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Spacify has put together a glossary of common design terms for home furniture. We realize that buying home furniture online is not easy. We try to educate our customers and help them make a right decision.
GLOSSARY OF DESIGN TERMS
American Colonial : Term loosely applied to all American furniture used by the colonies prior to the American Revolution. This style includes rough handmade pieces of the early American frontier, New England versions of Jacobean and Puritan (Cromwellian), furniture imported by settlers from Europe and Americanized versions of formal English and European designs. There is no clear division of this period but most agree to group it into Early Colonial and Late Colonial (American Provincial).
Aniline Dye : Term applies to dyes derived from coal tar, which are used to color fabrics and leather.
Aniline-Plus : Term sometimes applied to leather finished with an opaque pigmented dye.
Area Rug : A small rug or carpet, which covers only part of the floor.
Arm Chair : Seating that has both a backrest and armrests.
Armoire : A tall wardrobe with doors and shelves for clothing, more recently armoires have been adapted for use as an entertainment center or computer workstation.
Arrow Foot : A cylindrical foot that`s tapered and separated from the leg by a turned ring.
Art Deco : A streamlined, geometric style of home furnishings and architecture popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Characteristics include rounded fronts, wood furniture with chrome hardware and, or, glass tops.
Art Glass : Decorative glass - includes stained, beveled, fused, blown, etched, leaded and cut.
Art Modern : The Paris Expedition of 1925 introduced a fantastically modern design called Art Modern. This styling is familiar because of its angular and straight shape. Geometric patterns are the main decoration.
Art Nouveau : Decorative style developed in France between 1890 and 1910. Tiffany lamps are a great example of this styles ornate and flowing lines.
Artisan Style : A style characterized by fine but not overly ornate workmanship that celebrates the maker`s community identity or ethnicity.
Arts & Crafts : Also commonly known as Mission style. This style was popular from the late 1800’s through the 1920’s. The Arts and Crafts movement was a reaction against the mass-produced and ornate Victorian furniture of that time.
Asian Style : A general term referring to styles of the Far East. Such as Chinese, Japanese, or Korean designs for example. Furniture with Asian characteristics are popular as a subset of contemporary style.
Bauhaus : A style of the early 1900’s taking its name from the German School of Architecture. This minimalist style has had a great effect on contemporary architecture and furniture design.
Buffet (or Sideboard) : A sideboard without a hutch or storage cabinet on top.
California King : A bed size that measures 74"x86". This style is popular on the West coast of the United States. The additional size comes in the length creating a rectangular shape rather than the square shape of a standard king (Eastern King).
Camel Back : A curved sofa back characterized by a large central hump.
Centerpiece : An ornament used to occupy the center of a dining table.
Chest : A tall, narrow piece featuring a series of drawers for storing clothing.
Chest on Chest : A tall chest with a larger chest of drawers that supports a slightly smaller chest.
Chaise Longue : Literally, "long chair," a sofa or daybed with an upholstered back, designed for reclining. Today it is usually a single piece, but early versions encompassed a bergère with a large stool or two armchairs and a center stool.
Chesterfield : Overstuffed couch or sofa with upholstered ends and no exposed wood. Back and arms are usually of one continuous curve.
Console : Term originally applied to a bracket that supported cornices or shelves and later used to describe tables that were affixed to a wall and supported with legs only at the front. Today it describes all types of tables used along a wall.
Credenza : Serving table with a cupboard below the surface. It originated in the 15th century; in the 16th century, an upper, recessed tier was added.
Colonial : American furniture from the 1700’s through the Revolutionary era. The formal styles are usually mahogany or cherry while plainer furniture was done in pine, oak, and maple. Queen Anne and Chippendale designs are often included in this category.
Colonial Revival : Reproductions of classic American styles from the 1700’s, although not always accurate in detail. Revival pieces were popular from the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s. Also known as just "Revival".
COM/COL : Furniture industry term for "Customer`s own material" or "Customer`s own leather." Typically expressed in square yards for fabric (COM) and in square feet for leather (COL). Figure references the amount of material required for custom fabric or leather coverings.
Console : A term originally applied to a bracket that supported cornices or shelves and later used to describe tables that were affixed to a wall and supported with legs at the front. Today it describes any type of table used along a wall.
