Furnishings Guide - Furniture Glossary


Maison Lenoir	Fontana	Continental Tapestry

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Armoire: Another name for a tall, wide wardrobe usually having two large doors behind which clothes can be hung or stored. Armoires originated in France where they were used for the storage of armor.

Arrow Foot: A cylindrical foot which is tapered and separated from the leg by a turned ring.

Attached Back Pillow: A pillow treatment which cannot be removed from the upholstered piece.

Bachelors Chest: A low chest of drawers, traditionally with a slide that pulls out for writing.

Ball Foot: The rounded end of a turned leg which has a hooded effect.

Barrel Back: A chair or sofa with the arms and back forming a continuous curve.

Blanket Chest: A low box-like check designed for storing blankets often having a hinged top and a drawer near the base.

Bow Back: A chair back formed by a bent piece of wood fitted with vertical spindles (as in a Windsor chair). The bow or hoop is continuous down to the arms or the seat.

Brass: An alloy of copper composed of copper and zinc. Brass is stronger than copper and has a more yellow color. It is often made into headboards, footboards, frames, lamps, table top accessories and occasional tables. Brass will tarnish when exposed to the air if not coated with a clear protective coating.

Brass Plate: Brass plated furniture usually has steel frames electroplated with a thin layer of brass or nickel and brass. The plated surfaces should be smooth, free from water marks and covered by a protective coating.

Brewster Chair: An American colonial wooden chair with heavy turned posts, many turned spindles and a wood seat. Provincial Jackobean style influences.

Broken Pediment: The space or structure above the cornice in which the side lines or scrolls do not meet in the center or come to a point. Often used on secretaries, clocks or chinas.

Buffet: A small cupboard or sideboard used to store dining implements.

Bun Foot: A flattened ball foot.

Bunk Bed: Two beds that are joined together so that one is placed above the other. Federal safety standards exist for bunk bed ladders and rails which protect children from falling injuries.

Bureau: A chest of drawers used in the bedroom. See dresser.

Butler's Table: An oval wooden tray on legs whose four sides are hinged to fold out flat when set down.

Butterfly Table: A small drop-leaf table whose leaves are supported by a swinging support which resembles a butterfly wing on a rudder.

Button Tufted: Fabric covered buttons are sewn through the upholstery surface and tied down. The placement of buttons and the resulting folds produce geometric patterns.

Cabriole: A furniture leg that curves outward from the structure which it supports and then descends in a tapering reverse curve terminating in an ornamental foot. Often used in Queen Anne and Chippendale dining chairs.

Camel Back: Double curved back, shield shaped; characteristic Hepplewhite style.

Case Piece: Furniture that provides interior space for storage.

Casting: The art of forming metal objects by pouring the molten metal into a mold and allowing in to harden. After hardening, the castings are finished by hand.

Center Glide: A center track that a drawer glides on.

Chaise Lounge: A type of sofa or daybed designed for reclining and resembling an elongated chair.

China Cabinet: A cabinet which is used for the display and storage of fine china. It is often massive with front and side glass panels.

Chest On Chest: Primarily English and American 18th and 19th Century pieces composed of two stacked chests of drawers. The upper chest usually being smaller than the lower.

Chinoiserie: Painted or lacquered Chinese designs.

Chip Core: A board made of chips of wood which are held together with resin and compressed into a strong, warp resistant panel.

Claw and Ball Foot: The terminal portion of a furniture leg (often cabriole) consisting of a carved animal or bird claw clutching a sphere.

Club Foot: A rounded foot that resembles a club resting on a flat base.

Coil Springs: Wire coils used in quality upholstery to give a desired resiliency and firmness to the seat and back. These are often "tied" or incorporated in a "marshall unit."

Comb Back: A Windsor chair having an extension of the back above the arm rail that consists of five or more spindles and a curved top rail that resembles a comb.

Commode: A low chest of drawers and/or doors or a cabinet on legs which usually stands against a wall.

Component: An electrical device such as a cassette deck, compact disk player, graphic equalizer or amplifier. Each is purchased separately and then connected together to make a complete system.

Console: A table that is fixed to a wall and supported by one or more carved legs. Also any table meant to be placed against a wall.

Corner Blocks: Blocks of wood that are placed at major joints in a furniture frame. Usually glued and screwed into place. Triangular blocks which strengthen important frame joints.

