Glossary

A
Abacus: The topmost member of the capital of a column.

Acacia: A group of trees similar to the locust. Some varieties from Australia and the Sandwich Islands yield beautiful veneers ranging in color from yellow-brown to red and green.

Acanthus Leaf: popular Greek decorative motif adapted from the acanthus plant. Found in almost all classic design, notably the capital of Corinthian column.

Acorn: Turned ornament resembling an acorn; common in Jacobean furniture as finials on chair posts and bedposts, as pendants and as the profile of leg turnings in Jacobean tables.

Acroterium: Originally an ornament on the roof corners of Greek templates. In classical furniture, similar ornaments applied to the top corners of secretaries, bookcases, highboys, and other important furniture.

Adam, the brothers: Robert and James practiced as architects, employing cabinetmakers, painters, sculptors, etc. to execute their designs.

Adelphi, The: signature or trade name of the Brothers Adams.

Affleck, Thomas: cabinetmaker, moved from London to Philadelphia in 1763, died 1795. Worked in Chippendale style.

Age of Oak, Walnut, Mahogany, Satinwood: Easy division of the prime English periods by the woods employed in furniture, as defined by MacQuoid. Though the use of the woods may overlap, the general separations are:
Age of Oak, 1500-1660
Age of Walnut, 1660-1720
Age of Mahogany, 1720-1765
Age of Satinwood, 1765-1800

Alcove: Recessed part of a room. Bed alcoves exist in Pompeian rooms, and such placing of the sleeping quarters was common in northern Europe through the Middle Ages and later. In the 18th century special beds were designed to fit such recesses. Alcoves are also used for bookcases and cabinets, dining groups, etc.

Amaranth: Purplish wood used for veneering since the 18th century; also called "violet wood" and "purple heart."

Amboyna: An East Indian wood, used as veneer and inlay. The burls are light reddish brown, highly mottled and curled. Known and used in furniture since Roman times.

Ambry: In medieval churches a recess for the storage of goods. The addition of doors gave it the cupboard form. The English equivalent became a large cupboard with doors; the interiors were fitted with shelves for storage.

Angel Bed: a bed with a canopy but no front support.

Apron: skirt or rail usually seen under a dining table.

Armoire: a large movable cupboard or wardrobe, with doors and shelves storing clothes.

B
Banding: inlay or marquetry which produces a color or grain contrasting with the surface it decorates.

Biedermeier Bie·der·mei·er
A style of unostentatious furniture and interior decoration popular especially with the middle class in early 19th century Germany. Often characterized by burled veneers and clean, straight lines, the deceptive simplicity of the style hides a very complex interplay of precise proportions and design. Biedermeier done right can be addicting in its allure, done wrong it takes on a cheap, gaudy look. Most often constructed along classical lines, Biedermeier furniture was usually made of light colored, less expensive woods like elm or fruit woods, but ash, walnut, maple, birch, beech, and even mahogany examples exist. Decorations were put on with black or gold paint, with popular motifs often being wreaths and festoons. The style used less expensive stamped brass rather than bronze for decorative effect and gilded wooden stars instead of the elaborate metal ornaments of the richer Empire style.

Bergere: comfortable French arm chair with upholstered back and sides and squab cushions, Popular in Louis XIV and Louis XV periods.

Blockfront chest: a bookcase, chest or china cabinet of three sections, the center section deeper or shallower than the outer sides.

Bombe: An outward swelling. Applies to commodes, bureaus, armoires.

Bonnet Top: when the broken-arched pediment of tall case-furniture covers the entire top from front to back, this hood is called a bonnet top.

Boston Rocker: an American rocker (19th Century) with curved seat, spindle back, and a wide top rail.

Break Front: See blockfront

Brewster Chair: The Brewster Chair is representative of the Jacobean period of furniture design, dating from about the middle of the 17th century. Sometimes called the Pilgrim style, their furniture is characterized by heavy turnings for legs and spindles, elaborate relief carving and wood usually of oak and or pine.

Brocades: a woven fabric with a raised pattern that resembles embroidery

Buffet: a functional cupboard, usually the bottom part of a china cabinet.

Bun Foot: a flattened ball, or bun shape, with a slender ankle above. Popular in William and Mary period.

Burl: knot on a tree that creates beautiful swirled patterns when used as a veneer

C
Cabriole: a bowed leg that curves into a tapered foot. A Queen Anne leg is a cabriole leg, but so is a curved French leg.

Cane: split rattan, often used to cover chair seats and backs.

Casegood: any furniture not associated with upholstery and fabric.

Chandelier: a French word meaning literally, candlestick. A chandelier is a light fixture that hangs from the ceiling.

Chiffonier: a tall narrow chest of drawers. Sometimes called a semanier, although technically that term should only apply to a chest with seven drawers.

Chintz: printed cotton fabric with a glazed, high sheen.

Claw and Ball Foot: the base of a leg, depicting a talon, or an animal's paw, grasping a ball.

Club Foot: a turned foot, resembling a club: usually applied to cabriole leg.

Colorways: Various color schemes in which a commercial pattern or design is available. For example: when you look at a rack of fabrics in the store, the same pattern might be available in three or four different colors.

Cyma Curve: a distinctive 's' shaped curve incorporated into Queen Anne furniture.

D
Damask: silk figured fabric used for draperies and upholstered furniture.

Dentil Moulding: decorative moldings, consisting of blocks and spaces, and resembling teeth (hence, the name), appearing at the top of furniture.

Dhurrie Rug: flat woven wool, or cotton, rug with stylized East Indian motifs.

Down: feathers used to fill cushions of upholstery, which trap air to provide comfort.

E
Embossing: manufacturing technique which imitates carving by compressing the wood around what is to be raised, decorative area.

