Glossary of Furniture Terms

acanthus: A leafy plant that grows throughout the Mediterranean; its ruffled edges inspired decorative ornament, usually painted or carved, in classical Greek and Roman art and architecture, and subsequently in baroque and neoclassical furniture

anthemia: Fan-shaped flower or leaf designs used as decoration, often on corner moldings

astragal: A convex, half-round molding, commonly used as a molding profile on drawers

bail-and-plate pulls: Drawer pulls comprising a handle attached to a metal plate

bail handle: A drawer pull, usually metal, in a loop shape

ball-and-claw feet: Feet carved in the form of an animal’s clawed talons clasped around a ball; derived from ancient imagery of eagle or dragon claws grasping a pearl or crystal ball, signifying prosperity and wisdom

ball feet: Round-turned feet, usually with round tenons at the top

baluster: A vase shape used on architectural supports and splat profiles

banister: A vertical support on a chair back

batten: A strip of wood attached to another board, used as a brace or to inhibit warping

bead: A narrow, semicircular convex molding, sometimes applied

bedstead: The formal name for what is today more commonly called a “bed,” comprising four posts and rails

blind fret: A sawn, open-cut pattern, or fret, applied to a solid backing; see also fretwork

block feet: See Marlborough feet

bracket: Generally, an arch-shaped transition between a horizontal element (such as a seat rail) and a vertical element (such as a leg)

bracket feet: Feet in the arch or L shape of a bracket

brush feet: See scroll feet

butt hinge: A common type of hinge formed with two rectangular plates connected by a central pin

cabriole: An S-curved element, such as a crest rail, armrest, sloping sofa shoulder, and especially leg; in legs, the top curves out and away from the seat rail, and the bottom curves inward before flaring back out at the foot

cartouche: Collector’s term for a shield

case: A component of furniture such as boxes, cabinets, chests, and clocks, often used for storage

casters: Small wheels attached under feet for ease of moving furniture

cavetto: A concave quarter-circle (or deeper) molding; also called “cove”; contrast ovolo

cedrela: A type of mahogany native to Central and South America with special aromatic qualities, often used for secondary wood or interiors

chamfer: A beveled, flattened, or blunt cut to remove an angle on an edge or corner

cheval glass: A full-length mirror mounted on a swivel and attached to V-shaped, sawhorse-like supports (cheval is French for “horse”)

claw feet: Ends of legs shaped to resemble animal feet

collar: A horizontal, sometimes ringed molding on a leg or vertical support

colonette: A small decorative column

composition ornament: Molded plaster applied to furniture to mimic carved decoration at a lower cost

compressed ball: A slightly flattened ball-shaped carving below the pillar support of a table

cornice: A decorative, projecting molding at the top of case furniture

couch: A long seating form, with either no back or a half back, and often with armrests at uneven heights to accommodate a recumbent position; contrast sofa

cove: See cavetto

crest rail: The topmost horizontal element of a seat back

cusp: A point or projection beyond the plane of a rail, often formed at the intersection of two curves

cyma recta: An S-shaped molding with a concave half at top and convex half at bottom; also called “ogee molding”

cyma reversa: An S-shaped molding in the reverse of cyma recta, with a convex half at top and concave half at bottom; also called “ogee molding”

dovetail: A joint constructed with interlocking trapezoidal tenons to increase strength

ears: Corners that extend beyond the intersection of the crest rail and stiles on a chair back

ébéniste: A maker of luxury furniture, often incorporating marquetry; contrast menuisier

egg and dart: A decorative pattern carved on quarter-round convex moldings consisting of alternating egg- and dart-like shapes

escutcheon: A plate, often ornamental, fitted over a keyhole

figure: The natural pattern, shape, and curve of the growth rings that form wood grain

fillet: A small band separating two surfaces or moldings

finial: A separate decorative element added as a finishing point on a cornice or frieze

flitch: A vertical, tangential cut of wood that produces an attractive grain pattern, often used as a veneer

fluting: Decorative concave grooves arranged consecutively on columns, mimicking that seen on ancient Greek architecture; contrast reeding

fly leg: A table leg that swings out to support a table leaf that opens or extends on a hinge

foliate: A decorative leaf pattern

French edge: A sharp, right-angle upholstery edge for a seat or back

fretwork: Sawn-open interlaced ornament inspired by Chinese railing and fence patterns, either left open or applied onto another wood surface; see also blind fret

fylfot: A cross with arms bent at right angles in the same direction, derived from an ancient universal symbol marking the sun’s movement

gadroon: A series of ropelike, convex curves used as ornamentation on edges and rails

gimblet: A tool for drilling small holes in wood without it splitting

gimp: A braided fabric trim used to finish edges on upholstery and drapery

gondola chair: A chair with a low, sloping back and curved crest rail that envelopes and encircles the sitter, its shape recalling that of a gondola rowboat

grain painting: Decorative painting that imitates the figure and grain of wood

Greek key: A decorative border consisting of a continuous line that folds into itself at right angles; also called “meander”

head: See pediment

hood: The top structure of a clock case that encloses the mechanism

horse-bone leg: A cabriole leg with a severe profile created by two flat-sawn sides

horseflesh figure: A dappled grain pattern found in Lysiloma sabicu, a wood colloquially known as horseflesh mahogany

husk: An ornament in the shape of the abstracted, three- part element of a plant and resembling a catkin or ear of corn, usually arranged in garlands or straight descents (and later known as bellflowers)

knee: On cabriole legs, the uppermost convex curve that joins and branches away from the rail; frequently decoratively carved

knife hinge: A flat hinge used to join parts that must fully open, such as the foldable tops on some card tables

lambrequin: A tongue-shaped decorative element derived from drapery hung over a door, window, or mantelpiece, sometimes with hanging tassels; often carved in wood

lap joint: A joint made from two pieces of overlapping wood, either with no material removed or with some portion, often half, removed from both pieces

lathe: A machine that rotates a piece of wood on an axis, enabling it to be turned and symmetrically sanded, cut with a chisel, or otherwise worked to form decorative elements

lightwood: Wood of a hue paler than that of the surrounding wood, used for dramatic contrast in decorative inlays

lower case: The bottom part of case furniture with more than one section

lunette: A semicircular, or half-moon, shape, often painted or decorated with carving or inlay

