Bobby Berk swears by this traditional trick for beating designer's block – it's so simple anyone can do it

The Queer Eye host's designer-approved hack is so useful for generating ideas

bobby berk
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Any avid design fan knows that sometimes, the ideas just won't come. You are racking your brain over the same space for hours, unable to come up with the perfect solution for crafting your dream room. When you're in that state, it feels like nothing can help. Luckily, there is an answer that interior designers and home decor experts have sworn by for years: moodboarding.

Now, even Bobby Berk, the star interior designer on Netflix's Queer Eye, announces his approval of the interior design technique.

In a recent Instagram video, Bobby Berk tells the camera: 'Whenever I experience a creative design block and I don't really know where to begin I love to take a step back, literally,' he says, stepping back and revealing a wall covered in photos, paint colors, products, and inspirational quotes.

Bobby continues, that the moodboards give him a broader view of the spaces he is designing. Bobby says, 'This really helps me to kind of define the spaces I want to create and really start looking at them in the big picture instead of just the little details at the moment.'

White kitchen with island and wooden flooring

(Image credit: Future)

Bobby's approval of the technique for overcoming designer's block and coming up with home decor ideas echoes experts' assertion that moodboarding is valuable for designers because it helps with being flexible and changing direction while creating. 

Amy Wilson, interior designer at 247 Blinds & Curtains states: 'Moodboards give you the ability to picture what the room is going to look like and to see what works together before committing to any big, physical changes, making it a great way to make you feel more confident with interior design. Once you’ve completed your moodboard, don’t be afraid to swap out anything you are unsure of, you should feel inspired by it so remove anything that no longer feels right for you.'

Blue living room by Farrow & Ball

(Image credit: Farrow & Ball)

She continues, 'Enjoy the process of watching your personal scheme evolve, take your time, and don’t be afraid if things stray from what you initially imagined - embrace new ideas. Your mood board should feel exciting and inspiring whilst giving you a clear idea of where to start your transformation.'


If Bobby Berk swears by it, it's good enough for us. Moodboarding is a simple and effective trick for getting over your designer's block. If putting a board together doesn't work, you can always look at our list of decorating ideas.

Sophie Edwards
News Editor

Sophie is a writer and News Editor on the Celebrity Style team at Homes & Gardens. She is fascinated by the intersection of design and popular culture and is particularly passionate about researching trends and interior history. She is an avid pop culture fan and has interviewed Martha Stewart and Hillary Duff.

In her free time, Sophie freelances on design news for Westport Magazine and Livingetc. She also has a newsletter, My Friend's Art, in which she covers music, culture, and fine art through a personal lens. Her fiction has appeared in Love & Squalor and The Isis Magazine.

Before joining Future, Sophie worked in editorial at Fig Linens and Home, a boutique luxury linens brand. She has an MSc from Oxford University and a BA in Creative Writing and Sociology from Sarah Lawrence College.