| Design and Furniture Glossary |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
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A |
Acanthus – Design motif based on thick, thistle-like leaves of acanthus plant of Mediterranean region. It was conventionalized in the carved capital of classic Corinthian columns. |
Accent Light – Any variety of light fixtures which are usually mounted in the top of the case to highlight the display of collectibles or provide illumination as a work or reading light. |
Aniline – In wood finishing, stains in a colorless, oily, slightly water-soluble liquid, usually from coal-tar, having strong penetrating qualities. |
Antique Finish – A furniture finishing technique used on wood to give it an aged look, an artificially created patina. A darker shade of paint or stain may be applied over a lighter tone, and then rubbed off; or a lighter tone may be used of the darker wood. Wood can also be “antiqued†or “distressed†by artificial weathering, gouging or nicking. |
Apron – Skirt or rail usually seen under a dining room tabletop. |
Armoire – A tall cupboard or wardrobe, with doors. The earliest armoires were probably used for the storage or arms and armor. |
Arts & Crafts – Late 19th-century in England and America, a revolt against over-mechanization through a return to the crafts, influenced by Will Morris and John Ruskin, among many. |
Art Deco – Style of ornament popular in 1920s and early thirties, using geometrical or stylized versions of natural forms, seeking a beauty that could be mass-produced. |
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B |
Bachelor’s Chest – Small chest of drawers designed to hold small items of male apparel; often used in pairs; typically 18th century English. |
Ball-bearing extension guides – Mounted onto each side of the drawer, these extendable guides provide strong weight-bearing capabilities, with fluid movement and long-lasting operation. |
Ball Foot – A turned furniture foot of spherical or nearly spherical shape with a narrow disc-like pad at its base. |
Bail – Metal lock or ring forming a handle. |
Banding – Inlay or Marquetry that produces a color or grain contrast along the perimeter of a surface. |
Base – The lowest member of a piece of furniture or column. |
Base levelers – Mounted towards the bottom and front of the case, these two independently adjustable levelers help ensure case is level and stable on uneven or carpeted floors. They also aid in the alignment or centering of doors and / or drawers in their openings. |
Base Rail – Wood trim at the bottom edge furniture, directly above the legs. |
Bead – In furniture, a small molding, half-round in section, sometimes carved to resemble a string of beads. |
Bed Hook – Bracket that supports side rails or spring in three-piece bed. |
Bed Rail – Rigid strips of metal or wood, used in pairs to connect headboard of bed to footboard, forming a frame to support the mattress. |
Bevel – The edge of a flat surface that has been cut on angle. |
Birch – Wood of a large group of trees grown in temperate sections of America and Europe. Used extensively for structural carpentry. Hard birth has great strength, works well, takes a fine polish and is often used as imitation walnut or mahogany. |
Block Foot – Cube-shaped base of furniture leg, often an untapered square leg. |
Blushing – White or grayish cast appearing on lacquer film during drying period. |
Bombe – Bulging, convex front and sides of case furniture. Also called kettle front. More complex than a bow front. |
Bonnet Top – A rounded, curved and scrolled pediment that covers the entire top of a case piece. |
Book Matching – Every other sheet of veneer is turned over, as a page in a book, so that the back edge of one meets the front edge of the adjacent panel. This produces a matched joint effect. |
Bow Back – A type of 18th century Windsor chair with rounded top rail continuing down either side to arms or seat. |
Bow Front – Style of front for case furniture characterized by a swelling forward in a single convex curve. |
Breakfront – A cabinet made of a protruding center section flanked by to two sidepieces that are recessed. |
Broken Pediment – The top ornamental element of a cabinet the side lines of which do not meet at the apex, leaving space for a decorative shape. |
Buffet – a sideboard used to store china. |
Bun Foot – A rounded leg with a flat bottom used in upholstery or case goods. |
Burl – A growth in the bole or root of a tree. The wartlike protuberance, which is sliced to obtain a veneer wood, contains dark pith centers and many undeveloped buds which produce a pitted “little eye†or knotted effect†on the surface.The burl often appears in walnut. |
Butterfly leaf – A hinged leaf which can be self-stored in an area beneath the top panel. |
Butt Joint – Wood joined together at flat edges. |
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C |
Cabriole – Furniture leg, double-curved and arching outward in a "knee" at the top, inward to an "ankle" near the foot, which swings out again. |
Cane – Rattan and other reed-link plants split into thin strips and woven for chairs seats, backs and side panels; elastic and comfortable. Also used in decorative insets. |
