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taftfurniture · 7 years ago

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The A-Z’s of Furniture Terminology

Accent colors

Contrast colors used to spice up room schemes

ADA Guidelines

A set of requirements applied to the design and construction of all buildings to ensure individuals with disabilities have full access to the building and its facilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Antiquing

The process of making wood or fabric look old and used. This can be done through a finish, artificial weathering, or distressing.

Apron

Boards that are placed at right angles to the underside of a tabletop or seat of a chair, extending between the tops of legs. On case goods furniture, it is the perpendicular face below the lowest drawer between bracket feet.

Arabesque

A kind of scroll pattern in which leaves, flowers, fruit and geometric forms are intertwined

Armoire

French term for a wardrobe frequently used to describe a French-style wardrobe.

Art Deco

Style of architecture and furnishings popular in the 1920's and 1930's; characteristics include streamlined, geometric motifs expressed in materials such as glass, plastic and chrome.

Art Nouveau

Forerunner of Art Deco; style of decoration between 1890 and 1910 characterized by flowing lines, sinuous curves and forms derived from nature.

Bachelor's Chest

A small low chest of drawers which first appeared in the 18th century.

Balloon back

A chair with a circular back resembling a balloon; popularized in Victorian times.

Bar Height:

A Bar Height Table (or Pub Height) measures between 40" - 42" Tall. Therefore, the bar stools are in the 28"- 30" range.

Banquette

A long bench-like seat, often upholstered and generally built into or along a wall.

Bentwood chair

A chair popularized in Paris café culture made from wood bent using a steaming process.

Bergère

An upholstered French armchair with outwardly rolling arms and sections of its wooden frame exposed.

Bolster

A long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc.

Bookcase Headboard

A headboard for a bed that has space to store books, radios, clocks, and other small items. Sometimes called a storage headboard.

Bow front

Outwardly bowing front of an item of wooden furniture.

Box Match

A veneering pattern similar to diamond match and angled to create a series of consecutive squares radiating out from the center.

Brace Block

A piece of wood or metal, fitted into an angle of a piece of furniture to add strength or rigidity.

Bracket foot

A foot resembling an “L” on its side placed at the corners of cabinet furniture.

Breakfront

An item of furniture divided vertically into three sections, with the center section projecting forward.

Brocade

Used in fine, formal upholstery, it has raised surface patterns resembling embroidery.

Broken pediment

A decorative feature placed at the top of an item of furniture, which resembles a camel's hump. The center section of the hump is removed (hence the term “broken”) to make room for additional ornamental features.

Buffet

A buffet/sideboard without a hutch or storage cabinet on top. The French definition of the word is "a small sideboard; a place to keep dishes.”

Bun Foot

A foot shaped as a slightly flattened round ball typically used on chests of drawers or upholstered chairs.

Bureau

A desk built on top of a chest of drawers. The desk is revealed when a flap or “fall” is lowered. Occasionally a bookcase sits on top of it.

Cabriole leg

A table or chair leg with a gentle "S" shape which curves outward at the top and then curves inward while tapering gradually. Named after an early French term for "goat" (literally "goat's leg") it is common on Queen Anne and Chippendale style furniture. Occasionally referred to as a Queen Anne leg.

Camel back

Used to describe furniture with a curve like a camel's hump along its back.

Casters

Small wheels mounted on a swivel frame and then attached to a base or legs to facilitate moving a piece of furniture.

Canterbury

A portable magazine rack.

Chairback Headboard

This is an open headboard style resembling the back of a dining room chair.

Chaise Lounge

An upholstered settee with an arm at one end and a back that tapers down to seating level.

Chenille

Fabric with thick needle-punched design; often used on bedspreads and robes as well as casual upholstery.

Chest on chest

A large chest of drawers on which sits a slightly smaller chest of drawers.

Chippendale

Name applied to Thomas Chippendale’s eighteenth-century furniture designs, including the camelback sofa and the wing chair.

Classic

Refers to design based in the artistic standards, principles and methods of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Coffee Table

A long, low table used in front of a sofa. Also called a cocktail table.

Coffer

A storage chest having a hinged lid.

Complementary colors

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (i.e. blue and orange).

Corner Block

Triangular wood block used in the concealed structure under tabletops, inside cases, and at points of stress on upholstered furniture frames.

Cornice

Decorative section of wood that runs along the top of cabinet furniture and leans out at an angle to provide a pleasing finished appearance to the piece.

Counter Height:

A Counter Height Table measures between 34"- 36" Tall. Counter Height Tables are considered more casual, and make it easier to converse with others standing in the room. Counter height stools seating measures between 24"- 28" high.

Credenza

A buffet, sideboard, or bookcase, especially one without legs. A piece of office furniture having a long flat top.

Cyma Curve

A simple double-curved molding with a reversed curve as its profile. Derived from Greek meaning, “wave”.

Damask

Formal fabric with textural contrast between satiny and dull.

Daybed

Similar to a bed but narrower and with a padded seat back at one end for leaning against.

Dinette

Small-scaled dining furniture with a table and four to six chairs designed for kitchen use, but also used in small dining areas.

Drop leaf table

A table with hinged leaves which can be lowered to save space when not in use.

Eclecticism

A style in which furnishings and accessories of various periods and styles are deftly and harmoniously combined.

Embossing

A type of design that is produced on a surface by hammering, stamping, pressing, or molding

Etagere

A free standing open cabinet having several shelves used for display purposes.

Fiddle back

A back splat shaped like a violin, common in Windsor chairs.

