Gary is a back-end engineer at Houzz whose responsibilities include infrastructure, platform architecture, and scaling. Outside of work, he loves to play – whether he’s on the basketball court shooting hoops with friends, at his piano playing song after song, or with his three-year-old son doing anything at all.

How did you get into computer science?
Ever since I was a kid, I always liked to build stuff. I played with Legos and built toy models. I loved having the freedom to create with my hands whatever I imagined in my mind. There was a great sense of satisfaction that came from making something out of nothing.

When I was a teenager, my mom bought me my first computer. That gave me the first taste of what a computer program was and the impact a computer can have on our daily lives. It was fun to play games, of course. But I was also excited by everything you could do on a computer, from typing documents and then printing them onto physical paper, to drawing graphs and diagrams, to searching and finding information that previously could have only been found in a hard-copy encyclopedia.

During my freshman year in college, I was deciding between medicine, architecture and computer science as my major. I ended up going the computer science route because it really combines my love of computers and the designing/building process.

What’s your favorite part of working at Houzz?
You know you’ve found a great place to work when you enjoy it so much that it doesn’t feel like work at all. It really boils down to two things: people and interest.

Everyone here is smart. But there’s no ego. Everyone is collaborative and likes to help each other out. Since you have people with similar values and interests, the team here is a close bunch. We often hang out at night or on weekends. My colleagues at Houzz are not just coworkers; many of them have become life-long friends.

And the work we do together is really interesting. Of all the things you build here, no two days are alike, so you never get bored.

What should an engineering candidate know about working at Houzz?
We put tremendous effort into finding the right cultural fit. We want people who are technically strong and also gel with the way we work. Since there is a flat structure, self-driven motivation and taking responsibility for your projects are key to success. People here have a strong sense of ownership and take pride in what they do.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve worked on at Houzz?
People browse millions of photos and products on the site based on the search infrastructure that I helped build. It’s a great feeling to contribute to an aspect of the site that people love so much. As more and more people learn about Houzz, the number of users on the site continues to increase, and we need to ensure the site is built to handle that growth. That’s one of the technical challenges I enjoy most– scaling work, building the platform to support that continuously increasing user base.

What’s your favorite Houzz experience?
One of the many highlights for me is our annual Houzz retreat, where the entire company spends two days together at an offsite location. It’s a chance for people to step back from their daily work and think about what we can do next for Houzz. We have group sessions to brainstorm ideas with colleagues from different cross-functional teams. In the end, each group presents their thinking to the rest of the company. It’s exciting to imagine what’s next together.

How do you use Houzz at home?
My wife and mom are heavy Houzz users. My wife likes to browse the Houzz app anytime she’s waiting in a line somewhere to pass the time in a way that’s more fun, and also in bed before going to sleep. She gets so excited to show me cool photos on the site or cool features that she found on our app. Right now, my wife and mom are collecting ideas for two remodeling projects in our home: our guest bathroom and our backyard. My wife likes contemporary styles, whereas my mom is more on the traditional side, so it makes for some interesting discussions. My role is to just make sure that whatever design they decide, it’s within our budget! I happen to know firsthand that Houzz offers a variety of ideas and products for every budget. I just need to remind them of that occasionally.

We kicked off the new year with a bang at Design & Construction Week in Las Vegas, one of the industry’s largest gatherings for home building, remodeling and design professionals and brands.

For 2016, we hosted booths at the International Builders’ Show (IBS), Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), and The International Surface Event (TISE), all of which buzzed with excitement as our team connected with thousands of pros: from those just getting started on Houzz who came seeking best practices, to Houzz power users who shared their inspiring success stories. Houzz experts offered free profile consultations, advising pros on how to maximize their presence on Houzz and take their marketing to the next level with our Pro+ advertising program. IBS also provided the ideal platform for Houzz to launch our strategic alliance with the NAHB, helping builders and remodelers around the country benefit from Houzz technology and marketing tools.