Case Good(s) – Any piece of furniture that is used hold (or Case) things. |
Chamfer – Beveled and canted edge, cut at an angle on a flat surface. |
Channel – Groove cut into surface as decorative feature, as on a fluted column. |
Chesser – Combination of a dresser and a chest; narrower than a dresser and shorter than chest that can normally utilize a tilt or small mirror. |
Chest – A tall, narrow piece of furniture intended for storage. |
Chest-on-Chest – Tall, narrow piece of furniture featuring an upper level of drawers stacked on top of a lower level of wider drawers. |
Chiffonier – a high, narrow chest of drawers for bedroom use. (Lingerie Chest). |
Club Foot – A turned foot resembling a club usually found at the bottom of a Cabriole leg. |
Composition wood elements – Also known as engineered wood, it is made from the same hardwoods and softwoods used to manufacture solid lumber. The strands, fibers or particles from the solid lumber go through a process of being dried, blended and bound together with special adhesives, pre-formed into a specified size and shape, placed under high pressure and heat, and finally treated with special sealants which make the composite materials less prone to humidity-induced warping and / or damage. These composite materials are engineered to precise design specifications which are stringently tested to meet national or international standards. |
Cottage Furniture – Painted and or decorated piece of casual furniture characterized by simple forms. |
Crossrail – Horizontal bar or rail in a chairback. |
Cubby – Small storage area that is partitioned or separated with either vertical or horizontal panels. |
Cylinder Top – A rolltop cover to a bureau or desk. It differs from a tambour top in that it does not roll up on itself. |
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D |
Demi-lune – Half-moon-shaped console or sideboard |
Dentil Molding – Equally spaced rectangular blocks in a cornice molding, resembling teeth. |
Dinette – More casual dining pieces of furniture used in small spaces or kitchen. |
Dining height – Standard top panel height of 30" from floor. |
Distressing – In wood finishing, a treatment to make new woods look old and used. May include spotting and marking with special ink and crayon, hitting lightly with a chain, coating with white paint or applying acid or bleach. |
Dovetail – A type of joinery used in the front and sides of a drawer. Wedge-shaped projections on one piece of wood interlock with alternating grooves in the other piece. This produces a tight secure joint. |
Dowel – Round wooden pin, peg, or rod to be fitted into holes in two pieces f wood to hold them together. |
Drawer stop – A device mounted on the drawer that helps prevent it from coming completely out of the case in order to avoid damage and / or injury. The stop can be manipulated to enable drawer to come completely out of the case. |
Dresser – A chest of drawers commonly used with a mirror, also called a bureau. |
Drop Leaf – A type of table with hinged leaf or leaves which, when raised can extend top surface. |
Drop-in leaf – A leaf or leaves which can be inserted or removed depending on the amount of seating required. |
Dust panel – A panel attached below the drawer to help independently seal and protect contents of each drawer from airborne dust and / or falling particles from the drawer above it. |
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E |
Eclectic – In design, the free combination of forms and motifs from various countries and periods. Results in a very unique and individualistic look to a room. |
Embossed – Decorated with a raised design produced on a surface by hammering, stamping or molding. |
Escutcheon – A decorative plate around a keyhole on a piece of furniture. |
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F |
Felt-lined – Covering the complete drawer bottom and glued into place, the felt helps prevent snagging of fine linen and helps protect valuables / collectibles from being scratched. |
Finger Joint – A movable, interlocking joint mainly used between the movable and fixed parts of a bracket or fly rail, such as one used to support the leaves of a drop-leaf table in a horizontal position. |
Finial – A turned or carved piece at the top of a post or the piece that holds the shade to the harp of a lamp. |
Fluting – Vertical grooves cut into columns, legs or panels as on a table apron. |
Folding leaf – A hinged leaf on two opposing edges or on all four edges which can lifted and supported by slide-out wooden or metal supports beneath the top panel to increase the amount of seating. |
Fretwork – Lattice work; interlaced ornamental work, usually geometric and symmetric; pieced, carved design done in low relief. |
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G |
Gallery – Small railing of metal or wood, or a raised rim, around the tops of tables, cabinets or buffets, etc. |
Gathering height – Standard top panel height of 36" from floor. |
Gilding – Method of ornamenting surfaces with gold leaf or gold-dust. |
Glazing – In wood finishing, a technique of applying light oil pigmented stain, brushing it to bring out depth and color of grain, prior to sealing. Also used to create antique effects and highlights. |