Filigree

Ornamental openwork of delicate or intricate design that is usually done in gold or silver wire.

Finial

A small carved or turned ornament used to provide a decorative finish to a tall vertical piece such as a long case clock or bedpost.

Flat packed furniture

Also called KD, flat-pack or self-assembly furniture. Refers to furniture that is to be assembled by the end user.

Fretwork

Interlaced ornamental woodwork, usually in a complicated repeating, geometric pattern. This is often used in backs of chairs, beds, in china cabinet doors, or on table aprons and legs.

Futon

A folded mattress on a frame that can be folded up for seating or down to form a sleeping surface.

Gesso

(Pronounced jesso) A decorative feature created out of plaster commonly used on picture and mirror frames. Frequently finished by gilding or painting.

Homespun

Originally, this was a fabric loomed by hand at home, but now the name of a loose, coarsely woven, power-loomed fabric that uses textured and bulky yarns to create a hand-woven look.

Hutch

A two-part case piece that usually has a two-door cabinet below and open shelves above, originally dating from seventeenth-century England.

Inlay

Veneers of contrasting colors cut into decorative shapes and set into the surface of wood furniture for ornamentation.

Innerspring Mattress

A mattress with a center core of springs for buoyancy and resilience. A protective pad surrounds the springs.

Jacquard

A formal, highly decorative fabric that includes damasks, tapestries, brocades, and all cloths with elaborate figures woven on a jacquard loom.

Knee Hole

A space beneath a desk or dressing table designed to accommodate a person's legs to enable them to sit comfortably when using the top as a work surface.

Lacquer

A durable varnish applied in several layers to protect furniture’s surface. Finishes can vary from matt to glossy.

Ladder Back Chair

A style of country chair with horizontal slats in the back that resemble a ladder.

Laminate or "Lam"

Applied covering to boards, which provide different appearances such as colors and grains (see also paper, vinyl). A synonym for “replicated.”

Lattice

An openwork crisscross or fretwork made of thin, flat strips of wood or metal. Usually found on chairs and headboards.

Lazy Susan

A revolving tray or stand of wood or metal.

Leaf

A board or panel that is used as a tabletop extension. Some leaves are hinged to the table surface and must be raised to a horizontal position, as in a Pampero or gate-leg table. Other leaves are drawn out from beneath the table surface, as in the draw table. In other tables, the top can be separated and extended so leaves can be placed in the opening.

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)

This is made by breaking down wood chips into fibers, mixing glue, and fusing the resulting mixture under heat and pressure to produce a board.

Mantel

The complete facing around the opening of a fireplace, including any shelf used above it as well as any part that projects from the wall.

Motion Furniture

Chairs, beds, or sofas containing mechanisms that allow the user to recline or extend their legs.

Occasional Furniture

A generic term used to describe small pieces of furniture such as lamp tables, coffee tables or magazine racks.

Ottoman

A long, low upholstered seat with no back: used with a chair as a footrest. If over scaled, can be used in place of a cocktail table.

Parson's Table

A square or rectangular table with wide, straight legs.

Particle Board

Panels that are manufactured by bonding wood particles with synthetic resins under heat and pressure. Used as the core for many plywood panels, as panels to be printed (engraved), or other uses in furniture construction. Also called fiberboard, chip core, hardboard, and medium density fiberboard.

Patina

The coloration and texture, which wood and leather acquire with age and use

Pediment

A decorative crest found at the top of tall pieces of furniture to achieve a pleasing finish.

Pilaster

A flattened column-like detail applied to furniture, bookcases, etc. as a decorative feature.

Platform Bed

A mattress that sets on the top of a wood or plastic platform or pedestal. Sometimes the mattress may recess into a frame on the top of the platform, and there is a shelf that may go partially or completely around the perimeter.

Pouf

A low upholstered stool of solid construction

Queen Anne Leg

Return

The part of an L-shaped desk that is at right angles to the main work surface, providing additional workspace.

Roll Top Desk

Desks with a tambour cover which rolls back to reveal the writing surface.

Sectional Furniture

Upholstered furniture composed of complementary sections that can be grouped in a variety or arrangements or used separately

Serving Table

A long narrow table with drawers.

Settee

Another word for a sofa.

Shield Back Chair

A chair in the Hepplewhite style having a back in the shape of a shield.

Side Chair

A chair with a small seat (15 to 18 inches wide) and no arms.

Sleigh Bed

A popular French Empire-style bed having a high scrolled headboard and footboard, creating the impression of a sleigh or a boat (also called “lit bateau” or “boat bed”)

Spindle Back

A chair having vertically arranged spindles in the back.

Standard Height:

A Standard Height Table measures between 28"- 30" Tall. Standard Height Tables are more common and therefore available in more sizes, designs and finishes than counter height tables. Standard height chair seating measures between 18"- 20" high.

Tester Bed

A bed having two posts at the headboard supporting a half canopy above.

TOB

An abbreviation for Top of Bed. Ashley TOB sets contain a comforter, pillow shams, and a bed skirt.

Trundle Bed

Pullout bed on casters somewhat smaller than the bed under which it is set.

Tufting

An upholstery technique where the covering fabric and the padding are tied back in a definite pattern, creating small "pillows" between depressions.

Wainscoting

Wood paneling applied to walls from baseboards to the desired height, usually about one-third of the way up a wall.

Windsor Chair

A popular 18th century wooden chair having a solid seat and a back formed from a bent wood hoop and vertical spindles.

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