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Glossary of Furniture and Interior Decorating
Terms
A B C D E F G I J L M N O P Q R S T U V W
Accent colors: Contrasting colors used to
enliven room schemes.
Adaptation: Furniture capturing the flavor
of the original design or period, but differing
in some details.
Acanthus Leaf: A decorative wood carving
based on the acanthus leaf, used in 18th
century design.
Apothecary Chest: A low chest with small
drawers originally used to store herbs for
medicinal and cooking purposes.
Apron: The wooden panel connecting the surface
and legs of a table or chair.
Armoire: A tall wardrobe with doors and shelves
for clothing, more recently adapted for use
as an entertainment center or at-home computer
work station.
B
Bachelor's Chest: A small low chest originating
in the 18th century.
Backsplat: A slat of wood in the middle of
a chair back.
Ball and Claw foot: A carved chair or table
foot that resembles a ball held in a bird's
claw.
Balloon Chair: A rounded-back Hepplewhite
chair modeled in the shape of a hot-air balloon.
Banquette: Long upholstered seat or bench,
often built-in.
Baroque: A highly ornate European design
style of the early 18th century, characterized
by flowing and irregular lines.
Bauhaus: A style of 20th-century design taking
its name from the German school of architecture
founded by Walter Gropius early in the century.
The minimalist and functional style has had
a profound effect on modern architecture
and furniture design.
Beading: Decorative detail resembling a row
of flattened beads.
Beidermeier: A German design style from the
first half of the 19th century. Identifying
features are based on Empire style, simple
lines and light woods accented with black
enamel or lacquer accents.
Bentwood: A process of steaming wood for
shaping into furniture parts.
Bergère: An upholstered French arm chair
with open or closed arms, exposed wood frame,
wide proportions and a loose seat cushion.
Block Foot: A square vertical foot at the
base of a straight leg.
Block Front: An 18th century American furniture
form, used primarily in chests. The front
is divided into three vertical segments:
a concave panel in the center and convex
panels on either side.
Bombe: A low, baroque-style chest with bulging,
convex sides.
Bonnet Top: An enclosed, hooded top, usually
on a secretary or china cabinet.
Boss: A round or oval ornament applied to
a surface.
Boston rocker: A generous-sized wooden American
rocker with spindle back and wide top rail,
which often is painted or stenciled.
Bow Back: A type of Windsor chair.
Bow Front: Rounded curve on the front of
a piece of wooden furniture.
Bracket Foot: A low foot running both ways
from the corner of case goods to form a right
angle.
Breakfront: A china cabinet divided vertically
into three segments, with the middle segment
projecting forward.
Broken Pediment: Ornamental crest running
across the top of a tall 18th century piece
such as a high boy or chest. The pediment
is interrupted or "broken" by an
opening that highlights a carved detail such
as an urn or a flame.
Buffet: A sideboard with no hutch or storage
cabinet on top.
Bun Foot: A round ball used as a foot on
a chest or seating piece.
Burl: Wood cut from a large, rounded growth
on a tree. Burl has strong, distinctive grain
and is used as a special veneer.
Bureau: A dresser used to store clothing.
Butler's Tray Table: A tray with four, flip-up
handholds that can be removed from the table
legs on which it stands. An oval tabletop
is created when the sides are down.
Butterfly Table: Small drop-leaf table with
wing brackets to support the leaves; opens
into a narrow oval shape.
C
Cabriole Leg: A decorative S-shaped chair
or table leg that curves outward at the knee
then tapers at the ankle. Found on Queen
Anne and Chippendale furniture.
Camelback Sofa: An 18th-century style distinguished
by a curve (or camel back) along its back.
Canopy: A fabric covering attached to a frame
at the top of bed posts.
Captain's Chair: A Windsor chair with tall
legs and a low, round spindle back.
Casegoods: Furniture designed to provide
storage space. The designation includes bedroom
and dining room furniture, desks, bookcases
and chests.
Chair Rail: Wall molding applied horizontally
at the height of a side chair.
Chaise Lounge: An upholstered armchair with
the back and seat lengthened for reclining.
Styles ranges from 19th century formal to
contemporary.
Chesterfield: Sofa style with deep button
tufting and large rolled arms.
Chest on Chest: A tall chest with a larger
chest of drawers supporting a slightly smaller
chest.
Charles of London: A style of sofa or chair
with a low, rolled arm.
Cheval Glass: Standing mirror in a freestanding
vertical frame.
Chintz: Printed cotton fabric, often "polished"
or glazed, frequently used in country or
casual rooms.
