When it comes to designing a home, it’s easy to focus on the big picture—overall layout, rooflines, or how the home will sit on the site. But what often brings a home to life are the finer details: finishes, fixtures, textures, and tones. And while these elements may seem small individually, together, they form a visual and tactile language that defines the home’s character.

To bring this palette together for one of our recent clients, our Studio Director, Jessica Benner, turned to a digital pinboard tool. By compiling and arranging screenshots of potential finishes, Jessica created a digital mood board—an approach that offered not only a clear view of each element but also the opportunity to see how they would interact. Grouping selections by room helped to establish cohesion from one space to the next, while scaling and layering the images gave a sense of how each material would present in context.

“When selecting items individually, it can be tough to visualize how they’ll work together,” Jessica explains. “By dragging and dropping screenshots into the pinboard, I can ‘see’ the whole collection as one cohesive story.”

This method allows for fluid experimentation. Swap one cabinet style or paint color, and you instantly see how it shifts the balance of the palette. It’s a process that brings confidence to decisions that might otherwise feel overwhelming.

Not sure where to begin? Jessica recommends starting with a single piece you’re drawn to—something that feels right. Whether it’s a family heirloom rug, a favorite paint color, or even a well-loved throw pillow, anchoring your selections around one meaningful item can bring clarity to the process. Adding that piece to your mood board gives you a visual and emotional starting point. From there, choices naturally begin to align, and a cohesive palette can emerge with direction and intention.

As with all aspects of our design work, the goal is to make complex choices feel navigable. By presenting the options in a clear, composed visual layout, the selection process becomes not just manageable—but enjoyable.