Furniture Terms

  1. Accent Furniture: Any piece of furniture placed to add decoration to a room or to compliment another piece (or pieces) of furniture. Accent furniture may be placed simply for aesthetics or the piece may serve a practical purpose, such as an accent chest may store items such as blankets.
  2. Adirondack chair:  A non-adjustable wooden outdoor lounge chair.
  3. Almirah: A cabinet (usually a box-shaped) either standing alone or built into or, like a medicine cabinet, attached to a wall.
  4. Armchair: Chair with side structures to support the arms or elbows.
  5. Apron: Wooden panel that connect the surface and legs of a table or chair.
  6. Armoire: Large, moveable cupboard with doors and shelves for storing clothing; used commonly as an entertainment cabinet and wardrobe.
  7. Attached-Back Pillow: Pillow which cannot be removed from the upholstered piece of furniture.
  8. Bachelor’s Chest: Small, low chest of drawers.
  9. Banding: Veneer cut into narrow strips and applied to create a decorative effect: usually found around the edges of table and drawer fronts.
  10. Banister: Refers to the railing that connects the vertical posts (and possibly the newel posts) on a staircase railing.
  11. Ball Foot: End of turned leg, shaped round, and with a hooded effect.
  12. Baluster: see Banister
  13. Baluster Leg: Shaped like a baluster (vase-like) shape.
  14. Baroque: Extravagant and heavily ornate style of architecture, furniture, and decoration.
  15. Barrel Chair: Chair shaped like rustic chairs which were originally made from half a wine barrel.
  16. Bedside Chest: Nightstand or commode.
  17. Bed Table: A bedside-over bed table with choice of tilt-top or flat-top style. Bedside Tables are height adjustable and have room for eating and reading.
  18. Bentwood: Wood that has been steamed and bent into curvilinear shape.
  19. Bergère Chair: An upholstered chair having closed, upholstered sides, arm rests, seat, and back. It also includes exposed carved wooden legs. These chairs are considered French country in style and are often used with an upholstered ottoman having similar exposed carved wooden legs.
  20. Blanket Chest: Colonial storage chest often used as a bench.
  21. Block-front Chest: Chest of drawers in which the center is curved inwards and the end panel are curved outwards.
  22. Bombé Chest: A cabinet with a bulge or serpentine front (and sometimes sides), usually with drawers.
  23. Bungee Chair: A chair that has bungee cords or bands incorporated in its assembly. While the chair’s legs and armrests are usually made with traditional materials such as plastic, metal or wood, the seating and back portions of the chair are made with bungee. The open spaces between each bungee band tend to give the chair a unique sense of breathability and ‘bounce’.
  24. Camelback: Sofa-back that is irregular in the shape of a large, central hump.
  25. Canterbury: Small, portable magazine rack.
  26. Cantilever Chair (Sled Base):  A chair with no back legs, relying for support on the properties of the material from which it is made. These can be stackable.
  27. Captain’s Chair:  A chair that has a vertical support serving as a back rest and horizontal supports serving as arm rests as well.
  28. Carousel: A rotatable platform placed on work surfaces.
  29. Casegoods: Casegoods is one of the two classifications of furniture: casegoods and upholstery. Casegoods generally refers to furniture made of hard materials, such as wood, metal, glass or plastic. Examples of casegoods include chests, dressers, bookshelves, and cabinets. Upholstery refers to furniture that has fabric or leather and padding stretched over a frame.
  30. Casing: A decorative wooden, molded resin, or MDF piece that frames the sides and top of a window or door. Also is called window molding or door molding.
  31. Carpet Gripper Glides: Used to provide stability to furniture placed on carpet, while at the same time protecting the carpet from damage from furniture legs.
  32. Casters: Wheels or rollers that are fitted to a chair base to provide mobility. Casters are most commonly seen on task chairs and executive chairs, however, file cabinets, computer tables, stackable seating, training tables, etc. are often fitted with casters.
  33. Caster Sleeve:  A metal receptacle into which the caster is inserted.
  34. Ceiling Medallion: A ceiling medallion is a decorative element installed in the center of a ceiling above a chandelier or ceiling fan.
  35. Chamfer Edge: Referring to an angular edge applied to furniture.
  36. Chase: Attached to a loveseat to create a sofa set with only one arm; the back usually doesn’t reach the end of the cushion.
  37. Chaise Lounge: French for “long chair” is a chair with a seat long enough to completely support its user’s legs. Similar, if not identical to, a day bed.
  38. Chassis: The body of a desk.
  39. Chesterfield: Deep-buttoned sofa with arms and a back at the same height.
  40. Coffee Table: Long, low table used in front of a sofa.
  41. Colonial Chest: Colonial storage chest often used as a bench.
  42. Commode: Chest with drawers.
  43. Console:  A table intended to stand against a wall of between windows.
  44. Couch: 17th and 18th century term for a daybed.
  45. Corner Blocks: Blocks of wood built into the corners of a chair frame to reinforce and provide additional strength.
  46. Credenza: A desk-height, closed cabinet used for holding papers, office supplies, etc., that often matches existing furniture.
  47. Davenport: small writing desk. Also, the name of a series of sofas manufactured by the now-defunct A. H. Davenport Company. Due to the popularity of the furniture at the time, the name “Davenport” has become a generalized trademark.
  48. Day Bed: seating piece that can also serve as a bed.
  49. Double Pedestal Desk: A desk configuration that consists of left and right pedestal files and knee space in the center for the user.
