Does this sound like you?

Do you have trouble visualizing how your space might look if you made some changes? My solution is always to make digital design boards, whether for client projects or when contemplating changes in my own home.

These boards are fun to create and super helpful when making decisions, so I made a video so you can see how I do it.

Please note that it’s easier to watch instructional videos if you play them in full-screen mode. Here ya go:

Did you watch it? I can wait. You can zip through it although I wouldn’t recommend changing the settings to a faster speed because if I talked any faster my head would probably explode. Honest - I put a little sign on my desk that said “Slow Down!” - but it didn’t help.

Let’s make it as easy as possible!

Here are a few more tips on how to save/send/use the digital board that you’re going to make:

Save it and compress it:

• Save it as a .pptx (that’s a normal Powerpoint file). When you open it again, you can still move things around and add pictures, links, etc. But then save it again as a pdf . PDF’s can be easier to send to yourself (so it’s on your phone when you go shopping) or to your favorite salesperson at a local store.

• Your digital board might end up with a lot of pictures on it so the file size can get heavy. Even as a pdf, it still might be a very large file. If so, go to www.smallpdf.com and drop your pdf in to reduce the size. Then download it. Now it will be much easier to send.

Your virtual boards can go shopping with. you.

• OR do a screen shot of your Powerpoint slide or slides. Keep it in your photos on your phone. The links won’t be clickable, but you’ll still have a lot of information for quick reference.

  
  
  
  
  

Reducing the size of photos and slides is a daily activity for me, so I’m a huge fan of smallpdf and www.tinypng.com. That last one reduces the file size of jpegs and pngs. It’s free.

I’ve done a gazillion digital design boards to help homeowners “see” how the products I recommended would work in their rooms. What follows are some examples.

This first one was a double work-from-home office space that had a terrific gallery wall above the desks. Most of it was black and white, so I continued that color palette on the accent rug and bookcases. This lets the red chair in the corner go POP!

This next board showed my recommendations to update a very traditional Dining Room. There are a LOT of those in my area, but they’re not hard to work with. Including a picture of the current space on your board is a good idea.

This last one is in the video. If the client followed my recommendations (shown below), he now has a home that matches his vibrant personality.

I hope you see the value in making these boards and will give it a try when you next tackle a decorating project in your home. They’re fun, easy and super helpful in making the right decisions about what to buy to get the best result.

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments.

with sparkle and texture,

Anne