Thoughtful Home Decor, Honestly Curated
I’m Tereza Hower, founder of Curated By Hower and the former owner of Hower Furniture, a home decor and furniture store in Los Angeles. After years of helping local customers find pieces they actually loved, I started this site to bring that same approach (honest, hands on, no fluff) to a wider audience online.
A Decade in the Furniture Business
Curated By Hower didn’t start as a blog. It started as a brick and mortar furniture store.
For years I owned and operated Hower Furniture, a home decor and furniture store on Avalon Blvd in Los Angeles. I worked directly with hundreds of customers, from first time apartment renters to interior designers and professional home stagers. I spent my days helping people figure out what would actually work in their space, what would hold up over time, and what was worth the price tag versus what just looked good in a showroom.
The store earned a strong local following and 20 five star reviews on Google before the pandemic forced us to close the physical location. Today I still sell to local Los Angeles clients through Facebook Marketplace and continue working with customers one on one.
Curated By Hower is the digital extension of that work. The same standards, the same honest perspective, just available to readers anywhere.
What This Background Actually Means for You
Most home decor blogs are written by people who learned about furniture by shopping for furniture. I learned about furniture by selling it. That’s a very different perspective.
Running a store taught me things you can’t learn any other way:
- What customers regret buying. I heard the returns and complaints firsthand. I know which “designer dupes” disappoint people six months in and which actually deliver.
- What holds up. When you’re responsible for the pieces you sell, you learn quickly which fabrics survive kids and pets, which finishes scratch the first time someone moves a vase across them, and which “solid wood” labels mean what they say.
- How showroom magic works. I styled my own showroom. I know exactly how lighting, staging, and styling can make a $200 chair photograph like a $1,500 one — and how to spot the difference before you buy.
- What real budgets look like. Working with stagers and renters at every price point taught me that great rooms exist at every budget. The trick is knowing where to spend and where to save.
This is the perspective every recommendation on Curated By Hower comes from.
Real-World Experience
The knowledge behind every recommendation comes from years of hands-on work in the furniture industry.
How I Test and Recommend Products
Every product on this site goes through a process before it earns a recommendation.
Industry Knowledge First
Years of buying furniture wholesale and evaluating it for retail gives me a baseline most reviewers don't have. I know which manufacturers cut corners, which materials wear well, and which silhouettes age gracefully versus which ones date in a season.
Deep Research
I read thousands of customer reviews, compare specs, and research brand reputation. I look for patterns in what customers actually say, not just star ratings.
Personal Testing
Where possible, I test items in real homes for weeks or months. I evaluate durability, quality, comfort, and whether a piece actually solves the problem it promises to.
Honest Reviews
I share both pros and cons, including who each product is best for and any drawbacks worth knowing about. I don't hide the negatives.
Regular Updates
I update recommendations as new products emerge and as my testing reveals new insights. What I recommend today might change tomorrow.
My Curation Philosophy
Only What I'd Actually Recommend in Person
When I owned the store, I couldn't sell someone a piece I didn't believe in because I had to look them in the face the next time they came back. That same standard applies here. If something doesn't meet my standards, it doesn't make the cut.
The Full Picture, Always
Every product has trade offs and I share them openly. I include the downsides because I want you to make an informed decision, not just a quick purchase. The "this is annoying but livable" details matter just as much as the highlights.
Real Life Over Aesthetics
I evaluate products the way you'll actually use them, with daily wear, kids, pets, spills, and the kind of life that happens around furniture. A product that only looks good in a styled photo doesn't earn a spot here.
Function Drives Form
Beautiful pieces that don't work in real homes are just expensive sculptures. Every recommendation has to perform first and look good second. The best pieces do both.
What You’ll Find Here
In Depth Buyer's Guides
Foundational guides on the pieces that anchor a room: sofas, coffee tables, dining tables, sideboards, and more. The kind of detail I used to walk customers through in person, now written down.
Complete Style Guides
Comprehensive resources on the most popular interior design styles, including mid-century modern, modern living rooms, modern bedrooms, and more. Each guide covers principles, palettes, furniture, and room by room application.
Honest Product Roundups
When I round up products at a particular retailer or price point, I’m telling you what I’d actually buy. Not what pays the most commission. Not what the algorithm wants. What works.
Practical Styling Advice
What size rug works in your space? How do you mix patterns without it looking chaotic? Is “easy assembly” really easy? The practical questions that actually shape how a room turns out.
Based in Los Angeles
I’m based in Los Angeles, where I’ve worked in the home decor and furniture industry for over a decade. The aesthetic on this site reflects that: warm, light filled, modern, and built around how people actually live in California homes (and most modern homes anywhere). I still serve local Los Angeles customers directly through Facebook Marketplace when I have inventory available.
If you’re a former Hower Furniture customer, welcome back. If you’re new here, I’m glad you found us.
Let’s Build a Home You’ll Love
Whether you’re furnishing your first apartment on a tight budget or investing in pieces meant to last for decades, I’m here to help you make decisions you won’t regret. Your home should be a reflection of the life you actually live, built with pieces that work for that life and bring you joy every day.
That’s what I tried to do for every customer who walked into Hower Furniture. It’s what I’m doing here too.