Decorative furniture or occasional furniture – the difference
What is the difference between decorative furniture and occasional furniture? Many people aren’t sure about this, but does it really matter and what makes an item “occasional” or “accent”? the terms are not really definable, but can be explained by offering examples or describing the function of each, so both forms are used here so you can understand the relative terms when you hear them.
Decorative or occasional furniture: does it matter?
Does terminology really matter? Generally not, but it can be if people use the term for you in conversation or even when looking for new furniture for your home. However, generally speaking, it doesn’t matter at all whether your table is described as an accent table or a side table.
In some cases, the occasional and decorative furniture may be the same, but to say that, the definition of these terms must first be agreed upon. The term ‘accent’ should be easy to understand; Like an accent on language, furniture of this type should emphasize a certain style, like a statue of the jackal-headed god Anubis in an Egyptian-themed room: a home accent need not be furniture!
Examples of occasional furniture
Coffee tables and side tables are examples of occasional furniture. There are alternative definitions for this type of furniture, the two most common being furniture that is used ‘once’ and furniture that is used only ‘occasionally’.
Each of these definitions is so broad that one could practically say that they are fundamentally the same. The first definition would include coffee tables, used for the purpose of drinking coffee or any other beverage or beverage. It would also include all the furniture used in a living room that is used only when visitors arrive, or even in a spare guest room. Definitions are a poor way to describe furniture.
The second definition used ‘occasionally’ would refer to the exact same furniture, but would also include rocking chairs, particularly the old-style walnut rocking chairs that you could occasionally use when you feel like it. Occasionally, you could use an ottoman to sit on if the whole family came to visit. Frankly, definitions are unnecessary when people know what side furniture is.
It is not a sofa or an armchair, not a dining table or a bed. Essentially, auxiliary furniture included the minor pieces that support the main furniture elements in a room. The tables mentioned above are two examples, as are other functional pieces like the stairlift that is used only when an older family member visits or the chest, nightstands, and ottomans that are used occasionally.
Examples of decorative furniture
Often referred to as ‘accent pieces’, accent furniture is used to add character to a room or to emphasize a theme, such as the Anubis statue mentioned above. A chess table used for decoration is an accent piece of furniture, as is a small decorative round table that holds a vase of flowers or a reed diffuser. A decorative piece is generally smaller in size than the main furniture in a room and often has little practical use other than decorative.
A small table in an entry hall is an accent piece of furniture, along with a chest in a hallway and a large freestanding globe in a home office. Set a theme or mood, emphasize a trend, or even complement the purpose of a room, like an ornate oriental stool in a living room.
These are definitions of decorative furniture and occasional furniture in the eyes of many people, but if you were to ask any individual for their own definition, they would not be able to answer or would probably offer a different one.
You can use decorative furniture to complement the decorative style of a room, and this type of home furnishings is most commonly found in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and hallways. It is rare in a kitchen, as most kitchen cabinets are functional, and even rarer in bathrooms, although large bathrooms can be enhanced with decorative furniture in the form of shelves for toiletries or carousels for lotions and salts. colored bathroom accessories.
Many occasional furniture are fully functional and used regularly, such as the ottomans used with recliners and coffee tables that are used every day. The terms are given, not to define the pieces, but to establish a compartment that separates the smallest items from the larger forms of furniture common to specific types of room, such as the jewelry cabinet of the dresser and the side table of the sofa. .
How you define the respective terms for auxiliary furniture and decorative furniture is your choice; there is no rule and in this case the definitions don’t really matter.