Grain – Variations in color and texture made by the size and arrangement of cells and pores of a leaving tree, as veiled when wood is cut through the trunk in an essential horizontal direction.; the grain of each wood species is specific to that species. |
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H |
Hardwood – A general term for the lumber of broad-leafed trees, in contrast to the conifers that are termed softwoods. The name has no real connection with the hardness of the wood. The furniture hardwoods are porous, and include oak, walnut, mahogany, beech, maple and gum. |
Highboy – Large case piece up on legs, usually found in traditional styles of furniture, consisting of a series of full and smaller drawers. |
Highlighting – In wood finishing, the effect produced by wiping stain from the high points of turned or carved members, to produce an appearance of age and used by simulating work spots. |
Hutch – Cupboard set on a cabinet, often with open shelves. |
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I |
Inlay – Designs formed in wood through the contrast of grains, colors, and textures of wood, metal, ivory, etc., inserted flush into the wood. |
Interior Designer – A specialist trained to design interior spaces and plan the furnishings of a room of private homes or public buildings. Usually a professional member of American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). |
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J |
Jewelry tray – A felt-lined and partitioned tray for storing a variety of jewelry and / or personal collectibles. |
Joint – The junction at which two pieces of lumber unite to form a support or make a closure. |
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K |
KD - "Knocked Down" – Furniture that must be assembled upon delivery. |
Kiln-Dried – Lumber dried by artificial means in warm chambers. The heat is regulated to prevent the too sudden loss of moisture to avoid checking warping and other defects. Besides speed, kiln drying is superior to air drying because the remaining moisture content can be precisely controlled. |
Knock-out back panel – A back panel that has a partially pre-cut section that can be completely cut out if additional depth for a tube-type TV is required. |
Knot – A dark round or oval interruption in the grain of a piece of wood. It marks where a branch grew on a tree. |
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L |
Lacquer – A clear, protective substance applied as a topcoat to furnishings. |
Ladderback – Type of chair with back posts joined by a series of several horizontal rails, creating a ladder-like form. |
Laminate – The bonding together layers of wood by simultaneous application of heat and pressure. |
Laptop Port – It is a small multi-function power management system that allows easy and convenient connection to electrical power, phone hook-up, data and USB cables. |
Lattice – Criss-cross openwork in wood or metal; a kind of fretwork. |
Letter or legal size folder system – An adjustable file rail system that accommodates either 8 1/2" x 11" or 8 1/2" x 14" paper / documents. |
Louvers – Shutter-like slats, placed in an opening, usually movable. |
Lowboy – A low chest of drawers on high legs, for serving. |
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M |
Marquetry – The art of fitting together pieces of material (contrast wood, Mother-of-Pearl, ivory, etc) into the veneer of wood creating intricate and beautiful patterns. |
Media tray – Storage tray which can hold a variety of CD, DVD discs and/or VHS cassettes for easy and convenient viewing and removing of desired media. |
Metal-on-wood guide – One metal piece mounted to the drawer bottom and one wax-lubricated wood piece mounted on the case. The two pieces are machined and designed to inter-lock and provide smooth, quiet and long-lasting operation. |
Mission – An American version of the Arts & Crafts movement in furniture design created by Gustav Stickley featuring the simple and symmetrical designs found in Southwestern missions. |
Molding – A shaped profile applied to a continuous member to emphasize the difference in planes or to provide decorative bands of light and shade. Any break in a continuous flat surface may be considered a molding if it is designed to catch light and shade as a accent or embellishment. |
Mortise and Tenon – A method of joining two pieces of wood. The projecting tenon of one pieces fits into the open shape (mortise) of the other. This glued joint is often used to join stretchers to leg posts or top seats to the back posts of chairs. |
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N |
NIBS – In wood finishing, foreign matter in a film that shows up as raised specs when dried. |
Nulling – Carved wood ornament of projections and recesses, resembling fluting. |
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O |
Ogee – Classical molding having a cyma or double curve; also, two S-shaped curves, the convex curves meeting at a point or fillet, as used in the sides of an arch. |
Ottoman – A low upholstered seat with no arms or back used as a footstool. |
Oval Back – Type of chair with oval-shaped back frame, upholstered or open. |