During our in-booth presentations, we also shared the latest industry data and trends from our Houzz research, including our 2016 State of the Industry. As part of that report, we’re thrilled to announce that 2015 was a year of revenue growth for nearly three-quarters of residential businesses on Houzz, and the majority expect even more growth in revenue and profit in 2016.

We were delighted to hear from many pros at the shows that Houzz has played a role in this growth. We look forward to supporting our pros in the coming year as we continue to build Houzz into an essential resource for the home improvement community.

Ofir Zwebner, Jessica Hyde and Ernest Mak, creators/keepers of the rubber duckie tradition at Houzz

Ask any Houzzer about our company mascot, and you’ll hear the same answer every time: a rubber duckie. The plastic pets can be found on every desk at Houzz, in a variety of colors and costumes, including in our offices around the world. But how did the tradition get its start? We spoke with the originators and keepers of the Houzz duckie to find out.

Ernest Mak, back-end architect: It was actually an accident, how this all began!

Ofir Zwebner, application architect: Ernest and I joined the engineering team at Houzz around the same time, in late 2010. There were only a handful of people on the team back then.

Ernest: In the beginning, we used to do ad hoc releases, pushing new versions of the site at any time. We were moving to a regular, weekly release cycle, and we needed a name for them. The team was brainstorming on what we should name our first release. The first thing that came to my mind was the rubber duck that my daughter played with at home. So I said, ‘Why don’t we call it Duckie?’ And we did! I bought a small rubber duck at a stationary store down the street from the office that day and kept him on my desk.

The original Houzz rubber duckie – he quacks loudly and his mouth lights up when its button is pressed

Ofir: He would bring the duck to meetings and instead of answering/responding, he would sometimes use the duck instead. It was really irritating!

Ernest: A few weeks after the Duckie release, Ofir found a website that sells rubber ducks, and bought 50 of them in all sorts of themes and costumes.

Ofir: I gave everyone on the team a duckie that fit their personality or interests. Sheila Schmitz, editor at Houzz and an avid reader, got a librarian duck. Annie Thornton, a member of the editorial team who’s passionate about gardening, got a garden gnome duckie. Then I bought dog and cat duckies. When a new person joined the team, I’d ask them if they were a dog or cat person, and gave them a duck that fit their preference. Everyone would put them on their desks, and on their monitors. It added some color to our all-white desks and chairs!

Ernest: Adi and Alon (cofounders of Houzz) embraced it, both in their words and their actions. There are duckies on their desks and computer monitors, too.

Ofir: We’re very lucky that Jessica joined the team and continued the tradition.

Jessica Hyde, data quality analyst: I didn’t get a duckie when I first joined Houzz in 2013! This made me passionate about continuing the practice. It isn’t an official role – it’s just something I took on. Someone tells me that a new person joined the team, and I stop by with a box of duckies to welcome them. People call me the duck fairy! It’s a great way to introduce new team members to the Houzz culture, and make them feel that they belong. It’s also nice that I have a reason to say hi to every new person this way, and they like me immediately because I’m the person who gave them a duck.

Ofir: That’s something that I miss!

Jessica posing with a duckie decked out in traditional Scottish attire in the U.K.

Jessica: I also ship boxes of ducks to our international offices every time we launch in a new market. And when the country managers come to visit us in Palo Alto, they fill their suitcases with duckies for their teams.

Ofir: They also often bring us duckies from their own countries when they come to town.

Jessica: The rubber duckies are great. They remind us that having fun is a part of the culture at Houzz, and that it’s okay to enjoy ourselves at work. They also remind us that it’s okay to be a little loud from time to time, like Ernest’s duck!

A few of the ducks at Houzz Japan

A festive flock of duckies at Houzz Spain

A trio of ducks pose with sweet treats on a desk of the Houzz Sweden team

Read more about our affinity for duckies and see examples of how Houzzers incorporate them into their homes here and here.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we asked our community to tell us about renovating with their significant other. While some U.S. Houzzers found the experience frustrating (41%), difficult (25%) and painful (12%), even more found renovating with their partner to be fulfilling (51%) and fun (46%). Though many have a love-hate relationship during their renovation, nearly everyone reported that in the end, the result was worth the effort (97%).