Marlborough feet: Square-shaped feet, usually at the end of a straight, or Marlborough, leg; also called “block feet”

marquetry: Decoration created from small, thin pieces of contrasting wood inlaid to form a single element

mattress: In seating furniture, a thick upholstered pad or cushion

meander: See Greek key

menuisier: The French term for a joiner or maker of chairs, tables, and other solid wood furniture; contrast ébéniste

ogee molding: See cyma recta, cyma reversa

ormolu: A special type of gilding process for copper, brass, or bronze, most often applied to furniture mounts, moldings, and other decorative elements

ovoid feet: Compressed Marlborough, or block, feet

ovolo: A convex quarter-circle molding; contrast cavetto

pad feet: Rounded, partially flattened feet, often found at the end of cabriole legs and resting on a disk shape

patera: A segmented oval or circular ornament derived from classical architecture; found carved in low relief or in marquetry

pediment: The uppermost element of case furniture, composed of molding and ornamental carving; also called “head”; see also pitch pediment, scrolled pediment

pier glass: A long, tall mirror intended to be hung on a wall between two windows, known as a pier

pitch pediment: A triangular pediment; also called a “temple pediment”; see also pediment

plinth: A squared element serving as a base, such as for a column, finial, shield, or case

prospect cabinet: A small interior cabinet used to store papers or other private materials, typically found inside a desk or bookcase; may contain additional, smaller compartments

punchwork: Small holes, or stippling, created by punching a fine point into metal or wood to create a decorative pattern

rabbet: A channel cut into a surface; another element (such as a board or a decorative material) can be slid or inserted into it

rail: A horizontal element

reeding: A modern decorative invention featuring a close series of convex moldings (described in Thomas Sheraton’s Cabinet Dictionary as “almost the only ornament that has escaped the notice of the ancients”); contrast fluting

rocaille: Sinuous stylized decoration often in the forms of shells, scrolls, ribbons, and foliate, popularized by rococo furniture

rod and reel: A decorative pattern on a quarter-round convex molding consisting of alternating bead and disk shapes

Russia leather: Tanned leather—usually cow or deer—with birch oil added to its underside; can be used for upholstery

sabre legs: Curved legs that splay outward in the shape of a curved sword or sabre, derived from the lower section of Greek klismos chairs

sackcloth: Coarse woven fabric tacked over the webbing strips of an upholstered chair as additional support for the cushion and sitter

saddle seat: A seat with a slightly sloped center and raised sides, resembling the form of a saddle

scroll: An S-shaped, curved element

scrolled pediment: A pediment formed by two symmetrical S-curves; see also pediment

scroll feet: Feet in the shape of consecutive volutes, often at the ends of cabriole legs; also called “brush feet”

seat rail: A horizontal element that forms the border of a seat on a chair or other seating form

shield: A carved ornamental feature at the center of a pediment, often in the form of a basket of flowers, an urn, or a shell device

shoe: The section (often removable) on a chair that covers the join between the rear seat rail and splat and provides support to the splat

slats: Horizontal bands of wood set in a chair back to support a sitter; also used on bed or seat frames to support a cushion

slipper feet: Round, slightly pointed feet that resemble the toes of boots

slip seat: A removable seat, often formed in a panel, that fits into a wood frame; usually upholstered

sofa: A long upholstered seating form with a full back and two arms of equal height; contrast couch

spandrel: The triangular or half-arched area formed by a curve uniting two perpendicular elements

spindle: A thin turned element, often shaped or molded, used in chair backs and stretchers

splat: A central vertical element that serves as a chair’s backrest

stiles: Outer vertical elements that frame the back of a chair or sofa

strapwork: Carved ornament imitating an interlaced pattern of leather strips

stretcher: A crosspiece, often in an H or X shape, that connects the legs of chairs, tables, and case furniture and strengthens the base

stringing: See string inlay

string inlay: A narrow string of wood or other material inlaid into a substrate, usually contrasting and giving the appearance of string; also called “stringing”

tablet: A rectangular piece of wood horizontally connecting the stiles of a chair

temple pediment: See pitch pediment

toothing plane: A hand plane fitted with a serrated blade that can scrape both with and across the grain without tearing it; often used to prepare glue and veneer surfaces (increases the surface area for the glue to enhance its hold when the wood expands and contracts)

trestle support: A vertical sawhorse-like support in an inverted T or Y shape, often found on tables or looking glasses and mirrors, as on a cheval glass

trifid feet: Feet with three lobes or facets

tufts: Buttons sewn through upholstery that help stuffing stay in place and thus maintain the shape of cushioned seats or backs

turkey work: A type of embroidery originally inspired by English imitations of Turkish carpets

under-upholstery: Materials, such as horsehair, grasses, muslin, and linen, used for stuffing beneath the outer, show layer of upholstered furniture

upper case: The top part of multisection case furniture

verdigris: A painted finish on wood imitating a natural blue-green copper patina

waist: The middle section that separates two elements of furniture

wings: The protruding sides of an armchair that enclose a sitter on either side to trap heat and protect from drafts

wrought nails: Hand-forged, or hammered, nails