Contemporary : A term covering many styles of furniture that developed in the latter half of the 1900’s. Contemporary pieces have an updated look that’s softened and rounded compared with the stark lines of modern design.
Daybed : Any type of elongated seating, including the chaise longue, designed for resting rather than sleeping. It usually has a raised end.
Early American : American furniture design of the late 1600’s to early 1700’s (still popular today), adapted from popular European styles such as Jacobean and William and Mary. The look is characterized by straight lines and minimal decoration. The style has merged into what is now called Colonial, normally featuring elements of Queen Anne and Chippendale design.
Early Renaissance : Early 1500`s, the transitional period between Gothic Arts and the Classical Revival. Characterized by arch form, ornament and detail in style and decoration, high relief carving with diamond shapes and architectural pilasters, and ornamented with olive, laurel and acanthus leaves. Pieces usually featured no hardware.
Ergonomic : Term that relates to furniture design and function for the human form; very commonly found in home office furnishings such ergonomic chairs for example.
Feng Shui : Literally translated as wind and water, it`s an ancient Chinese scientific practice based on selecting or configuring a site, structure or interior so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it.
French Classic : French Classic design was largely base on a complete avoidance of the curved line in furniture. This type of furniture is usually quite straight and simplistic in design. French Classic is considered an influence rather than a defined style and was influenced by an Italian flavor of styling. Decoration depends on fluted and grooved accents, geometric patterns and marquetry. Mahogany is the favored wood of French Classic designs, however rosewood, tulipwood, and ebony were used though less frequently. Most popular during the later 1700`s
Full Grain Leather : top-grain leather without any corrections or alterations to the natural grain pattern.
Grain : The direction of the fibers in wood. Flat grain wood is sawed perpendicular to the growth rings. Edge grain wood has been sawed parallel to the growth rings.
Hardwood : Wood derived from trees such as oak, beech, maple, mahogany, and walnut.
Hardwood Frames : Upholstered furniture frames made from hardwoods such as oak or birch. These woods are normally kiln dried and resist splitting.
Highboy : Simply a tall chest of drawers. The style was developed in the 1700’s and is usually composed of a base and a top section with drawers, which is often topped with a decorative broken pediment crown. The name comes from the French "haut bois" which means "high wood".
International Style : Modern, functional furniture developed in Europe during the 1920s and 1930s. Its most important origin is Germany`s Bauhaus, with such practitioners as Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Simple lines and an absence of decoration are its hallmarks. New materials, such as chrome and glass, along with factory production, signify its departure from earlier furniture traditions.
King Mattress : A standard king sized mattress that measures 78"x80", often called an Eastern King.
Knocked Down (or KD) : Furniture that is sold unassembled or partially assembled.
Lacquer : A hard, protective varnish that is applied as a topcoat to furniture.
Laminate : Any thin material such as wood or plastic that’s glued to the exterior of a cabinet or other surface.
Leather : The hide of an animal used in home furnishings.
Leather Finishing : After dyeing leather, the finishing may include waxing, buffing, waterproofing, etc.
Matte Finish : A finish that’s more flat than shiny.
MDF : Medium density fiberboard; made from compressed particles of wood and used in the construction of furniture.
Moderne : American style of furniture in the 1930`s that derived from Europe`s Art Deco and International Style. It is characterized by polished surfaces, sleek shapes, curves that contrast with straight lines, and asymmetry, and utilized new materials and manufacturing processes adapted from industrial design. The architecture of skyscrapers was also influential.
Modular : Furniture units that can be rearranged or stacked in different configurations.
Modular Seating : Seating units (usually upholstered), which are easily joined to or arranged with other units to form different seating arrangements.
Neoclassical Style : Revivals of interest in ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian themes, which occurred during the Renaissance, Adam, and Empire eras, and especially in the late 18th century, when appetites for it were whetted by archeological discoveries.
Neo- Gothic : Revivals of aspects of Gothic detailing, which took place in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the former, circa 1745, references to Gothic arches and tracery were applied to rococo furniture. Later, Gothic ornamentation was added to neoclassical forms.