Top piece of advice for those about to renovate with their partner? Compromise! (48%) This is not surprising considering that less than half of couples see eye to eye on remodeling decisions (47%). One in five disagree on furniture and wall color (both 19%) and nearly the same number have differing opinions on flooring (17%) and decorative accents (16%).

This may be why secrets are prevalent between partners during renovation projects. Nineteen percent make a significant design or purchase decision during the project without telling their partner, 11% withhold the cost of a purchase or service and 9% sneak away from home to catch a little break.

When looking at global results, amour is in the air in France, where couples are most likely to think “we make a great team” during the renovation process (65%) followed by Canada (63%), Sweden and the U.S. (both 62%). The French are also the most likely to sneak away from home to get away during their projects (23%) - perhaps this is the key to a happy renovation!

In contrast, Australians are most likely to think “I may need to break up with or divorce this person (13%), followed by Russians and Brits (both 7%). Those in Germany may face tough love as they’re most likely to throw away something belonging to their significant other (15%).

We’re happy to report that utilizing photos and ideas from Houzz is a key way for couples to resolve/address the challenges they faced during the renovation, second only to compromising. To manage stress during the project, 28% of U.S. couples report that hugging, kissing and being affectionate helped and 14% turn to regular date nights.

What’s more, post-renovation, 67% of couples report feeling more comfortable in their home, 61% feel happier and 53% feel more organized. Nearly a third also spend more time together at home after their project (32%). Now that’s love.

Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day and an even happier remodel!

Shopping for your home should be a fun and easy experience. Today we’re introducing View in My Room, a new feature within the free Houzz app for iPhone® and iPad® and Android™ that enables you to virtually place and see over 1.8 million products from the Houzz Shop in your own home before you buy.

View in My Room is an extension of Sketch, which enables you to bring design ideas to life and add products from the Houzz Shop to any photo. With View in My Room, you can easily experiment with home decor options, and discover and buy the best items for your home, whether you’re looking for furniture, lighting or more.

To use View in My Room, simply tap the “View in My Room” button on a product page to launch your device’s camera. You can read more about the feature here.

The Houzz app, updated with View in My Room, is available to download on the Apple App Store℠ and Google Play™.

Rubber duckies have a special place in the hearts of Houzzers. What started as a small installation that entertained our engineering team in Palo Alto has grown into a feathered phenomenon, with duckies now decorating the desks of Houzzers around the globe. When International Rubber Duckie Day rolled around recently, the team at Houzz Australia took the opportunity to let their creativity take flight, designing personalized odes to our beloved birds.

Here are a few photos from the day:

The glitter was plentiful as the team flocked together to design their den of ducks.

Some Houzzers had a clear direction…

…while others simply winged it.

A tribute to the late David Bowie (created by Houzz Australia editor Jenny Drew) and a fluffy version of Donald Trump (by Community Manager Luke Buckle) were definite standouts of the day!

Perhaps the true testament to the team’s creative talents was how seamlessly a special visitor fit into the scene.

Zhiyu is a Test Engineer at Houzz. While front and back end engineers build what users see, Zhiyu creates tools to help fellow Houzz engineers do their jobs quickly without compromising quality. When not at work, he’s busy exploring the Bay Area and trying new adventures like riding a glider over the mountains of Hollister, CA.

Why did you come to work at Houzz?
A few months before I came to work here, I bought my first home. Although I had some basic items from my previous apartment, there was a lot of empty space. My friends told me about Houzz, and I got addicted to using it on a daily basis to make my new place feel like home. Houzz helped me find ideas on how to decorate, and I created ideabooks for my living room, bedroom, kitchen, and even the outdoor landscaping. I didn’t know how to describe my style at first, but the photos that I gravitated towards tended to be contemporary or eclectic. I even bought furniture through the platform, inspired by the photos I had liked.

