Houzz, a global website and online community about architecture, interior design and decorating, has launched a Russian version of its website and mobile apps, and opened a representative office in Moscow.
The US-based company is starting in Russia with “over 100,000 Russian homeowners and over 3,000 active Russian home professionals,” according to Houzz’s Russian team.
“Russian homeowners and design enthusiasts tend to maximize space in apartment living. Many of the searches we see from Russia are for inspiration and ideas around ‘small,’ particularly small kitchens and small living rooms. We also see many searches for ‘wallpaper.’ As many of the beautiful photos from Russia on Houzz show, rich colors, textures and patterns often adorn the walls of Russian homes,” the Russian team adds on the company’s blog.
Houzz Russia’s launch party on March 31. Photo credit: Houzz.
Among Houzz Russia’s first partners in Russia are Hoff and furniture online retailer TheFurnish. The ads displayed on the site are “deeply integrated in the product,” said Houzz’s Russia representative Mikhail Konopleev in an exchange with business daily Kommersant.
Premium accounts, which allow experts to promote their creations, and a market place generating commissions for Houzz, will also generate revenues. However, Houzz’s main goals in the short term are to attract a high-level professional community and fill the resource with quality content, Konopleev told Kommersant.
Among Houzz’s local competitors is Inmyroom.ru, a startup launched in 2012 which defines itself as “a collection of interior design and home decor ideas” with more than 150,000 photos from Russian and foreign designers.
Launched in California in 2009, Houzz.com allows homeowners browse photos by room, style and location, and bookmark photos in personal collections the site calls “ideabooks.” By clicking on an image, users may learn more and ask questions about the designer and the product. In December 2014, Houzz’s latest round of financing amounted to $165 million. The round was led by Sequoia with participation from DST Global, among other new and existing investors.