Natural Finish : A transparent finish that doesn’t seriously alter the original grain or color of the natural wood. Natural finishes are usually applied with oils, varnishes, and or similar materials.
Natural Grain Leather : leather with an unaltered grain.
Neo-Classic (or Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Style) : A design style that’s elegant and simple, with motifs borrowed from ancient Rome and Greece. This style was widely popular during late 1700’s through the 1800’s and relates to the Sheraton, Hepplewhite, Empire and Federal periods.
Nubuck Leather : A top-grain, aniline dyed leather that’s buffed to create a soft nap. Nubuck leathers are especially vulnerable to stains even if treated with a stain protection product. Not recommend for use where spills are likely to occur.
Ottoman : Upholstered bench or seat with no arms or back, named after the Turkish influence of the early 18th century.
Platform Base : Three, or four, cornered flat table bases supporting a central pedestal and standing on scrolled or paw feet.
Platform Bed : A bed whose base consists of a raised, flat horizontal surface meant to support a mattress.
Plywood : Layers of wood attached in a cross grain method to assist in preventing the contraction and swelling of wood surfaces from humidity changes in the air.
Post-Modernism : A reaction against Modernism that began during the 1950`s and promoted the reintroduction of bright colors and decorative components to furniture and home decor related designs.
Pressboard : A strong, high-density board used for case backs, dust proofing or as the underlying structural base for veneers or vinyl wrap. Also known as composition board or particleboard. Even even the best furniture manufacturer’s today because of its proven strength and stability commonly uses pressboard.
Pure Aniline Leather : top-grain leather that’s aniline dyed and receives no additional coloring. Also called full aniline.
Queen Mattress : The mattress size between a full (or double) and a king. Queen mattresses measure 60"x80".
Reproduction : New furniture that’s a copy of an antique style or period.
Retro : A contemporary retrospective view, which reinterprets some of the best-loved furniture looks from the 1930`s to 1980`s. The mood of these pieces is playful and ironic. The classics have extra emotional punch because you recognize such items as exaggerated Hollywood sofas, 1950`s boomerang tables or wacky 70`s chairs.
Return : The piece of an L-shaped desk that is perpendicular to the main desk unit, which provides extra working or computer space.
Revival : Reproductions of classic American furniture styles from the 1700’s, although not always accurate in detail. Revival pieces were popular from the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s. Also known as just "Revival".
Sideboard : Table with a wide drawer at the center flanked by drawers or cupboards on the sides and made to be used against a dining room wall for storing and serving food.
Semi-Aniline Leather : A top grain leather that is aniline dyed and coated with matching pigment and, or, other topical finishes to add protection and even out the color. Also commonly referred to as aniline-plus or protected aniline.
Side Chair : Term normally used to refer to an armless dining chair or a small-scale, armless chair designed to stand against a wall when not in use.
Straight-Back Sofa : A sofa style with the back top being straight, narrow arms extends forward. Some variations have setback arms and T-cushions for the seat.
Sleigh Bed : Bed with a high headboard and slightly lower footboard. It resembles the shape of a horse-drawn sleigh, and it was developed in America in the early 19th century
Suede : A leather that`s produced from a fresh split hide, which has a velvet like nap.
Suite : A complete matched set of furniture, such as a bedroom suite.
Swivel Chair : A chair that swivels, such as a swivel office chair or swivel recliner.
Top Grain Leather : The uppermost layer of a hide, which is the highest quality part of the hide and the most preferred for leather upholstery.
Upholstery : Furniture such as sofas and chairs covered in fabric, vinyl, leather or other materials.
Urethane Foam (Polyurethane) : Flexible polyurethane foam is used as a cushioning material in upholstered furniture seats, backs and arms. For seat cushioning, foams that have a density of 1.8 pounds per cubic foot or higher offer the best support and durability.
Veneer : Thin sheet of fine wood or other material attached on top of and flush with an underlying layer that is usually of lesser quality, for decoration. As a verb: the act of adding this type of decoration. (See inlay, marquetry, and parquetry).
Vitrine : Cabinet with a glass door. The sides and top may also be of glass, and it is designed to store and display china and curios.
Wardrobe : Tall, upright cabinet with a door or doors. Designed for storing clothing, it sometimes also contains a chest of drawers.
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