Midnight Botanica: Design Development

With the concept and schematic design complete, we moved into the design development phase, where ideas finally start to feel real. This is the stage where sourcing, moodboards, and materials come together to create a home that feels both intentional and full of personality.

From Inspiration to Sourcing

Once layouts and measurements were finalized, I began sourcing. For Midnight Botanica, I leaned into sculptural silhouettes, moody velvet upholstery, and organic finishes like wood, marble, and brass. These pieces felt dramatic but still livable and tied back to our “secret garden at midnight” vision.

I always start broad, gathering lots of options for each major piece. Sofas, accent chairs, credenzas, and tables all go into the mix while I explore what might work. From there, I focus on the hero pieces first, the ones that set the tone of a room. Think a velvet sofa, a bold credenza, or sculptural accent chairs. Once those anchors are in place, I layer in rugs, lighting, side tables, and accessories. This approach helps every selection feel intentional and part of the bigger story.

To stay organized during this stage, I rely heavily on Pinterest. I keep private boards for each room and create categories for different furniture types—sofas, chairs, tables, lighting, rugs, and accessories. Whenever I find something I like, I pin it directly from the source so I can easily revisit the product page. This way, I can see all of my options side by side, compare details, and begin editing them down into strong design directions.

Designer Tip: Pinterest is one of my favorite behind-the-scenes organization tools. With the Pinterest plugin, I can pin items directly from any site, and each pin links back to the product page. Creating private boards for each room with categories for sofas, chairs, lighting, etc, makes it easy to compare, refine, and edit. This keeps the process organized and flexible when stock or lead times change, without overwhelming the client with too many options.

Organized Pinterest boards with categories for sofas, chairs, tables, and lighting.

Building the Moodboards

Once the sourcing was underway, I began building moodboards to visualize the possibilities. These boards layer furniture, fabrics, stone, brass, and wood finishes so I can test how different pieces play together.

For the living room, I created two design options to present. One design leaned lighter, with a blue velvet sofa paired with tonal accent chairs. The other leaned bolder, with floral patterned chairs and a sculptural sofa that brought in more drama.

After narrowing it down, I pulled everything into a final layered moodboard. This board included all of the furniture and décor: a navy velvet sofa, patterned and green velvet accent chairs, marble and brass side tables, a moody rug, and a sculptural credenza. Seeing everything together allowed the design to come alive as a complete vision.

Living Room Design Option 1

Living Room Design Option 2

Final Living Room Design Moodboard

Designer Tip: You don’t need specialized design software to create moodboards. Canva or Google Slides are simple tools that work beautifully. Save images of the pieces you love and begin laying them out together. Swap a sofa here, add a chair there, and test different combinations until you find the balance that feels right. Seeing items together visually is one of the best ways to catch design clashes early and refine your overall look.

This phase was all about exploration and refinement, turning inspiration into tangible design directions. Next, we’ll take you behind the scenes of the final selections, the pieces we loved most and how they came together to complete the Midnight Botanica story.