Happy Anniversary DC HOUZZ

Last night Houzz had a wonderful event in Sterling, VA at Dulles Electric, the Washington metro areas largest lighting showroom,  to celebrate their 5 year anniversary in the DC area.  When they first came to DC (from the west coast) in 2010, they had about 800,000 followers.  Today Houzz has over 35 million followers.  Bethany and I attended their DC event in 2012 where we learned to build our professional online profile as you can see here.  This time, I was interested to network with design professionals and hear how we can optimize our online presence on HOUZZ.

 Lindsey Theisen gave a summary of a recent survey of followers and professionals on Houzz and these findings were very interesting!  Here are some key points:

• the average HOUZZ follower is 45 years old
• 21% hire professionals from HOUZZ
• the #1 inquiry searched (45%) is Interior and Exterior paint!
• the biggest trend is Kitchen and Bathrooms.
• 45% surveyed said the last time they remodeled their kitchen was 16-30 years ago
• 75% of those favor neutral kitchens
• 61% kept the same size kitchen in a remodel, 25 % created a somewhat larger one and 13% created significantly larger kitchens.
• Features most wanted are: charging stations, islands and open floor plans.

The no. 1 most searched photographs are on 'storage solutions'.

As far as bathroom trends on HOUZZ, those surveyed said 68% are searching bathroom renovations;

• 40% are going tub-less
• 60% want frameless glass enclosures
• Under age 45 want rain shower heads
• Over 55 want handrails and adjustable hand held shower fixtures.

The food and drink was fabulous, thanks to Dulles Electric, as was the abundance of beautiful lighting. We are currently looking for sconces for a client and these caught my eye.

Due to the recent copper craze, we are seeing so much more copper in lighting and there's alot to choose from at Dulles Electric.

 I was thrilled to see the work of Hubbarton Forge, from Vermont.  Their designs were very unique.

One thing I learned tonight, which I could have used earlier this summer, is that LED lights do not attract bugs, so if you switch your outdoor lights to LED, you will tame those beasts.  Mosquitoes are really bad here, so I am definitely doing that next summer!

As far a for Design professionals like ourselves, to optimize the use of our profile on HOUZZ they gave these recommendations:

• 80% of followers check the reviews and recommendations of a professional 
• Make sure your photos accurately reflect your aesthetic and your business
• Show photos that tell the complete story and all angles so the prospective client isn't left to guess the rest of the space
• Use a massive amount of KEYWORDS to describe every single thing in the photo.  These are the words people search and you never know if some small item in a photo will lead someone to you.
• as far as listing your services, take notes on any given week of all the tasks you do in your profession and list them as part of the service you offer to widen your scope and get people to your profile.

Do you use HOUZZ.com?  It is like Pinterest for all things home, including architecture, tradesmen, and the like.  It is not a DIY site but a definite resource, with legitimate reviews from customers, to help you find the professional you need.

Come see us on HOUZZ!