When I started to hear more about Houzz in the news, I decided to do some research on the company. I watched videos of the founders, Alon and Adi, talking about the company, and they gave a window into the people and culture. I remember thinking, “I love this product. And I love what the company stands for. That’s the kind of company I want to work for.” So I applied online.

What’s your favorite part of working at Houzz?
When I joined Houzz in August of 2014, we had 200 employees. Now, we’re at over 700 people globally. As the company continues to grow, I feel like I’m also growing because new questions and challenges arise that give me and my team the opportunity to problem-solve and make decisions together. So I guess my favorite part of working at Houzz is feeling that I’m a part of this growth, contributing to something that I believe in, and learning along the way.

What do you like to do outside of work?
I love travel and outdoor activities. I try to spend one day each weekend exploring the Bay Area and doing something new, whether it’s hiking in a state park, whale watching, or horseback riding. There are so many beautiful parks, and the scenery changes as seasons change, so it’s difficult to get bored. Recently, I did a glider ride in Hollister, CA- which was amazing. It feels like flying outside of a plane and soaring over mountains like a bird. Next, I want to try kayaking off the Sonoma Coast to see the bioluminescent plankton glowing at night.

What should an engineering candidate know about working at Houzz?
When I interviewed, I was surprised to learn that the engineering team was a flat organization. Since Houzz is a relatively mature start-up, it was difficult for me to imagine how it could operate without layers of structure. But it actually works well, because everyone understands the product goal and their role in helping to reach that goal. Our co-founders, Alon and Adi, trust the people they hire to make decisions, so we have minimal meetings and don’t need to request approval for every little thing. It’s a great way to work.

For a testing engineer candidate in particular, the experience can be different from company to company. Some companies require a lot of manual testing, which can be repetitive work. At Houzz, it’s different. Developers share the responsibility of doing manual testing, and test engineers spend 80% or more of our time writing automation and building test frameworks. It’s more creative, and there are always new projects and challenges.

Houzz is on a mission to make the home renovation and design process more fun and productive, and that includes the experience of shopping for the best products for your home.

Today, we’re excited to open our commerce API to third party partners, bringing even more great sellers and inventory to the Houzz Marketplace. Available as beta to a handful of merchants for a few months, we’re now inviting all merchants who have home goods and are looking to sell on Houzz, as well partners who can help merchants syndicate product listings to integrate with our platform. We know that merchants want fast, seamless ways to integrate with Houzz to submit products, process orders, and keep inventory up-to-date and a commerce API will help us deliver that experience.

Our new solution was used to build a sales channel on the Shopify platform, also announced today, enabling merchants on Shopify to start selling directly on Houzz.

Since we announced the beta launch of our home products marketplace in fall 2014, the platform has grown to more than five million products and over 10,000 merchants.  

Merchants interested in selling on Houzz can sign up at houzz.com/sell. Shopify merchants interested in learning more can visit shopify.com/houzz.

Third party partners interested in applying for access to the API can learn more here.

It’s time for a major makeover, according to nine in ten homeowners taking on a landscaping project (88%), as revealed in our 2016 Landscaping Trends Study. The study, of nearly 1,000 U.S. homeowners who are planning, in the midst of, or recently completed an outdoor project, found that while backyards are the primary focus of outdoor projects (75%), many are also tackling their front and side yards (54% and 40%, respectively). It’s not surprising that people are committing to major improvements in their yards, given that nearly half spend six or more hours in their outdoor spaces weekly (48%)!

When it comes to design, complementing one’s home style (46%), outdoor living (45%) and a space that’s stylish and beautiful (43%) are top priorities. To achieve this, three-quarters of homeowners purchase comfort-enhancing products including outdoor furniture (52%), fire pits (36%) and benches (32%), during their projects. Outdoor wall lights, pots/planters, rugs, fire pits and benches were the top five selling outdoor categories on the Houzz Shop in the first 3 months of 2016, with over 140,000 products available for sale in these categories alone. The key to outdoor function is a yard that’s easy to maintain (80%), followed by one that’s easy for the entire family to work, play and/or be in (49%).

