The term “Home Furnishings” is a broad label that can include a number of things. As the name suggests, it includes anything that is used to furnish a home. This category includes furniture items, and some people try to use these words interchangeably. While there are many items that fall into both categories, home furnishings is the broader of the two categories. For example, a sectional sofa easily can be classified as a piece of furniture and as a home furnishing.

There are some items used to decorate the home and make it more hospitable that are not really furniture items. One example of this would be an area rug. This item will add beauty and charm to a home; it can enhance stylistic choices made in other home furnishing items. It also adds comfort and usability to a living space.

Furniture is usually thought of as items that you sit on, sleep on, or place your things on. It includes beds, mattresses, tables, chairs, sofas, shelves, and dressers. The term “Home Furnishings” encompasses all these items, but is a bit more expansive. Things like the area rug mentioned above fall into that category. Other home furnishing items include things like drapes wall hangings, art, etc.

The area of home furnishings can also overlap with home decor. Home decor is related, but slightly different, however, and can include things like a basket of artificial fruit on a table. Found art, craft items, collectible figurines and just about a million other things that a person might want to use to adorn their home. The choices for this category are almost endless and this category is perhaps the widest open for inclusion of various different things.

Interior decorating of course describes the overall coordination between furniture, home furnishings and home decor to achieve a coherent stylistic effect. There are some designers that have eliminated the need for hiring an expert interior designer by mass marketing lines of furniture, furnishings and home decor items that are coordinated with one another by design. Some recent examples of successful mass marketing of “room set” mass market designs can be found at places like Target and Ikea.

When getting into the finer distinctions, regional variations may come into play. For example, what is considered an acceptable and desirable decorative item in Houston may not work in Manhattan. And the same way around, a piece of furniture that is greatly functional and practical in a New York City residence may be completely out of the question in Texas.

A person’s roots and background can also influence choices in home furnishings, furniture and home decoration. With a significant population influx over the past 20 years, Houston Texas has experienced some changes in taste and styles in these areas. It is likely that people and their home furnishing choices will continue to evolve in and around Houston.