The Quick Rise & Fall of ShopHouzz

As your last stop at the gas station demonstrated, a lot can happen in six months. For example, ShopHouzz.com opened for business in fall and just announced its closure in May.

Following the proverb “Necessity is the mother of invention,” the popular online platform Houzz got its start in 2009 after husband-and-wife team Adi Tatarko and Alon Cohen were frustrated by their efforts to find qualified professionals to help with their remodeling project.

According to published reports, Cohen originally created and coded the Houzz.com website himself and the duo reached out to local Bay Area architects and remodelers to share images of their work to inspire other California homeowners who were looking to make home improvements. Word spread and Houzz.com became a company in 2010.

As the site’s reputation grew nationwide, more categories and services were added. In 2014, Houzz went global, establishing offices in the U.K., Germany,  Europe, Asia, and Australia.  Proprietary tools such as Site Designer, Houzz Pro, View in My Room, Visual Match technology and a HouzzTV video series followed. Eventually a marketplace feature debuted where manufacturers could list merchandise for sale under a “Shop” tab on the main Houzz site.

According to the privacy policy statement on Houzz.com, “as of August 5, 2025, Shop Houzz is operated by Cart.com Holdings 2, LLC (Cart d/b/a Shop Houzz). Shop Houzz is responsible for managing orders, payments, returns, and customer service.”

The following month, September 2025, ShopHouzz.com debuted as a designated marketplace. Lighting was among the categories offered, along with furniture, bath fixtures and vanities, kitchen products, outdoor lifestyle and décor, accessories, and more.

The purpose of ShopHouzz.com was strictly transactional, unlike Houzz.com, which continues to promote home improvement ideas and resources for finding local remodeling and construction professionals.

Much like Amazon Marketplace and similar platforms, ShopHouzz.com operated as a vendor program that uses third-party sellers. Part of the allure of shopping on it was that most of the vendors offered free shipping. Since the launch of ShopHouzz,com through present day, there is no longer a marketplace or “Shop” function on the regular Houzz site.

A response on the Consumers Affairs site from Houzz to a marketplace customer seeking a refund on a defective lamp explained that since “a separate entity (Cart.com) took over the Houzz ecommerce business on August 5, Houzz no longer has access to those order systems.”

This week, ShopHouzz.com issued the following statement on its site: 

After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close operations. We are deeply grateful for your support and trust, and we sincerely thank you for choosing us to be part of how you create your dream home.

As we wind down operations, we will continue to fulfill all outstanding orders and provide support for your recent purchases… From all of us, thank you for being part of our journey.

There is also this disclaimer:  Shop Houzz operates independently and has no affiliation with Houzz.com or Houzz Pro. The Houzz platform and its services are unaffected by this announcement and continue to operate as usual.

Lighting News Now has reached out to Cart.com for comment on the sudden closure of ShopHouzz, but has not yet heard back as of press time. This is a developing story with details added as they become available.