The study revealed that pets aren’t just king of the castle, but king of the yard as well. In households where pets are allowed in the yard, 42% make pet-related updates from space to run and play to toxin-free plants. Of those with children or grandchildren under the age of 18, 33% are adding child-related features. Space to run and play tops the list here as well, followed by edible plants.

After the final stones are laid and plants are planted, the majority of outdoor upgraders enjoy their space more than ever. Post-project, homeowners are more likely to rest/relax (75%), garden (64%), entertain (55%) and dine (53%) in their yards.

At Houzz, we’re always looking for new ways to make the home remodeling and design process more fun and productive for everyone involved. Today, we released Houzz Smartz™, the first AI-enabled line of home products and furnishings that help your home look and feel its best.

Houzz Smartz™ provides design help, maintenance and companionship. Spatial and style recognition-enabled Houzz Smartz™ products ensure that your room looks perfect every day, even after your designer leaves. The product sensors detect dirt, smudges and wrinkles, and alert you to necessary upkeep. Since Houzz Smartz™ products are interactive, spending time with your furniture and accessories is like being with friends.

For more information, please visit houzz.com/HouzzSmartz and happy April Fools!

Gloria is a designer at Houzz, where her responsibilities span everything from building our brand look and feel to overseeing the design of all our print materials, email templates, marketing banners and ads.

How did you get into design?
I drew and sketched from the time I was a child. In middle school, I was inspired by my cousin’s collection of Marvel’s X-Men comic book cards, so I began drawing Rogue and Storm along with my own imaginary characters. A friend later showed me a Japanese anime series called Ranma ½, and I was influenced by its more exaggerated and feminine flair. Throughout high school, my art teacher had us try everything from landscapes to still lifes, portraits and self-portraits. Those years were a nice transition from flat artwork to more complicated techniques with shadow and depth.

By the time I got to college I was fluent in a vast array of styles, but my parents didn’t want me to pursue art. I took some computer science classes to appease them, which turned out to be a great decision. Those classes helped me realize that I could combine my love for art with technology through graphic design. I applied to the Academy of Art when I was 20 years old.

What’s your favorite part of working at Houzz?
The people. Everyone on the design team shares the same enthusiasm for design. Feeling that your sensibility is shared by the broader team encourages you to work together to create this amazing product. It also fosters a truly collaborative environment, where you feel comfortable inviting feedback from peers who you respect. It feels like we’re working with a mindset of “one team, one dream,” with a singular goal of making Houzz look great.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve worked on at Houzz?
My favorite project has been expanding our brand guidelines. Brand guidelines exist to ensure that everyone uses the Houzz logo, text, and icons in a way that is consistent with our look and feel. Back in 2014, they didn’t exist. It was empowering to have this blank slate, blue sky before me. I was able to create a full set of guidelines that include color palette, fonts, space and size requirements, and examples of how that visual language can appear in our marketing materials. It’s rewarding to know that Houzzers and our partners around the world look to this guide as their source for how to best represent the brand.

What do you like to do outside of work?
I do a lot of arts and crafts. After working most of the day on a computer screen, it’s satisfying to make something real and tactile by hand, without the help of technology. I particularly enjoy creating hand-crafted items for friends’ special events. When one of my friends from back in middle school recently got married, I created the letterpress invitations. For another friend’s wedding, I made decorative paper flowers to serve as a backdrop for her ceremony. I love being able to contribute little hand-made touches that personalize the event and make it feel even more special.        

I have a daughter who just turned nine months old, so I also spend a lot of time with her. We read books together, and she seems to love it. She spends a lot of time examining the book and flipping through the pages, just like her mom.

