Rebecca Galicia has always been driven by the power of great visual storytelling, from creating ad campaigns for iconic brands to now leading the entire design vision for Houzz. Since we last featured her, her role has expanded to include product design, uniting brand, marketing and product under one creative vision. Her team shapes not only how Houzz looks and feels, but also how the product works, creating intuitive, thoughtful tools for pros every day.

How would you describe your role in one sentence?
I connect the dots between how Houzz looks, feels and functions, ensuring our brand and product work together to deliver a beautiful, seamless experience for our community.

You’ve been with Houzz for nearly nine years. How has the company and your role evolved over that time?
Over the years, both Houzz and my role have evolved significantly. I joined as a marketing designer and have grown to lead the entire design function, bringing together our brand, marketing and product design teams under one unified direction. Each year, we’ve refined how we work and raised the bar creatively. It’s been incredible to see the brand grow stronger year after year.

How did you first discover Houzz?
My background is in advertising. I worked at an agency to create content for brands like Pepsi, Southwest, Visa and Adidas. I later joined a national home goods company to build their internal creative team. Because I was in the furniture and interiors space, I relied heavily on Houzz for inspiration. Houzz was so ahead of the curve, using 3D and augmented reality (AR) long before other companies, so when I saw an opening for a design role, I applied. The rest is history.

What’s your favorite thing about working at Houzz?
The people. Everyone is so talented, focused and collaborative. There are no egos, only a group of experts doing their best work. It makes it easy to focus on the creative work and on building a product that genuinely helps our community of pros and homeowners. When you’re surrounded by people who care this much about what they do, it shows in the tools we create. You can really feel that shared sense of purpose in everything we design.

What do you enjoy most about your role today?
Helping people grow. I love supporting my team’s development, helping them figure out what they want next and how to get there. That might mean opening doors to new opportunities, coaching someone through a tough conversation, or helping someone transition between teams. Seeing people evolve in their careers has been incredibly rewarding.

What’s one major achievement you’re most proud of at Houzz?
We had previously used separate brand colors to differentiate our pro-focused products from our homeowner-focused products, but as the business evolved, it became increasingly important for the brand to feel connected end-to-end. We wanted one identity that reflected Houzz as a single, seamless ecosystem for our community.

Merging the two brands into one cohesive identity was an exciting and challenging project to lead. I oversaw the process across both brand marketing and product design, working closely with teams to ensure the new system felt modern and intuitive. Seeing it all come to life at the International Builders’ Show (IBS), a major trade show in our industry, was a real moment. You could really feel the excitement from pros as they walked into the booth.

Which Houzz Pro feature do you love most?
Definitely the 3D Floor Plan tool. It’s incredible that pros can scan a room with their phone and instantly have a floor plan to work from. Being able to adjust layouts, swap in products, materials and finishes, and see it all come together visually is such a game-changer. It helps pros communicate ideas clearly, speeds up decision-making with clients and brings a level of polish that really sets them apart.

What are you most excited about for the future of Houzz? We’re always looking ahead, improving our tools and creating experiences that make an impact for our community. The pace of innovation is incredible. We’re constantly releasing new products and features, which keeps the work exciting. I can’t wait to see how we’ll keep pushing boundaries.

What advice would you give to someone new to Houzz?
Houzz gives you the freedom to create and really make an impact when you’re proactive. You don’t have to wait for someone to tell you what to do. If you see an opportunity, I urge you to take the initiative. That’s how you can grow quickly here. 

And what do you enjoy outside of work?
I’m a new mom to a 16-month-old, so family time is everything right now! I also love to cook, entertain and do anything creative like painting, photography and decorating. My fiancé and I just bought our first home and we’re getting married soon, so life feels full of exciting chapters.