TheFurniture.com Glossary

As an added service to our customers, we will continually add information to the TheFurniture.com Glossary. Here you will find information such as biographies, definitions and historical information as they apply to the items listed in the catalog. We hope you will use TheFurniture.com Glossary as a valuable resource for adding pieces to your collection.

Term	Definition	Picture
Acanthus	decorative woodcarving based on the acanthus leaf
All - wood	All components are wood May include combination of solid and engineered wood
Apron	wooden panel that connect the surface and legs of a table or chair
Armchair	chair with side structures to support the arms or elbows
Armoire	large, moveable cupboard with doors and shelves for storing clothing used commonly as an entertainment cabinet wardrobe
Artificial Laminate	surface of plastics, foil, or paper printed with a wood grain pattern and bonded to a composite such as particle board or MDF
Attached-Back Pillow	pillow which cannot be removed from the upholstered piece of furniture

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Term	Definition	Picture
Bachelor's chest	small, low chest of drawers
Baize	wool fabric resembling felt usually green and used on gaming tables
Baker's Rack	open, slatted back with shelves used for storing goods in the kitchen
Ball Foot	end of turned leg, shaped round, and with a hooded effect
Baluster Leg	shaped like a baluster (vase-like) shape used on chairs
Banding	veneer cut into narrow strips and applied to create a decorative effect usually found around the edges of table and drawer fronts
Baroque	extravagant and heavily ornate style of architecture, furniture, and decoration
Barrel Chair	chair shaped like rustic chairs which were originally made from half a wine barrel back is usually upholstered in vertical ribs seat has loose cushion
Bentwood	wood that has been steamed and bent into curvilinear shape
Bedside Chest	nightstand or commode small, bed-high chest with drawers
Bird's Eye	makings of small spots that resemble bird's eyes often found in sugar Maplewood prized as a decorative feature in a veneer
Blanket Chest	colonial storage chest often used as a bench
Blockfront Chest	chest of drawers in which the center is curved inwards and the end panel are curved outwards
Bombe	French term for commodes, bureaus, and armoires
Bowfront Chest	chest of drawers with a convex front chest of drawers with an outward-curved front
Box Spring	foundation of a mattress
Brocade	originally heavy silk with an elaborate pattern in silver or gold threads has an embossed appearance
Buffet	sideboard, a place for keeping dishes the base that supports a china hutch
Bun Foot	flattened ball, or bun shaped, foot with a slender ankle above

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Term	Definition	Picture
Cabinet	storage space with door
Camelback	sofa back that is irregular in the shape of a large, central hump
Canape	type of French settee with padded back and seat, open arms, and a decorated frame
Canterbury	small, portable magazine rack
Case Furniture	furniture that includes chest, coffers, bureaus, and cupboards
Cassone	Italian chest often highly decorated
Caster	rolling wheel that increases mobility of furniture
Cedar Chest	rectangular storage chest made of solid cedar or cedar veneers to prevent moth damage on woolens
Chaise	often seen attached to a loveseat to create a sofa set a loveseat or sofa with only one arm; the back usually doesn't reach the end of the cushion
Chamfer	corner or edge that is cut at an angle, or beveled
Channel Back	sofa or chair with vertical section of cushioning in the back design
Chenille	plush, fuzzy yarn used to create upholstery fabric
Chesterfield	deep-buttoned sofa with arms and a back at the same height
Chiffonnier	side cabinet with or without a drawer and with one or more shelves
Chintz	fabric with a glazed, or "polished" surface
Club Sofa	upholstered piece of furniture whose arms are lower than its level back
Coffee Table	long, low table used in front of a sofa
Commode	chest with drawers
Console	table intended to stand against a wall of between windows
Couch	17th and 18th century term for a daybed

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Term	Definition	Picture
Damask	silk with elaborate floral design woven in flatter than brocade and reversible (pattern changes colors on other side)
Davenport	small writing desk
Daybed	seating piece can also serve as a bed futon
Double-doweled	method of joining two pieced of wood which uses tow dowel pins instead of one to ensure no shifting
Dovetail	interlocking joint on an piece of furniture
Dowel	headless pin usually made of wood used in wood construction
Dowry Chest	made to store the trousseau of a prospective bride blanket chest, bench
Drawer Lining	term referring to the side of a drawer
Dresser	species of sideboard a chest for the storage of cosmetics and clothing long, low chest of drawers used for storing clothes
Drop Leaf	built with hinged extension leaves which lower when no in use
Drop-lid Desk	desk with a hinged panel that covers the inner compartments drops to become writing surface
Dumb Waiter	dining room stand with normally 3 circular trays in creasing in size towards the bottom type of elevator that brought food up from the basement to the kitchen

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Term	Definition	Picture
Engineered Wood	wood made from slices of lumber (plywood) or the chips and fibers that remain after a tree is milled into lumber (particleboard, fiberboard)
Escritoire	cabinet with a fall front that lower to form a writing surface
Etagere	a 2 or 3 tiered table intended for displaying objects or serving food

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Term	Definition	Picture
Faceted	decorative surface cut into sharp-edged planes in a criss-cross pattern to reflect light
Fall Front	the flap of a bureau or secretaire that pulls down to provide a writing surface
Feather Banding	two narrow bands of veneer laid in opposite diagonals
Fiddle-Back	chair splat shaped to a violin's contour
Flare	the outward curving shape of a furniture leg
Flexible Polyurethane Foam	synthetic foam used in all upholstered furniture the higher the density of the FPF, the more durable the cushion
Four Poster Bed	colonial bed with posts extended upward may or may not hold a canopy
FPF	flexible polyurethane foam
French Bed	bed in which the ends roll outward no posts
Futon	thin mattress of tufted cotton batting or similar material, placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame. a couch where the back drops, creating a bed

