When Icons were created we were still a long way away from the new housing and furniture. But now that we have them I think that Icons would be better classified as furniture (or at least after the reset so they don't get lost).
I hate how the Icons just sit in the middle of the floor and would like to move them around in my house the same way as a chair or cabinet where they can either be in the fore ground or background. The only downside I see would not being able to place them on public streets but maybe that could still be allowed within the furniture system if needed.