#Houzz furniture pro#

At a time when Pinterest and augmented reality design visualization tools like Houzz’s View in My Room 3D make going DIY seem like an easy, cheap alternative, designers are more hard-pressed than ever to prove their worth. It may come as little surprise that designers with alternate revenue streams (like custom products in addition to design services) are faring better on Houzz. “One year I had over $65,000 in online sales. “I’ve had people see my images and they want to have a dresser or bed that they've seen in the photo made,” Abrams says. Plus, Abrams notes, you never know when one of those inquiries might turn into serious business. “I can appreciate that not everyone has seen as much success with Houzz as I have, but I think it’s ridiculous not to give out a paint name-I mean, paint colors are not a secret! Is it that much sweat off my back to tell someone ‘This paint color is Benjamin Moore Shaker Beige’ and make their day?” “You do get a ton of people who are kicking the tires and have no idea what the cost of your work is,” he says. But if they’re not in that phase or don’t have the budget available to them, they should have other options.”Ībrams readily admits that he fields many questions and inquiries that don’t all turn into paying clients, but for him, that interaction is well worth it. “Would we love everyone to hire an interior designer and an architect? 100%. “Our #1 goal is to make sure we’re not interfering with the ability for people to hire designers when they’re excited about their work,” Liza Hausman, Houzz's VP of industry marketing, tells AD PRO. Laizure runs Interior Design Community, one of a number of social media groups where designers (who often work alone) can foster a collective consciousness, and one of the primary promoters of the Houzz petition.

#Houzz furniture pro#

“Their going rate for increased exposure on Houzz is about $3,500 a year, and for a small designer that’s a big financial loss,' says Laurie Laizure ($3,500 per year would net out to just under $300 per month, so somewhere between one and two Pro Plus zones).

Designers say that most of the leads coming in through the service present unrealistic budgets or simply want to get a quote before embarking on a project themselves. Petition signees, though, feel that the return on investment for an interior designer advertising their services through Pro Plus is minimal. “People mark photos they like and then notice that many of them are mine, and they see that commonality and reach out saying, ‘I saw this pattern and I thought I’d give you a call,’” says Abrams.

'For somebody in New York to say, 'I want to work with a Chicago designer is amazing,'' says Abrams, who believes his activity and large following give him a leg up outside his Pro Plus zone (Abrams has also secured clients from Seattle, Baltimore, and New York through the site and has fielded inquiries from locales as far-flung as Dubai).