Corner Cupboard: A triangular shaped dining room china cabinet made to fit into a corner.

Couch (Lounge): A sofa that has a half-back and only a head end.

Credenza: A sideboard of buffet.

Cupboard: A cabinet, box or closet with shelves designed to hold cups, dishes or food.

Curio: A case piece which has glass doors, panels and shelves, which is used to display collectibles. Derived from "curiosity" cabinet.

Daybed: A sofa with head and foot and/or back pieces, having a twin sized mattress which doubles as a sitting and sleeping surface. Daybeds often have decorative removable covers and matching pillows or bolsters which act as back rests.

Dentil Molding: Ornamental cornice molding consisting of rectangular blocks spaced at regular intervals resembling teeth.

Diamond Tufting: An arrangement of tufting buttons to yield a diamond shaped pattern on the back of an upholstered piece.

Easy Chair: Any large chair which is suitable for lounging.

Fiddleback: Chair back whose splat looks like a violin.

Finger Joint: A joint made with interlocking finger-like projections in two boards.

Finials: The curved cast, turned or stamped decorative piece that adorns the top of bed posts.

Four Poster: Any bed with four high posts positioned at each corner. Originally, the posts were designed to support elaborate fabric curtains and upholstered treatments which totally enclosed the bed.

Frame: The bed frame supports the mattress and attaches to the headboard and footboard. They often have self locking devices at each corner and are connected to threaded reinforcements inside the bedposts. The wooden skeleton of an upholstered piece.

Gallery: A small ornamental barrier or railing around the top of a table, cabinet or buffet, etc.

Gateleg Table: A table which has drop leaves supported by a leg which swings out like a gate.

Hand Tied: Single coil springs that are attached to the webbing with links and then "hand tied" to each other and the frame with twine to achieve differing amounts of elasticity in the seat. Two, four, and eight way hand ties are commonly used. The more ways the spring is tied, the harder the seat.

Hardwood: Wood derived from angiosperms (broad leafed trees such as oak, beech, maple, mahogany, and walnut). The category consists of some woods that are actually much softer than "softwoods."

Hardwood Frames: Frames which are made from hardwoods such as ash, oak, or birch. These woods are usually kiln dried and resist splitting.

Headboard: An upright structure rising above the mattress at the head of the bed. Common types include the chairback headboard, panel headboard, and bookcase headboard.

High Body: A tall chest of drawers that is often made in two sections - the upper chest is sitting on a table with long legs called a lowboy.

High Pressure Laminates: Synthetic sheet surfacings that are bonded to a core material. Laminates offer heat, soil, and stain resistance. They can be grain and color matched to surrounding woods for use in dresser or bureau tops, or produces in decorative colors used to surface entire contemporary bedroom suites.

Hitchcock Chair: Named for American furniture manufacturer Lambert Hitchcock, the chair has a rush or caned seat, slightly bent back, and an oval turned top rail. These chairs are often painted or stenciled with fruit and flower patterns.

Hock Leg: A cabriole leg having a broken curve on the inner side of the knee.

Hogarth Chair: A 18th Century Queen Anne styled side chair with a hooped back, pierced splat and cabriole legs.

Hoop Back: A chair back formed by a bent piece of wood fitted with vertical spindles. In Windsor chairs a bow back.

Horseshoe Back: The outward sweep at the base of the bow in the back of a Windsor chair.

Hutch: A low cupboard with doors usually surrounded by open shelves.

Hutch Mirror: A mirror incorporated into an open shelved cabinet designed to sit on a dresser.

Inlay: Wood or other materials which are set into corresponding carved out recesses often producing a pattern.

Iron Beds: Term often used to describe beds made of steel that are coated with white or colored protective coatings.

Kiln Dried: Kiln drying reduces the moisture content of the lumber, a process which inhibits checking, splitting and strengthens the finished product.

Ladder Back: A chair back which has horizontal cross rails or slats that resemble a ladder.

Lawson: An overstuffed furniture design that has square seat cushion, short squarish back rests and high square or rolled arms. Variations of the Lawson sofa are often called transitional.

Library Storage: Drawers, trays, cabinets or racks designed to store cassettes, compact discs or VHS tapes. They often roll or slide out for easy accessibility.

Lingerie Chest: A tall, narrow chest or drawers originally designed to hold women's undergarments.

Loose Pillow Back: A pillow treatment which can be removed from an upholstered piece.

