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How do you express yourself? When words like "thingy" and "whatchamacallit" just won't do; or when you want to learn a little bit more about the language behind your decorating experience – we're here to help. Here's a list of some of the most commonly used terms in the furniture and decorating worlds.
A - C D – L M - R S - Z
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Damask: A rich, flatly woven textile that features a pattern that is created with slightly varying shades of one color.
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Dentil molding: An architectural detail featuring equally spaced wood blocks. Often found in traditional furniture and architecture.
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Design: 1- To conceptualize the appearance of an object or space. 2- A style, fashion, appearance or characteristic.
Dinette: A small dining set consisting of a table and coordinating chairs. Used for casual or in-the-kitchen serving.
Distressed: The marring, damaging or finishing of an object or material to create an aged, used or rustic appearance.
Down: The very soft, fine and luxurious feathers from the breasts of waterfowl.
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Eclectic: A design aesthetic that mixes objects from various style categories or historical periods. From the Latin for "to gather."
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Eight-way hand tied: A method of seating construction using coil springs that are tied or looped with strong cord at the eight compass points to the surrounding coils and frame.
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Escutcheon: The decorative plate around a keyhole.
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Fauteuil: An armchair, usually covered in fabric, with open sides.
Fill/weft: The visible yarns in a textile that are woven through the less visible foundation of warp yarns. Weft yarns run perpendicular to selvage. See Selvage.
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Finial: The decorative ornament cap of a post – as in a fence or chair frame – or the decorative top securing a lampshade.
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Finish: 1- The surface coating of an item. Some finishes provide protection, some color, others both. 2- To apply an agent to the surface of an object. Fabrics, woods, metals, stone and many other materials require finishing for a variety of reasons: color, texture, moisture or stain protection.
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Flame stitch: A pattern created in the weaving of a textile that resembles the arching and ebbing of flames.
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Flax: The plant with pale blue flowers and slender stems from which linen is derived.
Flow: To run smoothly in unbroken continuity as in: 1- Flow-matching fabrics where the pattern is matched from top to bottom on a piece of upholstery; 2- The designing of a space so that the elements are harmoniously arranged by shape, style and color.
Fluting: The carving of parallel grooves into wood or other solid materials.
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Frame: The mostly unseen materials used to craft the supporting structure of a piece of upholstered furniture. Wood, metal and plastic are common frame materials.
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French Classic style: Designs popularized during the reigns of Louis XIV and XV.
French Provincial style: Designs inspired in the countryside and small cities of the south of France during the 17th and 18th centuries. Elements were pure, materials natural, and colors drawn from the earth and sky.
Focal point: 1- The area in a room or a design piece to which the eye is drawn. 2- The center of interest or activity.
Full grain leather: The complete, uncorrected hide of an animal. The grain side refers to the side from which the hair or fur has been removed.
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Gallery edge: The raised outer portion of an object such as a table or buffet.
Georgian style: Architecture or objects bearing characteristics from the period of the reigns of the four King Georges of Britain from 1714 to 1830. The design aesthetic might be described as less ornamentation to create a more masculine appearance.
Gilding: Applying gold or a gold-like substance to the surface of an object.
Glaze: A finishing technique used to highlight or add depth to the surface.
Grain: The pattern inherent in the fibers of wood or leather or other natural materials reflecting growth or expansion.
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Hand: The reaction to the sense of touch when fabric or leathers are held in the hand.
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Hutch: 1-A cabinet usually used for the storage of serving pieces. 2- The top half of a two-piece cabinet.
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Inlay: The fitting together of wood, shell, bone or stone pieces into a surface area to create a desired pattern.
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Jacobean style: From the period of the early 1600s in England. Ornamentation tended to be heavily carved or spindled and finished in dark stains. Woven or printed patterns feature a "Tree of Life" motif.
Jacquard: 1- An intricately woven textile. 2- The loom developed by Frenchman Joseph Jacquard in 1801 that first allowed for a mechanical weaving of complex patterns.
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Kickpleat skirt: A straight skirt that is often divided in the center of width and on the corners where another smaller skirt is placed in the back of the opening left by the division or vents.
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Kickpleat with shirred corners: A straight skirt that is often divided or vented in the center of width and on the corners where another smaller, gathered or shirred skirt is placed in the back of the opening left by the division or vents.
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Lacquer: The hard and shiny cellulose-based finish applied to furniture surfaces.
Ladder-back: The back of a piece of furniture, typically a chair, resembling the steps of a ladder.
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Lattice: A crisscross pattern often found in wood products or textiles. The pattern can be squared or on the diagonal.
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Linen: 1-The fine and durable fiber of the flax plant. 2- A handsome, crisp textile woven from the fiber of the flax plant.
Lodge: 1- A rustic house or inn usually located in a remote area. 2- A trend of furnishings modeled after rustic elements and objects found in lodges.
Loose-back pillow: An unattached pillow providing support for the back of an upholstered piece.
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Loose pillow back: The back of an upholstered piece created by a series of unattached pillows.
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Louis XIII, XIV, XV, XVI: The four kings of France from 1610 to 1792. These kings were responsible for a period of magnificent contributions to the arts, sciences and agriculture. Many of the aesthetics that have influenced Western world design originated during this time.
Luggage stitching: A sewing technique that creates seams featuring the two parallel rows of stitching often found on fine luggage.
Lurex: Fibers created from finely slit aluminum film, then covered in plastic. Often used in mid-century objects. The luster of the yarn imitates gold and silver threads. Admirable characteristics: strength and sheen.
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Lyre arm: A bow-shaped section of a piece of furniture modeled after the musical instrument of ancient Greece.
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A - C D – L M - R S - Z |
