House or home. Point or counterpoint. A glance into my past reveals a younger and prouder intern-architect passionately argued this comparison with other interns often late at night in the design studio. The revelation it was a passionate discussion suggests mind-loosening libations may have been involved. Facts elude me, but I’m sure I made a well-reasoned argument for my position and defended it convincingly or at the very least, loudly; however, experience and discretion rewarded me with compelling visual tools to illustrate the difference between these seemingly synonymous and often polarizing terms.

To answer the question House or Home, I propose a visual quiz to illustrate the differences. There are no right answers, but observe the posted images closely and record your response to the question…

Which is the House v. Home?

Did you tag your selections? Make sure you selected one of each pair and know why you selected it before reading forward.

Now think like a client. Does a client mindset change your response? So which is the House and which is the Home?

Is there a difference between those words? I have clients who use them interchangeably and others who distinguish their dwelling’s title. The emotions the replacement of two letters evoke lies in each client. Listening to the client, I learn what’s important. If client A calls it a house, so do I. If client B calls is a home, so do I. If client C calls it fudge, I call it a house or home. I use consistent vocabulary to confirm I hear and understand.

While there’s no personal distinction for me, I recognize the label “House” or “Home” makes a difference to some people. Those people could be a past, current or future client or even a young, proud intern-architect.

What’s in a word? For some it makes all the difference and we only need to listen to discover.