Chinoiserie: Decoration inspired by Chinese
art, painted or laquered on furniture or
used as themes on wallpaper and fabric.
Chippendale: The elegant, formal late 18th
century furniture style following Queen Anne.
Its design is more rectangular and heavier
than Queen Anne, features include cabriole
legs, ball and claw feet, and highboys with
broken pediment tops. Newport, Rhode Island
and Pennsylvania were centers for some of
the best American Chippendale design.
Colonial: American furniture from roughly
1700 through the Revolutionary era. Formal
styles are usually mahogany, cherry or walnut
with simpler furniture in pine, oak and maple;
ornamentation can be simple or rich. Queen
Anne and early Chippendale are sometimes
included in the category, although the term
is sometimes used for furniture that is high-backed,
bulky and casual.
Colonial Revival (also known as Revival):
Reproductions of classic 18th century American
styles, although not always accurate in detail.
Revival pieces were popular from the 1870s
through the period following World War I.
Combing: A decorative paint technique in
which a comb (often made of plastic or cardboard)
is pulled across wet paint to create a wavy
pattern.
Commode: Small, low chest with doors or drawers.
Complementary colors: Colors opposite each
other on the color wheel, such as blue and
orange.
Contemporary: A term covering several styles
of furniture that developed in the latter
half of the 20th century; an updated look
that softened and rounded the lines of stark
modern design. Cornice: Molding that crowns
or runs along the top of a cabinet.
Credenza: A sideboard or buffet. In office
furniture, a horizontal filing cabinet often
placed decoratively behind a desk.
Cut-and-loop carpet: Subtly multicolored
and informal; achieves its sculptural pattern
with varied-level pile of uncut low loops
and sheared top loops. The texture and variegated
color helps disguise soil and traffic wear.
D
Dado: Paneling or other decorative treatment
fixed on the lower half of the wall.
Daybed: A seating piece that also can serve
as a bed.
Dentil Molding: Rectangular, tooth-like blocks
spaced at equal intervals along a cornice
molding. Found in 18th century architecture
and design.
Dhurrie: A traditional woven carpet from
India of cotton or silk, noted for soft colors
and varied designs.
Directoire: Furniture designed during the
era of the French Revolution, it bridges
the more formal Louis XVI and the more restrained
Empire style.
Documentary pattern: Wallpaper or fabric
pattern printed with a historical design
based on an original sample or "document".
Drop Front: The hinged front of an upright
desk which drops down to provide a writing
surface.
Drop Leaf: A dining or occasional table with
hinged leaves that can be lowered when not
in use.
Dustboard (Dust Panel): A board placed between
drawers in a chest or dresser to eliminate
dust.
Duncan Phyfe: A furniture style popular in
the American Federal period (late 18th to
mid-19th century), characterized by feet
with a graceful outward curve on both tables
and sofas. Seating pieces often have lyre-shaped
backs, rolled top rails and arms.
E
Early American: American furniture design
of the late 17th and early 18th centuries,
adapted from such heavy European styles as
Jacobean or William and Mary. The look is
characterized by straight lines and minimal
decoration. Tables are gateleg and trestle
styles, chairs include ladder and slat backs.
The style merged into what is now called
Colonial, featuring Queen Anne and Chippendale
design.
Eclectic: A decorating style harmoniously
combining furniture and accessories of various
styles and periods.
Egg and Dart: A classic design of alternating
oval and dart shapes, applied to cornices.
Empire: A design style inspired by the Napoleonic
Empire, it includes heavy looking designs,
classical design elements and combines straight
lines and curves, as in sleigh beds.
Escutcheon: The shaped metal fitting behind
a drawer pull or surrounding a keyhole.
Etagere: A freestanding open cabinet with
shelves for displaying accessories.
F
Faux: A simulation of something else. Faux
marble, for example, is a marble-like surface
painted onto walls, furniture or other surfaces
(see trompe l'oeil).
Federal: The design period following the
American Revolution and running roughly through
the 1820s. Federal style incorporates the
neo-classic influences of Hepplewhite and
Sheraton including straight and delicate
lines, tapered legs, inlay and contrasting
veneers.
Fiddleback: A backsplat in the shape of a
violin or fiddle seen on Queen Anne chairs.
Finial: A carved or shaped decorative detail
used to ornament the top of an upright such
as a bedpost, in the opening of a broken
pediment or topping a lamp. Motifs include
flames, urns, pineapples and other vertical
motifs.
Four Poster: A bed with posts tall enough
to hold a canopy.