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Term	Definition	Picture
Gallery	wood or metal border around the top edge of a table
Gueridon	small, elaborated carved stand or table

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Term	Definition	Picture
Hampton (Style)	furniture modeled after the American Colonial Style or after the European 15th Century
Hardwoods	trees that lose their leave in the winter oak, ash, cherry, maple, walnut, and poplar
Harvest Table	narrow rectangular table with hinged drop leaves
Hope Chest	cedar chest, dowry chest, blanket chest, bench
Huntboard	light, portable sideboard used for serving food and drinks
Hutch	enclosed structure often raised on uprights an enclosed structure of more than one tier

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Term	Definition	Picture
Inlway	design of contrasting wood

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Term	Definition	Picture
Keeled	sharp edge frequently found on the corner of cabriole legs
Kneehole Desk	desk with a recessed central cupboard

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Term	Definition	Picture
Ladder-Back	chair-back in which horizontal cross tails, used instead of a spat, give a ladder effect
Lamination	method of gluing together sheets of wood with the grain in different directions to produce a material that is thinner and lighter than solid wood
Lattice	open work wood decoration in a crisscross, diagonal, or square pattern
Linen-press	cupboard with shelves for storing linen and clothes
Loose-pillow Back	pillow which can be removed from an upholstered piece
Loper	pullout arm used to support the hinged fall of a bureau
Loveseat	smaller version of a sofa typically made up of two seating cushions to accommodate two people

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Term	Definition	Picture
MDF	medium density fiberboard a type of hardboard that is made from wood fibers glued under heat and pressure dense, flat, stiff, and has no knots does not have easily recognizable surface grain usually finished in paint, veneers, or laminates
Melamine	plastic made from the white, crystalline organic base C3H6N6 has a high melting point making it ideal for making resins
Modular Seating	upholstered seating units which can be joined and rearranged with other units to form different seating arrangements
Motion Furniture	furniture containing a mechanism or mechanisms which allow it to adjust to your body for increased comfort i.g. recliners or extending footrests
Mule Chest	chest with drawers in the base
Muntons/ Muntins/ Muttons/ Muton	dividers over glass panels in windows and china cabinets

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Term	Definition	Picture
Nest of Tables	set of occasional tables that slide one beneath the other when not in use

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Term	Definition	Picture
Occasional Tables	coffee tables, sofa tables
Ottoman	upholstered footstool

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Term	Definition	Picture
Paperboard	layers of ply combined together to creature a light-weight alternative to wood
Particleboard	chips of wood coated with glue and pressed together under heat, creating a light-weight alternative to wood
Pedestal Desk	flat desk, usually with a leather top stand on two banks of drawers
Pedestal Table	table supported by a single, central base
Pembroke Table	small, 2-flapped table that stands on four legs
Pencil-post Bed	bed with four slim posts used alone or with canopy
Plywood	3-5 thin slices of wood glue together like a sandwich under high pressure

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Term	Definition	Picture
Rail	horizontal spats of a chair back
Rolled Arms	arms which flare out and then down to meet the sides of a chair or sofa
RTA	"Ready to Assemble"
Rule Joint	type of joint on furniture contrived in such a way that, when open, no separation shows between the two joined parts
Runners	strips of wood on which doors slide

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Term	Definition	Picture
Seat Rail	framework that supports the seat of a chair and holds the legs together
Secretary/ Secretaire	writing cabinets with a fall from that lets down to provide a writing surface often has bookshelves above and drawers below
Sectional	sofa that has several segments segments may be used in combination or separately in a room like modular seating
Settee	long seat or bench with a back and arms seats two people or more
Side Chair	chair without arms, designed to stand against a wall
Skirt	piece of fabric at the bottom of a sofa, loveseat, or chair that hangs for decorative purposes
Sleigh Bed	bed in which the head and footboards are scrolled
Sofa	long seat with back and arms
Sofa Table	rectangular table with two hinged flaps at the ends designed to stand in front of a sofa
Soft Woods	trees that remain green in winter pine, cedar, redwood, spruce
Spat	middle piece of the back support of a chair
Squab Cushion	loose, flat cushions on the seat of a chair
Synthetic fiber	used to create upholstery fabric acetate, acrylic, nylon, rayon, and polypropylene

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Term	Definition	Picture
Tester	canopy of ceiling over a bed
Trestle Table	long, narrow table with two uprights joined by a single stretcher
Tripod Table	small table with a round top support by a three-legged pillar
Triptych	large, 3-part hinged mirror, panel, or screen
Tuxedo Arms	slightly flared arms that are the same height as the back

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Term	Definition	Picture
Veneer	thin sheets of wood applied to a core for decorative effect core might be solid wood or engineered wood
Vitrine	china or curio cabinet with glass doors

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Term	Definition	Picture
Wardrobe	large cabinet or cupboard for hanging clothes
Welting	cord wrapped in fabric which is used to trip the upholstery seams and places where the fabric meets exposed wood
Whatnot	mobile stand with open shelves
Wing Chair	a fully upholstered chair with wings at the sides to protect sitter from drafts

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