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New Houzz on the block
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I'm really excited about sharing a new, cool site with my Readers; especially if you love to look at beautiful photographs of homes, 
decor and interior design. (And the commentary is helpful too, just ask Yola Ozturk, Houzz Community Member and Real Estate Broker, pictured on the right.) Houzz is like a free magazine, planning book and, oh, well, let's talk about it because....
...there is indeed a new Houzz on the block and we have an interview with two of the Houzz founders to explain it:
Q.: Can you tell Home and Living Readers what's on the Houzz website?
Houzz has thousands of photos from top designers and architects that you can browse for free, to help you find design ideas for your next home project. The photos can be sorted by style, room type and geographical location, so if you are looking specifically for modern dining room ideas, or a Chicago-based architect, that is what you will easily find.
You can also search Houzz by keyword; searching "fireplaces" would immediately give you hundreds of fireplace photos, and save you from having to flip through a stack of magazines to tear out just a few photos. Of course, some people like just flipping through the thousands of photos on Houzz! Houzz also has a tagging feature, so you can add information to a photo, like the brand of a table, or where to buy a couch.
Q.: Who is behind this creation?
Houzz was started by 2 homeowners interested in redecorating and discouraged by how expensive and time consuming it is to find great home ideas. They turned to the Internet, and realized there was not a site where you could find specific design ideas and high-quality photos - in one place. So they started Houzz, a free directory of photos, ideas and design professionals.
Q.: What is your mission exactly?
Houzz wants to help homeowners and renters find, save and share design photos. Starting to think about a home project is an exciting time, when visualizing what you want, and don't want, is very important. Together, the Houzz users create a community that offers design tips, lots of photos and ideas and professionals to implement your design ideas.
An architect using Houzz said, "Usually people find out about my work through my name, because I have been referred to them by someone. With Houzz, people see my work first. And so I get new clients contacting me, and they already know what I do and that they would like to work with me."
Q.: Who gets to register at Houzz and how is that done?
Anyone can register at www.houzz.com. Just click on "sign up" at the top right of the page. Architects, designers, contractors and other professionals who would like to upload their portfolios should visit www.houzz.com/professionals and click on "get listed here for free" on the right.
Q.: How have you managed to keep the site services free?
Houzz grew out of a labor of love - to make it easier for people to find design ideas. For now, the focus is on building a thriving site that homeowners and professionals find useful. And thus joining and using Houzz is free.
Q.: Wow! The ideabooks function is really nice. Can you speak to Readers who don't know about it yet?
Well thank you very much! People love the ideabooks, as they are a way to save their favorite photos from across the Houzz site. You can add comments and notes to particular photos and share images with your friends or professionals helping you with a project. You can create a "Favorite Kitchens" ideabook for a future remodel, a "Decorating with Patterns" ideabook for updating your livingroom, or an "Infinity Pools" ideabook for when you win the lottery!
Q.: How is the design industry coping in the face of the economy?
Well, as you probably know, the economy has hit home/design magazines hard and several publications have shut down recently. People are increasingly turning towards the Internet for home ideas.
Q.: I noticed a visitor can even change the background of the site from black to white. Input?
It seemed appropriate that a site dedicated to helping homeowners change the look of their homes, would offer them a choice that allowed them to change the look of the site. But it really started because we couldn't decide which we liked better. You decide!
Q.: What is Houzz going to do in the future?
Houzz is going to continue building a community of design fans and professional architects/designers, as well as expand upon the site by adding new features and search options. And of course, we will be using Houzz to continue to improve our own homes!
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