French Provincial: Rustic versions of formal
French furnishings of the 17th and 18th centuries,
particularly the Louis XIV and Louis XV styles.
Fretwork: Open or pierced wood carving with
an oriental influence, used as a decorative
element in Chippendale and Chippendale-style
furnishings.
Frieze: Carpet with twisted-fiber pile; it
has a plush look but yarns are uncut tight
twists are locked in by a heat-set process.
G
Gallery Rail: A small, slender railing, usually
brass, bordering a table or sideboard.
Gateleg table: A type of drop-leaf table
with leaves supported by extra legs that
swing out like gates.
Georgian: Elegant 18th century design, generally
heavier and more ornate than Queen Anne.
Features include highly carved cabriole legs,
ball and claw feet, ornate carvings and pierced
backsplats.
Gesso: Gilded or painted bas-relief plaster
decoration.
Glazed tile: Clay shaped into a tile, fire-hardened,
then covered with a matte or high-gloss glaze
or sealant to make it resist moisture better
than regular tile.
Gothic Revival: A style influenced by medieval
and Gothic influences popular in the mid-1800s,
characterized by lines flowing up to a pointed
arch and other Gothic architectural features.
H
Halogen: Incandescent light source that uses
metal halides in compact, highly efficient
bulbs, tubes or reflectors; special fixtures
are required for their use.
Harvest table: A rectangular table with narrow,
hinged drop-leaf sides; a popular colonial
design.
Hassock: Oversized upholstered ottoman large
enough to be used as seating.
Hepplewhite: Related to the Federal style
in the United States, a neo-classic furniture
style that followed Chippendale from the
late 1700s to roughly 1820. It overlapped
with Sheraton style and shares restrained
design, tapered legs and classical ornamentation
like urns and shields (including shield back
chairs) or American carved eagles and stars.
Highboy: A tall chest of drawers, developed
in 18th century. Usually composed of a base
and a top section with drawers, often topped
with a decorative broken pediment crown.
Hitchcock Chair: A black-painted chair with
a stenciled design on the backrest, named
after its American designer.
Hooked rug: Derives its pattern from yarns
or strips of fabric pulled through mesh backing.
Hoop Back Chair: Queen Anne or Hepplewhite
chair with a top rail curving directly into
the arms.
Huntboard: A type of sideboard used for serving
food and drinks after a hunt. Designed to
be light and portable so it could be moved
outdoors.
Hutch: Enclosed cupboard with shelves resting
on a solid base.
Hutch top: A storage unit with shelves, often
sitting on a desk or chest.
I
Inlay: Wood ornamentation using exotic woods
or ivory, set into the surface of wood furniture.
Intaglio: A design or illustration cut into
a surface.
J
Jabot: Fabric that hangs on either side of
a swag or valance.
Jacobean: Early 17th century English furniture
with a medieval appearance and dark finish.
Furniture from this period can be extremely
simple or covered with carvings.
Lacquer: A hard varnish applied in several
layers, then polished to a high sheen.
L
Ladder-back: A country style of chair with
a back resembling a ladder.
Lawson: A sofa or chair with a trim, lowered
arm accented with a slight roll.
Louis XIV, XV and XVI: Classic French furniture
design, roughly from the mid-17th century
to the late 18th century. The styles grew
progressively simpler and more refined: Louis
XIV style is large and ornate; Louis XV is
simpler but with curved lines and some ornamentation;
Louis XVI has straight lines, geometric shapes
and minimal ornamentation.
Love Seat: A smaller, two-seat version of
a sofa.
Lowboy: A low or short chest or table with
drawers, often on short legs.
M
Marble: Flooring with very hard surface and
elegant appearance; it stains easily and
needs regular waxing.
Marquetry: Decorative patterns made of inlays,
usually applied on veneered surfaces.
Mission: A heavy, dark-oak style with spare,
rectangular lines popular in the early 20th
century. The style grew out of the English
Arts and Crafts movement and was a reaction
to the excesses of Victorian furniture.
Modern: Clean, architectural and streamlined
20th century furniture with roots in the
German Bauhaus School of architecture and
Scandinavian design.
Modular: Units of furniture that can be stacked
or rearranged in different configurations.
Molding: Shaped ornamental strips applied
to and projecting from a surface.
Mosaic tile: Ceramic tiles made of natural
clay or hard porcelain, glazed or unglazed;
mounted on a backing.
Motif: A decorative theme, element or component.
Motion furniture: Reclining chairs or sofas
with mechanisms allowing the user to extend
their legs and/or lean back.
