Lately I have been thinking about mood boards and their place within the design process. A mood board is a powerful visual tool to keep your thoughts and expressions focused and deliberate. Right now I am loving this image by Alexandru Ionita. It matches the mood of today... it is still the middle of September, but it feels like we've jumped to mid-October with a crisp autumn night, brown leaves curled up on the cold, damp lawn, freezing overnight temps, and dark by 5:00 pm.

I would love to be able to include this image into a mood board for a garden design. I think it speaks volumes about an experience one could create with layers, corridors, hedges, directed vistas...My imagination is enjoying the parallels. There are not very many requests for structured or formal gardens here in Utah, at least I have had none in my 11 years as a designer. Which saddens me sometimes. Maybe someday.