Houzz: That Blessed Siren

After introducing a friend to Houzz.com, I received a text message from her that put into words what I, too, felt about the site.

"I both love and hate you for introducing me to Houzz."

Exactly.

Since being introduced to it myself, I believe I have seen nearly every single one of the nearly 660,000 photos of room ideas on the site.  It's an addiction.  I check it every night before bed, and several times a day.

Houzz is a site (and mobile app) that is a basic ideabook.  Want to update your kitchen, but don't quite know what you want?  Click "kitchens" in the Houzz photos and voila! 114,000 inspirational kitchen photos, from ultra modern to traditional to eclectic to Mediterranean. Thousands of cabinet/counter combinations, with thousands of seating arrangements, with thousands of storage ideas, with thousands of furniture and color combos.  So you create an "ideabook" called Kitchen Remodel, and you're off to the races!  Like those cabinets?  Save to ideabook.  Like that wall color?  Save to ideabook.  Cute bar stools! Save to ideabook.  You get the idea.  Book.  See?  I can't not think in terms of Houzz! I'm applying to be on that show, Intervention.

And you can create as many ideabooks as you want.  I have 16 ideabooks, 12 of which are specifically for the house we are currently building, with titles like Office, Kitchen, and Master Bedroom.  The other four are Dream Homes in various parts of the country.

Type "Organization" into the search bar.  Just try it.  You'll find so many great ideas for how to organize your pantry, garage, bathrooms, cupboards, and closets that you'll take the next available day and go absolutely organization crazy, redoing your entire pantry and reorganizing all of your husband's power tools in the garage.

The only problem with Houzz is that the most gorgeous photos on the site (and they are stunning) are of the houses that people with vast amounts of disposable income can afford.  I have seen more Wolf/Sub-Zero refrigerators in these breath-taking kitchens than any other brand.  Do you know how much a Wolf/Sub-Zero refrigerator costs?  $11,000 AND UP!  For a REFRIGERATOR!  The very stylish and beautiful furniture pieces are insanely expensive.  A coffee table for six grand?!  Yeah, right.  Even some of the pet supplies will make you laugh.  I found an awesome cat tower that doubled as a bookcase.  Looked like a modern bookcase, but if you looked at the side, you could see that it had scratcher boards and steps and lounger areas for your cat to climb up to the top (a favorite spot of any feline).  Very tre chic!  NOT your everyday, carpet covered, ugly-as-sin cat tower.  It is 1,720 Euros.  At today's rate, $2,150.  Not something that is wildly practical for someone with a lower budget.  Or any budget.

Houzz gives me inspiration and hope that my home can be as beautiful as these photos, while at the same time, dashing my dreams with their impractical prices.  You siren, Houzz!  Why must you sing your sweet song?

I may have Louis Vuitton tastes, but I'm on an IKEA budget.

Cheers -

Caroline