N
Neo-classic: Design featuring elegance and
simplicity, with motifs borrowed from ancient
Greece and Rome. The look was seen throughout
the late 18th and 19th centuries and relates
to the Empire, Sheraton, Hepplewhite and
Federal periods as well as the later Beidermeier
style.
O
Occasional table: A generic term for small
pieces like end and coffee tables.
Oriental rug: Handwoven or hand-knotted rugs
native to the Middle or Far East. Numerous
variations in color and motif are available.
Ottoman: A low upholstered seat used as a
footstool.
P
Parsons table: A simple, squared-off table
with legs and apron of equal widths. The
name is taken from the Parsons School of
Design, where the table was developed during
the 1950s.
Parquet: Inlaid geometric patterns of wood;
used primarily in flooring.
Patina: The softening effect which age, use
and care impart.
Pedestal table: A table supported by a single,
center base.
Pediment: An ornamental crest running across
the top of tall 18th century piece such as
high boy or chests.
Pembroke Table: A drop leaf table with leaves
that drop almost to the floor.
Pencil-post Bed: A bed with four slim posts
rising six to eight feet. Design is generally
simple with straight lines; the beds can
be used alone or with a canopy.
Pharmacy lamp: Developed in the 1920s, this
adjustable floor lamp has a tent-shaped shade.
Pickled finish: The result of rubbing white
paint into previously stained and finished
wood.
Piecrust Table: A round occasional table
set on a three-legged pedestal base, ornamented
with a edging resembling a crimped pie crust.
Pier Glass: A large, window-height mirror
suspended above a table.
Piercing: Carved or cutout decorative detail
seen in chair splats and other 18th century
furniture.
Pilaster: A flattened column-like detail
applied to furniture, bookcases, etc. for
decorative purposes.
Pleated shade: An accordion-pleated fabric
shade that raises and lowers on a pull cord
much like a venetian blind.
Plinth: The base of a chest of column that
rests solidly on the floor, as opposed to
sitting on legs.
Plush carpet: Luxurious eve with velvety
evencut pile; shows footprints and shading
easily.
Q
Quarry tile: Glazed or unglazed; made by
an extrusion process from natural clay and
shale. Usually in squares and often terra-cotta
in color.
Queen Anne: A major furniture style of the
18th century, a period rich in innovative
design. Graceful and elegant, the style (named
after the 18th century English monarch) is
characterized by curved lines such as cabriole
legs, broken scroll pediments and rounded
aprons in tables and lowboys.
R
Rail: The horizontal member running across
the top of a chair back.
Rag rug: Sturdy, handwoven cotton rugs.
Recamier: An elegant sofa or chaise popular
in the Empire and Victorian eras. Sometimes
called fainting couches, Recamiers have a
sloping back not much higher than the seat
at one end, with the other end rising to
meet a high and often rolled, arm.
Reproduction: New furniture that is an authentic
copy of an antique.
Restorations: Antiques or collectibles that
have been brought back to original condition
through reconstruction and/or replacement
of missing parts and refinishing.
Return: The element of an L-shaped desk that
is perpendicular to the main desk, providing
extra working surface.
Rice Carved Posters: Tall, heavy bedposts
carved with decorative details such as rice
and tobacco plants, symbolic of the wealth
of plantation owners in the Carolinas and
northern Georgia, where the style originated.
Rococo: Very elaborate European design style,
originating in early 18th century France.
Rococo Revival: An especially florid Victorian
style popular from the 1850s-70s, best known
for elaborately carved rosewood parlor furniture,
triple-crested sofas and balloon-backed chairs.
Roll Top Desk: A desk with a curved, slatted
panel that rolls down to hide its writing
surface.
Roman shade: A flat fabric shade that folds
into neat horizontal pleats when it is raised.
Rush Seat Chair: A rustic French or American
chair with seats woven of rushes.
Rustic: Simple style typical of country life.
S
Sabre Leg: A leg with a sabre-like curve.
Saxony carpet: Noted for its elegance and
array of solid hues. Yarn loops are clipped
for a soft, dense pile with well-defined
individual tuft tips.
Scale: Refers to the size of objects in relation
to one another and the human body; in decorating,
good scale is the result of an eye-pleasing
relationship between furnishings and other
objects and the space they are used in.
Secretary: A drop-leaf desk sitting on a
base of drawers, usually with cubbyholes
and slots for organizing papers and bonnet
tops reflecting their 18th century origins.
Serpentine Front: A waving curve on the front
of a chest or desk. Serving Table: A long
narrow table with drawers for silver, linens,
etc.