Loop Back: An oval chair back or a Windsor bow back without arms.

Loveseat: Double chair or small sofa.

Lyre Motif: Representations of a harp-like instrument are used in many French and English designs. The lyre is used extensively in the chair backs and table supports of Duncan Phyfe.

Marlborough Legs: A heavy strait leg used by Chippendale and others.

Marshall Unit: Coil springs which are inserted in separate pockets and then joined together to form cushions.

Miter Joint: A joint made by fastening two pieces cut at an angle (usually 90 degrees).

Mortise: A hole, groove or slot in wood into which a tenon or tongue fits to form a secure joint.

Nest-of-Tables: Small occasional tables which are graduated in size so that they slide beneath one another.

Night Stand: A small, low table or cabinet which sits by a bed.

Ottoman: An upholstered seat or couch usually without a back or an overstuffed footstool.

Oval Back: The shape of a chairback often associated with Hepplewhite designs.

Overstuffed Furniture: Upholstered pieces in which the wood frame is completely and deeply covered by the upholstery with little exposed woodwork.

Pad Foot: A simple foot treatment at the end of a cabriole leg.

Pad Seat: Upholstered furniture built without springs. The seat usually has a solid or webbed base padded with loose stuffing and overlaid with a sofa material (felted cotton, poly-dacron).

Parquet Top: A table top made by using joinery or inlay which has geometric or other patterns usually made from different colored woods.

Parsons Leg: A relatively long fully upholstered leg.

Pedestal Table: A table which has a central supporting column or pillar.

Pediment: The usually triangular or rounded structure above the cornice often seen in tall case pieces.

Pier Group: Two very tall, narrow chests (pier cabinets) which sit at the head on either side of a bed.

Piping (fluting): Used on barrel back, fan back, kidney shaped and hollow backed upholstered pieces. Individual upholstered pockets (pipes) are stuffed separately to give a comfortable soft curve in the back.

Platform Bed: A bed whose base consists of a raised, flat, hard, horizontal surface meant to support a mattress.

Plinth Base: A squared base (sometimes other shapes) which sits on the floor and usually recessed from the outermost outlines of the case piece.

Poly Dacron Wrap: A cushion construction method in which a soft resilient polyester material is wrapped around a polyurethane core.

Pressboard: A strong, highly glazed board sometimes used for case backs, dust proofing or as the underlying structural base for veneers, engraving or vinyl wrap. Also known as composition board or particle board.

Punch-out Back: Entertainment centers are designed to hold many pieces of audio/video equipment each with separate power plugs, input/output cables, and antennas. To allow these unit's wires to connect with each other, entertainment centers either have fully or partially open backs or backs with removable panels that can be "punched out."

Rabbet Joint: A joint formed by fitting together boards into which rectangular grooves have been cut. Also a recess in the meeting stiles of cabinet doors that close to form a dust proof joint.

Rail Joints: The places where the horizontal members of an upholstered frame meet. These joints are often screwed, glued and doubled doweled for extra strength.

Refectory Table: A long narrow table with heavy stretchers positioned close to the floor which was originally used by religious orders in the middle ages. Modern adaptations are shorter and have underleaves.

Rolled Arms: Arms which flare out, the down and return to meet the sides of a chair or sofa - appearing to have been rolled.

Ruffled Pleat (Sheer Pleat): A skirt treatment in which unlined fabric is gathered to achieve a ruffled effect.

Rule Joint: A knuckle joint as between a table top and drop leaf that leaves no open space when the leaf is down.

Saddle: A chair seat which has been hollowed to the sides and back to resemble the pommel of a saddle. Often used in American colonial styled seats.

Scoop Seat: A chair with a seat that has been hollowed out to fit the body.

Scrolls: Scrolls (curls) are the supportive and decorative members shaped like a scroll or curl which are connected to posts, rails, and each other on many brass (especially traditional) headboards and footboards. Scrolls can either be solid or made from hollow tubing.

Sectional: Furniture made up of modular units capable of use separately or in various combinations.

Self Storing Leaves: Leaves that store within an extension table.

Serving Table: A long narrow side table with drawers used in dining rooms for silver storage.

Shield Back: A chair back used by Hepplewhite and Sheraton that resembles a shield, the outlines of which are formed by a double curved top rail with a half ellipse below.

Side Glide: A drawer located on the vertical side faces on the drawer.