How do you use Houzz?
We own a home, and there are always projects on our list. Most recently, we redid our floors, which were originally a combination of tile in the kitchen and hardwood in the living and dining rooms. My husband and I wanted to keep them consistent throughout the house, so we saved images we liked to a Houzz ideabook to compare our choices. Fortunately, we both like modern, contemporary design, so most of our selections were pretty similar! We chose a strained bamboo floor because they are super durable and eco-friendly, and we love how it turned out. The next project on our list is making over our backyard from a weed haven to a more usable family space. We’d love to include a table and chairs to enjoy a cup of coffee, a play area for our daughter, and a grill and some outdoor seating to entertain friends.

It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about 10 million pictures? Houzz now has more than 10 million photos of beautiful, professionally designed interiors and exteriors on our platform from all over the world. We reached our first 5 million photos in five years and hit 10 million just over a year later. Today, Houzz users flip through more than one billion photos on Houzz apps every month.

On Houzz, a photo is a gateway to information that helps you go from inspiration to execution, including the professional who designed the space, the products and materials used, additional photos from the same project, community discussions about the design, and more. With Houzz’s global reach, our community can get inspired from designs from around the world, from glass box extensions in the UK to the rich colors, textures and patterns that often adorn the walls of Russian homes to modern condominiums in Japan.

The most popular photo on Houzz has been saved to nearly 700,000 ideabooks. Check it out here:

Credit: Fiorella Design

Residential remodeling firms across the country report strong confidence in the health of the industry, according to the Q1 2016 Houzz Renovation Barometer released this week. While the majority of firms overall are optimistic in year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter market improvements, some regions are more confident than others – and some are being hit especially hard by current industry challenges.  

The Q1 Barometer readings indicate high quarter-over-quarter confidence nationally, across all industry groups, thanks in part to a seasonal uptick in market activity. However, rainy weather in the West contributed to weaker confidence for firms in this region, which posted scores of 67-73 vs. national scores of 72-84.

Firms across the country posted widespread year-over-year increases in business inquiries and the number and size of new projects in Q1 2016. Northeastern pros in a number of sectors are especially bullish. General contractors, remodelers, building/renovation specialty firms and landscape/outdoor specialty firms in the Northeast all reported an increase in year-over-year market gains in Q1 2016 compared to Q1 2015.

Labor shortages continue to be a top challenge for renovation-focused professionals nationally. Four in five remodelers and design-build firms report moderate to severe shortages in skilled trade professionals and general laborers.

Firms in the Midwest are especially impacted by this challenge, with nearly nine in ten firms in the region experiencing moderate to severe shortages. Northeastern firms are impacted the least, with 72% of these firms reporting significant shortages.

For more information from the Q1 2016 Houzz Renovation Barometer, see the full report. This includes additional findings among architects, interior designers, general contractors, design-build firms and more.

From traditional Irish country kitchens to glass cube extensions, the Houzz experience just got a little bit greener with the launch of Houzz.ie, a dedicated site and apps for Irish users.

We’ve been humbled by the amount of love for Houzz in Ireland. Even prior to launch, over 150,000 Irish homeowners were already using Houzz every month to find design inspiration, get advice from the largest home community on the web, source products, research and hire home professionals, and manage home projects from start to finish. Irish trade professionals were already active on Houzz as well, with over 3,000 home professionals using the site to showcase their work, build their brands and connect with homeowners. As one of our pros, Modis Designs said:

“I would love to join in the celebration of a fantastic achievement by the Houzz team and accept with many thanks! I remember meeting some of the UK team a couple of years ago and there was talk of making Houzz more ‘Ireland friendly’ and relevant so I am just thrilled that we can feel a part of the hype too! It’s just fantastic to see how Houzz has grown over the last few years and to have an exclusively Irish Houzz now is really going to mean big things for Interior design in Ireland. Houzz has already become a big part of my work and most of my clients even have their own houzz sites set up too before I’ve even met them! A big thank you to Houzz and for making it so accessible to homeowners, designers/specifiers, and suppliers alike. What a fantastic concept!”

Our team kicked off the launch on-the-ground with the local community, both homeowners at the Ideal Home Show Dublin (the largest interiors show in Ireland), as well as professionals at our Dublin OpenHouzz event.