Settee: A long seat or bench with a back
and arms seating two or more people.
Shaker: American religious sect in the 18th
and 19th centuries that practiced simple
living and fostered a genius for excellent
design combining functionality and beauty.
Design features include straight, tapered
legs, and woven-strap chair seats.
Sheraton: A formal style that developed from
Hepplewhite, Sheraton features delicate straight
lines, tapered legs (usually turned rather
than square) and expert veneer and inlay.
The period is known for handsome sideboards
and neo-classical decorative elements including
small urns and fluted columns.
Shield Back: A chair with a back in the shape
of shield.
Sideboard: A serving piece with drawers and/or
open shelves for displaying plates and silver.
Slat-back: An early American chair form incorporating
horizontal slats.
Slate: Natural flooring that resists stain
and hold heat well.
Sleigh bed: A 19th-century American adaptation
of a popular French Empire design. The sleigh
bed has a high, scrolled headboard and footboard
resembling the front of a sleigh.
Slipper chair: A low, armless upholstered
chair, often with a skirt.
Slip seat: A removable, upholstered chair
seat. Splat: A flat, vertical support piece
in the middle of an open chair back, often
carved or ornamented.
Spattering: A decorative paint technique
produced by tapping or flicking a paintbrush
loaded with paint onto a plain background.
Sponging: A paint technique involving the
application of a layer or layers of opaque
or translucent paint colors with a sponge.
Stretcher: A horizontal brace in an H or
X shape, often decorative, connecting the
legs of a table or chair.
Strip flooring: The most popular wood flooring,
made of long, narrow tongue-and-groove boards
that are end-matched.
T
Tea Table: A small portable table, frequently
used in place of a coffee table. Table top
often has raised edges resembling a tray
and side pullouts for candles.
Terrazzo: Smooth flooring made of marble
or stone chips embedded in a cement binder,
then highly polished for a multicolored effect.
Tester: Wooden frame supporting a canopy
or draperies at the top of a poster bed.
Ticking: A striped cotton or linen fabric
used for mattress covers, slipcovers and
curtains.
Tieback: A fastener made of fabric, ribbon
or braid that is attached to the sides of
a window and is used to hold back curtains
or draperies.
Tilt Top: A small table with a hinged top
that can stand vertically when not in use.
Tint: A color white has been added to; a
pastel.
Torchiere: A floor lamp that directs light
upward with a flared shade.
Track lighting: "Cans" with bulbs
or spotlights clipped into wall- or ceiling-mounted
tracks that contain electrical components.
Transitional: Design that blends influences
from various style categories.
Trestle Table: A long, narrow table with
two T-shaped uprights that are joined by
a single stretcher; usually used in country-style
schemes.
Trompe l'oeil: French for "fool the
eye"; a two-dimensional painting designed
to look like a three-dimensional object.
Turning: The shaping of legs or trim on a
lathe.
Tuxedo: A style of sofa or chair with a square
frame created by arm and back rests of equal
height.
U
Upholstery: Fabric-covered sofas and chairs,
with most wood construction features hidden
under layers of padding and fabric.
Uplight: A light fixture that directs light
toward the ceiling; it can be freestanding
or mounted on the wall.
Uprights: The outer vertical posts of a chair.
Urethane foam carpet padding: The most popular
type of padding, made in a continuous flat
sheet; offers both comfort and support.
V
Valance: An overdrapery treatment made of
fabric or wood; designed to conceal hardware
and fixtures while providing a decorative
touch.
Veneer: A thin layer of wood permanently
bonded to a thicker core. The most beautiful
grain patterns are used for the outermost
layer (or face veneer) of furniture piece,
greater strength is achieved by bonding woods
at right angles to each other.
Victorian: A furniture style popular from
the middle to end of the 19th century, named
for England's Queen Victoria. Furniture is
usually walnut, mahogany and rosewood in
dark finishes, often highlighted with elaborate,
carved floral designs. Oval chairbacks are
common, as are marble tops on tables and
dressers.
Vitrine: China or curio cabinet with glass
doors.
W
William and Mary: This style, named for the
17th century English King and Queen, came
to America in the early 1700s. Innovations
included high-backed, upholstered armchairs,
highboys and lowboys. Design elements include
curved lines, bun or ball feet, marquetry,
inlay and oriental lacquerwork.
Windsor Chair: A popular 19th century wooden
chair with spindle backs shaped in fans,
hoops or combs.
Wing chair: A high-backed upholstered lounge
chair with wings on either side of the chair
back.
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