Overlay – A decorative trim piece of a material applied to a flat surface of wood. |
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P |
Panel – board held in place by framework of rails and stiles that are grooved to receive it. |
Partition – Either a vertical or horizontal panel separating two or more areas. |
Pedestal – Tall, generally narrow column on a base, designed as a support often for an object of art, but also for a piece for furniture. |
Pedestal Desk – Desk with drawers on both sides of kneehole. |
Pediment – In furniture, the decorative hood or top ornamental element. |
Pencil tray – A partitioned piece of wood designed to hold pencils or other office supplies separate from the rest of the drawer. It is usually located on the back side of the drawer front and is sometimes removable. |
Pigeon hole – A vertically and / or horizontally partitioned storage box with often varying size cubby storage areas to hold paperwork. |
Pineapple – A finial whose carved shape symbolizes wealth, prosperity and hospitality; usually appears on bedpost or pedement. |
Plinth – Black, square or octagonal, used as the base of a column; also the base of a chest when solid to the floor. |
Plywood – Layers of wood products attached in a cross grain method (1st layer grain is east to west, 2nd layer north to south, 3rd layer east to west and so forth) to assist in preventing the contraction and swelling of wood surfaces due to the rise and fall of humidity in the air. |
Pocket doors – Doors mounted on a special ball-bearing hinge which allows the doors to either close completely or open and then retract back into the open pockets in the sides of the case. |
Power bar strip – A bar designed with multi-outlets for plugging in electronic components when a standard two-outlet wall plug-in isn't sufficient. |
Primavera – Costly hardwood from Central Mexico and Central America, used for cabinetry. Yellow-white to yello-brown, straight to somewhat striped grain, medium to coarse texture, lightweight. |
Pull – Handle to open drawers or doors of cabinets. |
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Q |
Quatrefoil – Decorative motif with four leaves or lobes; frequent in gothic style. |
Quirk – Sharp narrow groove in a molding. |
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R |
Rail – Horizontal member, usually a strip, of a chair, sofa or paneled door. |
Rake – Forward slat of a chair back; opposite of splay. |
Random Match – In veneering or decorative surfacing, a casual, unmatched effect where no attempt is made a a symmetrical or repetitive pattern. |
Refectory Table – Short table with extension leaves stored underneath and pulled out from the ends. |
Reeding – The opposite of fluting, an effect created by series of semi-circular convex strip moldings set close together. |
Removable molding – Molding on the ends of a case which can be removed to enable unit to sit side-by-side with another case, such as with an entertainment wall group, or left on the case if it is to be used as a stand-alone unit. |
Reverse Box Match – A decorative veneering technique similar to a reverse diamond match, but angled to create a cross-patterned center with right-angled patterns going off in four directions. |
Reverse Diamond Matc – Four wedges of wood or veneer set together to form an X at the center with consecutively smaller Vs radiating out from the center in all four directions. |
Rim – Rolled up or raised edge, such as a table with an inset panel top. |
Rolltop Desk – Desk with a tambour lid rolling down to cover the writing surface. |
Routing – Decorative engraved lines made by a portable revolving spindle. |
Rush Seat – A seat woven with a series of rushes. |
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S |
Scalloped – A semicircular decorative motif in form of a sea-scallop shell, much used in carving from the late Renaissance through the 8th century. |
Security panel – Similar to a dust panel, this panel is attached 'above' a locking drawer and its purpose is to prevent access to the drawer and its contents if the drawer above it is taken out. |
Serpentine Front – French Louis XV period chest of drawer with undulating front surface; generally convex in the center, concave on either side. |
Shaker – Extremely simple, sturdy, well-designed wood furniture made in the mid-19th century by the Shakers. Few turnings, and no inlays, carving or veneer were permitted, nor any type of decoration beyond an occasional red stain. |
Sideboard – Originally an open-shelf dining room piece, literally a side board or boards, now a piece with cabinet and/or drawer below, and sometimes open shelving above for the display of plates and silver. |
Skirt (apron) – A wood strip or panel found below the sill, shelf or table top (sometimes called an apron). |
Slat Back – Type of high open chair back, having horizontal slats, sometimes carved or shaped, popular in 18th century in England and America. |
Sliding back panel – A back panel that can slide out and be removed if additional depth for a tube-type TV is required. |
Slip Seat – Separate upholstered wood-framed seat which slips into the framework of a chair, permitting easy reupholstering. |