Escutcheon: shield around a keyhole in furniture.

F
Fancy Faces: Veneers cut and spliced into an exotic pattern, usually used on doors, drawer fronts, and tops.

Fiberboard: a board made of compressed wood fibers and glue, used as an inexpensive substitute for a solid wood edge.

Filling: step in furniture finishing, where wood pores are filled with a substance, typically, finely ground soil), to cause the surface to be smoother, flatter, and more reflective when complete.

Finial a turned, or carved, piece which is the upper end of a post.

Flutes: a series of semi-circular ornamental grooves, which terminate before the end of a post or leg.

Fretwork: interlaced, or pierced, decorative trim on furniture.

G
Gallery Rail: The brass rail on the top of a dining room buffet table or server.

Gilding: coating with a thin layer of gold, or a substance resembling gold.

Glaze: a color development step in the furniture furnishing process - properly hand- whipped and blended to highlighted grain characteristics of wood.

H
Hand Distressing: Creating a marred surface, which lends an aged look to furniture.

Headboard: The entire had section of a bed; or the boards within the head framework.

Highlighting: finishing technique of removing colored finish materials in a pattern which enhances the natural grain patterns.

Hutch: A chest or cabinet with doors, usually on legs.

I
Inlay: Designs formed in wood through the contrast of grains, colors, and textures of wood, metal, ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, etc., inserted flush into the wood.

J
Jacobean: Early 1600’s English furniture style with a medieval appearance and dark finish. Furniture from this period can be very simple or covered with carvings.

L
Lacquer: a clear, protective, cellulose-based material applied as top coats in furniture.

Laminate: The binding up of layers; in wood panels three, five, or more layers are laid alternately across the grains for strength and durability.

Lattice: Carved crisscross pattern in cutout work, found in chair backs, highboy pediments, etc.

M
Marquetry an inlay, generally of wood or ivory, arranged in a distinctive pattern.

Married Cover. To save costs, a manufacturer offers specific upholstery pieces in a limited number of fabrics. Consider that if a manufacturer has 40 sofa styles and 200 fabrics for you to choose from, they must know how to apply tens of thousands of possible combinations! By limiting your choice they can save costs.

Moiré: fabric with a wavy pattern that resembles water on silk.

O
Ogee Bracket Foot commonly used in Chippendale case goods, it wraps around two sides of the piece, and has a double cyma-curve shape.

Overlay: a decorative trim piece of wood applied to a flat surface.

P
Pattern: a fabric design. To accommodate as many people as possible, patterns often come in different colorways, or colors. It is not uncommon to find famous clothing designers putting their own personal touch on fabrics by creating patterns for the furniture industry. Ralph Lauren, Bob Mackie, Bob Timberlake and Alexander Julian are recent examples of this.

Pediment: ornamental, typically triangular, crown on case goods.

Polyurethane: a synthetic material used as cushion material in upholstered furniture, available in varying degrees of density and softness.

R
Recliner: A chair with a built-in mechanism which allows it to lay back to a reclined position. Although most recliners use a handle or lever, electrically driven models have taken a significant part of the business. Few recliner companies actually make their mechanisms, but choose instead to buy them from one of a handful of companies that specialize in the system. The price of a recliner depends on how good that mechanism is, and the quality of the materials, like foam, springs and fabric. Recliner may lay all the way back, partially back or a combination of many stops in-between. There are also incliners which raise only the feet and lower the back as well as sofas and loveseats which feature built in recliners. But don't stop there! Some chairs may swivel, some have built in vibrators and some even include phones and lap-top computer trays. Whatever you decide on, it is important that you invest in a good quality chair. The recliner/swivel chair is the most prone to premature wear as there is so much going on under the chair every time you sit down. Your Rose Salesperson can recommend the best quality for the budget you have.

Reeding: a series of semi-circular, ornamental grooves, which run the length of the post or leg.

Rococo: a style noted for ornate, and asymmetrical designs - interpretations of shells and dripping water used in the Louis XIV and XV periods.

S
Semanier: the first lingerie chest. From an old French term for "seven" the semanier had seven drawers to facilitate a change of undergarments each day of the week. To be authentic, semaniers or lingerie chests must have seven drawers, otherwise it should be referred to as a chiffonier.

Serpentine: two cyma curves; characteristic of Hepplewhite and various French styles, and utilized in drawer and door fronts.

Shoji Screens: standing Oriental screen, sometimes used as a room divider.

Sideboard: another word for a serving table or buffet. In the dining room this piece is often used to hold food ready for serving. It can be relatively small with a fold-out top for more surface space, or simply be long and narrow. Traditional, 19th century designs often have a brass rail around the sides and back to keep serving utensils from sliding off the top. The rail is usually called a "gallery."

Skirt: fabric applied along the bottom edge of upholstered pieces of furniture, which hides the legs.

Spade Foot: tapered design for the base of a leg, usually found in Hepplewhite styling.

Splat: the center support panel at the back of a chair. It is the part that touches your spine when you lean back in the chair.

Spring Down: a cushion construction used in upholstery, which employs coil springs wrapped with polyurethane, and covered with down batting.

Staining: furniture finishing step of applying colored dyes which penetrate into the wood.

Stretcher: the supports under chairs and tables that are attached to the legs for strength.

T
Tapestry: a flat fabric, having needlepoint effects and containing many figures on a solid background.

Tight Seat: upholstered furniture which has the fabric pulled directly over the springs, with layer of padding in between, and padding over the springs.

W
Webbing: the foundation, composed of interwoven strips of strips of synthetic material, attached to the wood frame of upholstered furniture.

Welt: a fabric-covered cord, which is sewn into the seam as decorative trim.