A Houzz ideabook is a place where you can store ideas and build dreams. It's where you save your favorite home design photos and product shots, notes, PDFs and other details of your home project. 

You can also use your Houzz ideabook to communicate with others working on the project. For example, if you're dreaming of a kitchen remodel, collecting photos of kitchens you like can help you pinpoint the styles, colors and layouts that appeal to you. When you're ready to get started on a remodel, you can email your collection to a pro you're working with to show what you want and start narrowing down your choices. With a simple setting change, you can let others add comments and photos also, turning your ideabook into a joint project workbook. 

Here's how you can create your own ideabook on Houzz.

Saving Photos

Browse through photos on Houzz. When you find something you like, click the "Save to Ideabook" button at the bottom of the photo.

A screen will pop up, allowing you to create a new ideabook (or add to an existing one). Create a new ideabook by putting a new title in the blank My New Ideabook field and clicking the green "Save to Ideabook" button. 

You can add a comment about the photo at this step by typing it in the "What do you like about this photo?" field; you can also add and edit comments on all photos in the ideabook later. 

Tip: Consider creating separate ideabooks for different projects or themes. You can create as many as you want.

Viewing Your Ideabooks

When you're done adding photos, you can look at your ideabook by clicking Your Houzz in the top-right corner of your screen, then clicking Your Ideabooks in the drop-down menu.

You'll find yourself on a page like this. Click the title of the ideabook you just created to open it completely.

Making Changes

In this view you can see the photos you've added. You can add new photos, delete photos and make changes to your notes. 

Delete a photo by simply clicking on the red "X" in the right-hand corner of the image. To add text, place your cursor in the blank box that appears when you hover over each photo, and type.

That pretty much covers the basics. Now for tips on editing and sharing your ideabooks.

Add photos from your computer or another website by clicking the square at the beginning of your ideabook that reads "Add Photo or File." A screen will pop up, prompting you to make your choice.

You can also make changes to your ideabook by clicking the Edit link under the title of your ideabook. In this mode you can change the order of photos by dragging and dropping them to a different spot. Just hover your mouse over the photo you want to move. When you see a green frame on the photo, it's movable. Put your cursor on the photo and drag it to its new position; lift your cursor to drop it there. 

In this view you can also add comments underneath each image. You can also remove photos by clicking the check box in the right-hand corner of each photo, then clicking Remove Photos at the top of the page.

If you'd like to move your photos to another ideabook, click the check boxes and select "Move Photos to ..." at the top of the page in edit mode. Click "Copy Photos to ..." to add the photos to another ideabook but leave them in your existing ideabook as well.

Ready to see your ideabook in a new view? Click the very last button at the top of your ideabook underneath the title, the one that looks like a magazine article. This will put your ideabook in article view.

Privacy, Sharing and Collaborating

Once you’ve put the finishing touches on your ideabook, you can share it with friends, family or your home design professional. Click the Collaborate button underneath your ideabook title. The screen shown here will pop up. There you can make your ideabook private or public and add additional viewers or editors by typing their Houzz username or email address into the Search field and clicking Add; you can allow each person to edit or just view the ideabook. 

Click View, for example, to show your sister the private ideabook of tile backsplashes you’re considering. Or click Edit to give your interior designer the ability to add photos and make comments underneath your own. After you click Save Settings, your friend or designer will receive a notification email, so they can help you start making your home design dreams a reality.

Links to Related Articles on Houzz:

• Landscape Architect? Save Landscaping Ideas to Your Ideabook on Houzz
• Inside Houzz: Introducing Visual Match
• Bookmark Architectural Stories for Later Reading