Check out some of the best designs on from Ireland on Houzz. We can’t wait to see more!

Busy Houzz booth at the Ideal Home Show Dublin

We’ve launched a dedicated site and apps for users in Singapore (houzz.com.sg), bringing a localized Houzz experience to 12 countries outside of the U.S. Singapore is our second market to launch in Asia after Japan, which celebrated its one-year anniversary (and a tenfold growth of our community!) in April.

We saw incredible demand for Houzz in Singapore. Even prior to launch, more than 150,000 Singaporeans were already using Houzz every month to renovate and decorate their homes from start to finish. Local home professionals were already using Houzz as well, with over 3,000 Singaporean pros using the platform to build their brands, collaborate with clients and connect with homeowners.

Our teams have been working hard to customize the Houzz experience, and it goes far beyond localising the language (“service yard” instead of “laundry,” for example). Different professions and categories were added based on the Singaporean market needs, such as a tag for Peranakan-style homes. Our goal is to make it easy for our communities around the world to navigate Houzz and to find the best resources for their needs.

Designs from across Asia are some of the most popular and in-demand styles among the global Houzz community and we’re excited to provide people with more access to Singaporean design inspiration, products, talent and expertise.

From a house built around a century-old tree to sleek, modern spaces, check out some of the best designs from Singapore on Houzz.

Members of the Houzz Singapore team celebrate our launch outside of a traditional ‘black and white’ house prior to a party with local professionals.

Earlier this month, Houzz Italy took part in Salone di Mobile 2016, the biggest furniture industry trade show in the world held in Milan every year.

The team built a glass house in Tortona, where the more than 300,000 Salone visitors could check out the Houzz.it experience, relax and meet members of the team.

Throughout the week, a different professional from the local community joined us at the house for one-on-one consultations, which was a bit hit with visitors.

A presto, Salone Di Mobile 2017!

Six years ago, Mal Corboy, an interior designer in New Zealand, stumbled upon Houzz.com and decided to set up a professional profile. Little did he know at the time that his colorful, modern kitchens and beautiful cabinetry work would inspire a growing community of Houzz users around the world. Fast forward to today, and Mal’s exposure on Houzz has brought multiple global opportunities to his business, including a current project in Trinidad – a complete home design – for which he has designed custom cabinetry that’s soon shipping from New Zealand.

This is just one of the many incredible stories we’ve heard since our team began customizing Houzz for our community in New Zealand and we’re thrilled to announce that houzz.co.nz is now live.

Even prior to launching, New Zealanders have been active on Houzz, with over 200,000 Kiwi homeowners and over 4,000 local trade professionals already using the site and apps every month. Now, New Zealanders will find a tailored experience that surfaces relevant content (such as this story on the Kiwi ‘sleepout’) and inspiration (like this Bach house), and fosters more connections between Kiwi homeowners and local home pros. At the same time, New Zealanders can access all of the global resources that only Houzz provides. The global Houzz community benefits, too, with more access to inspiration, talent and products from New Zealand. Houzzers have been particularly inspired by the Kiwi indoor-outdoor lifestyle; this courtyard is among the top photos from New Zealand saved by Houzz users around the world.

Check out 100 of the best New Zealand homes on Houzz here; you’ll soon see a lot more!

Tony Been from our New Zealand team speaking to a packed room of home pros

A full house at our launch event

A longtime Houzz user, Ania is a Front End Engineer for Houzz. When she’s not at work, you can find her upholstering furniture, cooking up a storm and browsing Houzz, of course!

How did you get into computer science?
I’ve always been really interested in math and science. I also love art and art history. When I was growing up in Poland, I wanted to go into art restoration, but when I moved to the U.S., I found that most schools don’t offer art restoration majors.

Studying computer graphics was a good way to merge my interests in math, science and art. Over time, front end engineering became what worked best for me. I managed to use my science skills and art skills at the same time.

What’s your favorite part of working at Houzz?
I really love the product! I discovered Houzz when I was considering a kitchen remodel years ago and decided I wanted to work here. Since I was a user, I had plenty of ideabooks and feedback for the engineers who interviewed me.

