|
Davenport - a British term describing a small
writing desk
Daybed - a seating piece, which can
also serve as a bed
Dentil molding - a molding
style consisting of a row of equally spaced carved
rectangles or "teeth"
Double-doweled - a method of
joining two pieces of wood which uses two dowel pins instead
of one to ensure no shifting
Dovetailing - series
of interlocking joints used to join sections of timber
together
Drawer-lining - term referring to the
side of a drawer
Dresser - a low long chest of
drawers used for storing clothes
Drop handle - a
pear-shaped handle made popular in the late 17th century
Dropleaf table - a type of table with a pivoted leg
to support the extended leaf but without understretchers
Drop lid desk - a desk with a hinged panel that
covers the inner compartments
Dumb waiter - type
of furniture with a central shaft and circular trays, which
often revolves to enable those who are dining to help
themselves to additional plates
Egg-and-dart molding - a carved molding resembling
ovals, or "eggs," alternating with triangular arrowheads, or
"darts"
Encoignure - an 18th-19th century
casework piece similar to a corner cabinet. Its front is
typically rounded or diagonal, and it rests on three or four
feet. Often, the top portion contains shelves in graduated
sizes.
Escritoire - a cabinet with a fall front
that lowers to form a writing surface
Escutcheon -
the brass plate that surrounds and protects the edges of a
keyhole
Étagère - a two- or three-tiered table
intended for displaying objects or serving food
Faceted - decorative surface cut into sharp-edged
planes in a criss-cross pattern to reflect light
Fall
front - the flap of a bureau or secrétaire that pulls
down to provide a writing surface
Feather banding
- two narrow bands of veneer laid in opposite diagonals
Federal style - the American version of the
Neo-classical style, popular from c. 1789 to c.1830. See
Style Guide
Ferrule - an often metal cap attached
to the end of a slender shaft for strength or to prevent
splitting
Figuring - pattern made by the natural
grain of wood
Finial - decorative turned knob
Flare - the outward curving shape of a furniture leg
Frame - the wooden skeleton of an upholstered piece
of furniture
Fretwork - ornamental carving, often
interlaced or pierced in appearance
Gadroon molding - a rounded molding that is carved
in convex curves
Gallery - wood or metal border
around the top edge of a table
Gateleg - hinged
leg that pivots to support a drop leaf on a table
Georgian - Historical period dating from c.1714 -
c.1790; Style of the period reflects the British
interpretation of Palladianism (early), the Rococo (mid) and
Neo-classicism (late)
Gothic - decoration style
featuring such motifs as pinnacles, crockets, and trefoils;
popular from the 1820s in Europe and from the 1840s in North
America. See Style Guide
Gueridon - a small,
elaborately carved stand or table
Harvest table - a narrow rectangular table with
hinged drop leaves
Hepplewhite - an 18th-century
English style originated by George Hepplewhite, and
characterized by delicate forms in the neoclassic framework.
See Style Guide
Highboy - American term for a tall
chest-on-stand
Huntboard - a light, portable
sideboard used for serving food and drinks
Inlay - setting of one material in another (e.g.
marble in wood)
Kneehole desk - desk with a recessed central
cupboard
Knife edged - loose or attached cushion
treatment which uses a single horizontal welt or seam in the
middle of the front edge of the cushion
Lamination - a 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
Linen-press - a cupboard with shelves for storing linen
and clothes
Loo table - a large Victorian card or
games table
Loper - a pullout arm used to support
the hinged fall of a bureau
Lowboy - American term
for a small dressing table
Marquetry - the use of veneer and other inlays to
make decorative patterns in wood
Married - term
referring to an item of furniture that has been made up from
two or more associated pieces, usually from the same period
MDF - medium density fiberboard; made from compressed
particles of wood and used in the construction of furniture
Modernism - style of the 1920s and 1930s, which
rejected ornamentation in favor of geometric forms and
smooth surfaces
Mortise-and-tenon joint - a
carpentry joint formed by inserting a tab or tenon into a
closely fitting slot or mortise. Dovetailing is one
variation
Motion furniture - furniture containing
a mechanism or mechanisms, such as reclining backs or
extending footrests, which allow it to adjust to your body
for increased comfort
Mule chest - chest with
drawers in the base; forerunner of the chest-of-drawers
Muntons/Muntins/Muttons/Mutons - dividers over glass
panels in windows and china cabinets
Neoclassic - Mid to late 18th century of
architecture and decoration based on the ancient forms
Greece and Rome.
