. I really mean it! It is super simple and straightforward. The end goal is to create a visual mosaic with several pieces that represent different surfaces, textures and materials to create a design story for your space.
The first step in the process is to choose a style that you think best represents you. The options include Organic, Minimal, Relaxed, Modern, Refined, Bohemian or Edgy. The different styles come with a different range of inspiration pictures to choose from. But, you can also upload your own images to the tool quite easily to give you extra choices and personalization. I played around with Organic and Bohemian styles but in the end decided on Minimal as I felt it best captured my Scandi-inspired look.
My kitchen and the existing wooden worktops
You then have a blank Moasaic shape with several different segments to fill. The first step is to pick a Corian® Design swatch that you want to showcase and then you can build the rest of the mosaic around it. You can select more than one Corian® Design Solid Surface swatch if you are struggling to narrow down your options or want to play around with the look and feel. I chose Corian® Solid Surface in Silver Gray and Arrowroot because I am most drawn to these two and am struggling to make a decision.
You then fill up the rest of the segments either using the bank of pre-existing images available in the tool or by uploading your own images which could be anything that inspires you, it doesn’t have to be strictly interiors related. So if you have of a beautiful sunset from your holiday that you really like the colours/feel of then add it into the mix.
I used a combination of images from my own home (both room shots and close ups on textures such as the front of one of my cupboards) and then also drew upon some of the existing Corian images as they blended really nicely with my own pictures.
Photo credit Vintage Piken
I used a picture of the front of one of my kitchen cupboards because I like the distressed wood
You can easily drag and drop images in and switch them around if you don’t think you have the right combination. Et voila one finished moodboard which you can download to your phone or computer, share on your social media platforms, pin to your Pinterest board for your project or even order a framed print of! Here’s my final moodboard:
My final mood board created with the Corian Moodboard Maker