Spindle – A thin turned member, often tapered or molded, used in chair backs, etc. |
Spiral Leg – A twisted, screw like turned leg. |
Splay – Pitch; rake; cant outward spread or slat, as of a surface or leg; slayed leg. |
Staining – In wood finishing, process of applying coloring matter to the outer surfaces or wood to enhance characteristic grain, provide uniform over-all color, or to imitate or match other cabinet woods. |
Stile – Outside vertical member of a cabinet or door that frames a panel. |
Stretcher – Crosspieces or rungs connecting legs of chairs, tables, etc. |
Sunk Top – A table surface that is set below an edge or rim. |
Swivel Chair – Chair with revolving seat and stationary base, also made as a rocker. A development of SHAKER furniture. |
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T |
Tambour – French for "drum," or "drum-shaped". A flexible rollover top, or roll top desk or table. |
Tapered Leg – A leg from a square cross-section, favored in 18th century by ADAM and HEPPLEWHITE. It incrementally narrows from the top of leg to the floor. |
Tenon – Tongue or projecting part of the wood that is fitted into a corresponding hole or mortise. |
Tilt-restraining mechanism – Used in a vertically-stacked file drawer configuration, this device is pre-attached to the inside of the case and enables only one drawer at a time to be opened. This helps prevent, but does not guarantee against the tipping of the unit and resulting damage and / or injury. |
Tip-restraining hardware – Used on units susceptible to tipping, this device is attached by the consumer to the back side of the case and anchored to a wall stud to help prevent, but not guarantee against the tipping of the unit and resulting damage and / or injury. |
Tongue and Groove – A type of joinery, in which a continuous projecting member (called the tongue) fits into a corresponding groove (sometimes called a rabbet) in an adjacent piece. |
Top Rail – A horizontal bar or rail, which connects the uprights of a chair back, and supports the cresting, if any. |
Trestle Table – Long, narrow table supported by two heavy uprights, joined by a stretcher rather than four legs, or pedestal supports. |
Trundle Bed – A low bed that can be rolled under a regular bed for storage when not in use. |
Turning – An ornamental or structural members of furniture produced by rotating a wood dowel on a lathe, and shaping the dowel with cutting tools into a series of nodules, swellings, disks, etc. |
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U |
Upholstery – Furniture that is covered in fabric, vinyl, leather or other materials. |
Uprights – The outer vertical rails or stiles that extend up from the back legs of the chair and support the chair back. |
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V |
Variegated – Edge glued lumber planks of varying lengths and coloration. |
Veneer – Slices of wood between 1/16†and 1/32†in thickness which are cut or sliced through the cross or vertical section of a log. These thin, continuous slices are fairly identical as to grain and figure, and can be matched in various ways to create interesting surface patterns. These veneers are applied ovcer a sturdy backing or core of a coarser, less decorative wood. The finished effect of veneered furniture is that the area has been completely constructed of finely grained or interestingly color wood. |
V-Match – Two slices of wood or veneer butted together like facing pages in a book. The graining resembles a series of V’s set one over the other. |
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W |
Windsor Chair – Where slat back chairs have flat pieces of wood forming the back, this 18th century designed chair has rounded spindles forming the back and attached to the graciously curved top. |
Wiring access hole or slot – Usually located in the back panel of a case, it is a hole or slot to help with the organization and running of wiring from the electronic equipment to the power source. |
Wood-on-wood guide – Two pieces of wax-lubricated wood that are machined and designed to inter-lock and provide smooth, quiet and long-lasting operation. |
Wrap-around doors – Doors mounted on special hinges, which enable doors to fully open and rest flush with sides of unit to increase work and / or TV viewing area. |
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X |
X-Back Chair – Chair with an X motif on the chair back. |
X-Stretcher – Crossed stretchers, straight or curved. |
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Y |
Yellowing – The turning of clear finish or white lacquer to yellow upon long exposure to air. |
Yorkshire Chair – An oak chair with turned front legs and stretchers. |
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Z |
Zebrawood – Hardwood from Africa used for inlay. Straw colored and dark brown with fine dark brown stripes, lustrous surface and heavy, course texture. |
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Some terms taken from The Dictionary of Interior Design by Martin Pegler © 1966 by Martin M. Pegler used by permission of Crown Publishers and Fairchild’s Dictionary of Home Furnishings by Emmanuel Hoffman © 1974 by Fairchild Publications, Inc used by permission of Fairchild Publications, Inc. |