Nest of tables - a set of
occasional tables that slide one beneath the other when not
in use
Ogee - descriptive of an edge or foot consisting
of two curves, the top convex and the bottom concave,
forming an S-curve
Pad or club foot - a rounded
foot that sits on a circular base; used in conjunction with
cabriole legs on furniture
Parquetry - geometric
marquetry made from veneers of various woods
Parsons
leg - a long fully upholstered leg
Pedestal desk
- a flat desk, usually with a leather top, that stands on
two banks of drawers
Pedestal table - a table
supported by a single central base
Pediment -
equivalent in Classical architecture of a gable; a
triangular head or topping
Pegged furniture -
early joined furniture constructed by a system of slots and
tenons, held together by dowels
Pembroke table - a
small two-flap table that stands on four legs
Pencil-post bed - a bed with four slim posts; used alone
or with a canopy
Pie-crust top - an ornately
carved decorative edge of a dished-top tripod or tea-table
Pilaster - a false column used for decorative
purposes
Platform base - three- or four-cornered
flat table bases supporting a central pedestal and standing
on scrolled or paw feet
Plywood - form of
laminated wood with the grain of the alternate layers set at
right angles
Post-modernism - a reaction against
Modernism that began during the 1950s and promoted the
reintroduction of bright colors and decorative components
Reeding - decoration created by narrow, convex
moldings in parallel strips and divided by grooves
Rocaille - ornament style from the rococo period
consisting of an abstract shell or leaf motif
Rococo
- decorative style that evolved in the early 18th century
partly as a reaction to the Baroque; featured asymmetrical
ornament and flamboyant scrollwork. See Style Guide.
Rule join - type of join 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
Sabot - French term for the gilt-bronze "shoe" at
the bottom of furniture legs
Sabre leg -
outward-curving leg that became fashionable on late 18th
century Empire and Regency chairs
Seat rail -
framework that supports the seat of a chair and holds the
legs together
Secretary/Secrétaire - writing
cabinet with a fall front that lets down to provide a
writing surface; often has bookshelves above and drawers
below
Secrétaire à abattant - type of writing
cabinet with a fall front and resting on a chest-of-drawers
or small cupboard
Serpentine - possessing a
compound curvature
Shellac - resinous varnish
obtained from the lac insect and used in japanning
Sideboard - a serving piece with a long, flat top and a
lower section used for storage
Sleigh bed - a bed
in which the head and footboards are scrolled
Sofa
table - a rectangular table with two hinged flaps at the
ends designed to stand in front of a sofa
Spade foot
- tapering foot of square section
Table ambulante - French term for a small,
portable occasional table
Tallboy - see
chest-on-chest
Teapoy - a small piece of
freestanding furniture designed for holding tea
Thumbpiece - flange attached to a hinged lid, which,
when pressed by the thumb, raises the lid
Transitional
- a style created from the fusion of Neo-classical
decoration with Rococo forms
Trestle table - a
long narrow table with two uprights joined by a single
stretcher
Tripod table - a small table with a
round top supported by a three-legged pillar, originally
made for serving tea
Triptych - a large,
three-part hinged mirror, panel, or screen
Veneer
- thin slice of expensive and often exotic timber applied to
an inexpensive secondary timber using glue
Vitrine
- china or curio cabinet with glass doors
Wardrobe - a large cabinet or cupboard for hanging
clothes
Wellington chest - a tall, narrow,
relatively plain type of chest named after the Duke of
Wellington
Whatnot - mobile stand with open
shelves
Worm holes - small holes found in wood,
considered a defect in many instances and a
character-providing element in others
|