Slat Back: Often used in American colonial styled chairs. This treatment uses horizontal rails across the back and looks similar to a ladder back.

Slip Seat: An upholstered "loose seat" insert that is dropped into the frame of a dining chair and can be removed for reupholstery.

Sofa Table: A long, thin, tall, occasional table placed against the back of a sofa or against a wall. Original 18th century versions had small, rounded drop leaf ends and drawers.

Soft Woods: Wood from a conifer (cone bearing tree). Pine, cedar and redwood are common examples.

Spiral Leg: A leg having the shape of a spiral or twisted rope.

Spooning: A curved chair back designed to fit the sitter's form. Common in Queen Anne styled chairs.

Spoon Back: To hollow out chair seats as in Windsor chairs. See also Saddle.

Springs: The most commonly used springs for upholstery are coil springs and sinuous springs.

Spring Edge: An upholstered seat front edge that is supported by springs rather than the hardwood frame giving added comfort.

Steam Bend: A method of bending a single piece of wood (bowback chair, bowed splat, etc.) into a furniture part. Since the wood grain is bent instead of cut, this method yields exceptional strength.

Swing Leg: A hinged table leg lacking a lower stretcher (as in a gate leg) which swings out to support a drop leaf.

Tapered Leg: A chair leg whose thickness is reduced as it approaches the bottom.

Tee Seat Cushions: A loose seat cushion whose outside front edges laterally in the front of the arm of an upholstered piece.

Television Cavity: Most audio components have standard physical dimensions, but televisions vary widely in height, width and depth. If a customer's television is too deep for the entertainment center, its back will protrude beyond the back of the case and force replacement of the case away from the wall. If a TV's width and height exceeds the physical dimensions of the case, the television will not fit at all. Television tube size is measured diagonally across the front of the tube. Today's sets generally have similar dimensions, but older sets vary widely in height width and depth. Larger tubes are becoming more popular.

Tester Bed: A four poster bed that has a canopy supported by a frame.

Tight Seat Bed: Fully upholstered back designed not to have a cushion.

Trestle Table: A table top supported by a braced frame (divided foot, horse), often consisting of two posts with feet, joined by a connecting member.

Trifold Mirror: A tri-fold or tri-view mirror sits on or hangs above a dresser. It has a central mirror panel and two mirrored side panels that produce three images of a person looking in the mirror.

Trundle Bed: A low or collapsible bed which is stored under another bed.

Turning: The shaping of chair or table legs on a lathe.

Tuxedo Arms: Slightly flared arms that are the same height as the back.

Twist: A chair or table turning resembling a screw or spiral.

Urethane Foam (Polyurethane): Flexible polyurethane foam is used as a cushioning material in upholstered furniture seats, backs and arms. It is an extremely versatile product that can be produced to have practically any "feel" - from very firm to very plush. For seat cushioning, foams that have a density of 1.8 pounds per cubic foot or higher offer the best support and durability characteristics. Several types of polyurethane foam are used in upholstered furniture. Conventional polyurethane is the most widely used. High resilience (HR foam) is used at higher price points because it offers superior support and surface softness. High comfort (HC foam) normally falls between conventional foams or foams containing a variety of materials used to increase density are also used.

Veneer: A thin decorative layer of wood which is applied to underlying wood solids or particleboard. Veneers are used to match and balance grain, create inlay and banding effects.

Vinyl Wrap: Flexible vinyl wrapping applied to underlying wood solids or particleboard to produce a surface that most often resembles wood. It is often used in less expensive furniture applications.

Wall Units: Large free-standing or wall hung units which can have drawers, shelves, cabinets, desks, ban units, entertainment centers or a variety of other features.

Webbing: Interwoven 3.5 inch wide jute (or synthetic) strips that provide a foundations for many upholstered arms, backs, seats and wings.

Welting: Cord wrapped in fabric which is used to trim upholstery seams and places where the fabric meets exposed wood.

Windsor Chair: A wooden chair with a bentwood, fan, hoops or bow back and legs which are pegged into a thick saddle seat. The back is often formed of plain or turned spindles with or without splats.

Wing Back Chair: A comfortable large chair with side pieces (ears, wings) attached to the sides of the back, usually overstuffed.

Wrap Group: Bedroom furniture designed to sit against a wall that can be juxtaposed to "wrap" around a room. Wrap groups often include small scale chests, hutches, student desks and corner desks.