Sometimes in the evening, I just browse Houzz for inspiration. It’s always fun to test your code on something that you actually love. I often learn something from reading comments on photos.

What’s the development process like at Houzz?
It’s really great. I’ve worked at other places and, in comparison, Houzz inspires a lot of creativity because we have an open, flat organization where everyone can share their thoughts and opinions. We have a very collaborative process where everyone’s input is taken into account. Also, the engineering team works very closely with the design team, which is really rewarding.

What technical challenge have you been most excited to work on?
I like working on projects that are new and different for me, that I have to spend time researching instead of just using a library someone else wrote. I enjoy going back to math problems and solving things on a whiteboard.

At Houzz, we have the option of being in charge of a project from the beginning, so you get the chance to pick the flow of how the back or front end is going to work. Everyone gets the chance to be their own architect and decision maker.

How have you used Houzz at home?
I’m a long time Houzz user! I recently used Houzz to find a contractor to build a custom entertainment center. It was so easy - I knew exactly what I wanted and that he could do it, based on his profile.

Now, I’m working on a nursery and found a photographer on Houzz who does pictures of baby animals. I purchased a lot of prints from her to put on the wall.

I have a ton of ideabooks for future projects.

What should an engineering candidate know about working at Houzz?
Houzz is a fun environment and has a great team. You’re not just working by yourself to accomplish things, everyone works together to solve problems. We really want to help the user, and that shows throughout the team. On top of that, everyone is really smart and nice.

What do you do when you’re not working?
I love to work with my hands and make things. I particularly love to sew and made all the curtains in my house. Sometimes, I even reupholster things myself. I love to cook, also.

Last night was a heartwarming night for Houzz: we were named “Best App” at the inaugural Google Play Awards!

We’ve always been focused on creating the best mobile experience – whether that’s ensuring we have the smoothest scrolling or the fastest image loading – to provide our community of homeowners and home professionals with the best mobile technology and tools.

This focus has made mobile very important to our business, with over half of our users engaging with our platform via our apps. Houzz users flip through more than one billion photos on our apps every month! Many of the features we introduce are exclusively on mobile, such as View in My Room, which gives users the power to experiment with home decor options by virtually placing products from the Houzz Shop in their home before they buy; and Sketch, which makes it easy to communicate through photos and add products from the Marketplace to any photo.

We have an incredible team of engineers and designers that works very hard to constantly enhance the experience and make it best-in-class. We’d like to thank them for all they do. We’d also like to thank our incredible community for trusting Houzz to help them create homes they love. And we’d like to thank Google Play for recognizing our app and for building a great platform for Houzz.

Our European headquarters just moved into a beautiful new home in London and we’re opening our doors to take you on a tour.

Welcome! The Houzz logo greets visitors to the penthouse floor. You will quickly notice the open-plan layout, which allows for great collaboration between teams and countries (teams that support our communities in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Denmark and Sweden all work out of this office).

Here’s the Houzz cafe, where teams meet for lunch, office gatherings and, of course, birthday cake!

All the meeting rooms are themed to represent our international teams. Below you can see the British library, our Mediterranean terrace and a Parisian loft.

The beautiful wall murals were selected from the most popular images on Houzz. The Mediterranean terrace features an amazing view from the south of Spain that radiates warmth and sunshine.

Some meeting rooms are a little more energetic than others! Here’s the European sports room, which features a ping-pong table for standing meetings and a basketball hoop for sports enthusiasts.

For those who like peace and solitude, there’s always the hanging chair to inspire a little creative thinking!

Everything in the office was purchased from Houzz’s marketplace. Carl Hansen even customised their Shell Chairs in Houzz green for us!

We’ve basked in the sun many times on our roof terrace - yes, even in London! With a 360O view of London we can see St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. Pancras and the Shard from our lofty perch.

If you’re in the King’s Cross area in London, please stop by and say hi to the team - we can promise you a nice cuppa!