  50. Drafting Stool: A chair that is taller than others and has a foot rest.
  51. Drawer Dividers: A partition in a box drawer that separates or divides the front portion from the back portion.
  52. Drop Leaf: built with hinged extension leaves which lower when no in use
  53. Drop Lid Desk: desk with a hinged panel that covers the inner compartments drops to become writing surface.
  54. Eames Chair: Correctly titled Eames Lounge and Ottoman, were released in 1956 after years of development for the Herman Miller furniture company. It designed for a high-end market. These furnishings are made of molded plywood and leather. Examples of these furnishings are part of the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
  55. Easy Chair: Any large comfortable armchair. It is typically upholstered.
  56. Face Veneer: The veneer on the most visible surfaces.
  57. Fall Front: the flap of a bureau that pulls down to provide a writing surface.
  58. Freestanding: The furniture not supported by systems furniture panels.
  59. Folding Chair: A chair that can be collapsed and stored easily.
  60. Four Point Side Chair:
  61. Four Poster Bed: colonial bed with posts extended upward that may or may not hold a canopy.
  62. Furniture Installation: Planning, coordinating and building of all types of office furniture systems by trained furniture installers.
  63. Furniture Installation Quote: A free work estimate given after a furniture installer’s walk through.
  64. Furniture Installers: Furniture expert who is uniformed and has been certified and/or trained to install, assemble, disassemble, reconfigure, relocate or repair all types of furniture.
  65. Freestanding Furniture: Any furniture which does not require support by a panel structure in or out of a workstation.
  66. Glider: Also called a platform rocker. It offers the same motions as a rocking chair but without the dangers. A frame rests on the floor and the chair is supported by swing arms within the frame so that moving parts are less accessible.
  67. Grommet: A plastic covering for an opening primarily in casegood tops for routing wires and cords away from the worksurface.
  68. Guest Chair: A chair without wheels may have arms and may be stackable. It is usually present in lobbies, waiting areas and in front of desks.
  69. Hope Chest: A cedar chest, dowry chest, blanket chest, bench.
  70. Hutch: Raised cabinet (enclosed or open) with shelves resting on a solid base such as a desk or credenza.
  71. Keyboard Mobile Tray: A table with a fixed keyboard pad. It can have a five-star base with castors.
  72. Kneehole Desk: Desk with a recessed central cupboard.
  73. Kneewell: A panel on the front side of a desk that blocks viewing of the desk chair.
  74. Knee Space: The unencumbered area beneath a desk or worksurface that allows for user “legroom”. This is an important measurement. The dimensions determine whether items such as keyboard trays and seating will properly fit.
  75. Knocked Down/KD:  Flat-packed office furniture requiring full assembly by an office furniture installer.
  76. Loose-pillow Back: Pillow which can be removed from an upholstered piece.
  77. Loveseat: smaller version of a sofa, typically made up of two seating cushions to accommodate two people.
  78. Motion Furniture: Furniture containing a mechanism or mechanisms which allow it to adjust to your body for increased comfort such as recliners.
  79. Mule Chest: Chest with drawers in the base.
  80. Nail head Trim:  Trim used on traditional seating. This usually consists of brass nails individually applied. On less expensive chairs, nail heads may be plastic and applied in strips instead of individually applied.
  81. Nest of Tables: A set of occasional tables that slide one beneath the other when not in use.
  82. Occasional Table: An end table or a coffee table.
  83. Ottoman: An upholstered footstool.
  84. Partition: Furniture and partition units define areas and organize the space.
  85. Pencil Drawer: A small drawer mounted under a worksurface. Meant for storing small items such as pens, paperclips, etc.
  86. Peninsula Top: Also called a P-top, it is a primary worksurface designed with one rounded end to provide a comfortable meeting space for multiple users to gather around.
  87. Radius Styling: Rounded edges/corners of desks, credenzas, etc.
  88. Ready-to-Assemble (RTA): Products built with the intention they can be put together by the end user.
  89. Rolled Arms:  Arms which flare out and then down to meet the sides of a chair or sofa.
  90. Saddle Chair: Uses the same principles in its design as an equestrian saddle. It does not have a backrest but is equipped with a chair base on castors and a gas cylinder for adjusting the correct sitting height. The castors enable moving around and reaching out for i.e. tools while sitting.
  91. Sectional: A sofa with several segments.
  92. Secretarial Desk: An L-shaped desk consisting of a single pedestal main desk with a 29″ or 30″ high worksurface and a return that can be 29″ or 27″ high, the Return can be on left or right side.
  93. Settee: The settee or sofa, with two or more seats.
  94. Shelf Bracket: A bracket to support a shelf.
  95. Side Chair: A chair without arms, designed to stand against a wall.
  96. Skirt: A piece of fabric at the bottom of a sofa, loveseat, or chair that hangs for decorative purposes.
  97. Sleeper Sofa:  A sofa, but has a foot print for the majority of patient rooms.
  98. Sleigh Bed: A bed in which the head and footboards are scrolled.
  99. Sofa: A long seat with back and arms.
  100. Sofa Table:  A rectangular table with two hinged flaps at the ends designed to stand in front of a sofa.
  101. Spat: The middle piece of the back support of a chair.
  102. Squab Cushion: Loose, flat cushions on the seat of a chair.
  103. Stackable: Items, typically chairs, which can be stacked to store many in a small area, thus offering extra space when necessary for big events.
  104. Stacking Chair: Designed to stack compactly on top of each other to minimize storage space required.
  105. Standing Desk: Both an antique desk and a modern desk form conceived for writing and/or reading while standing up or while sitting on a high stool. The term stand-up or stand up desk is also used. During the 18th and 19th centuries, standing desks were popular in the homes and offices of the rich.
  106. Task Light: The additional light source commonly provided at a desk or workstation. Can be freestanding or mounted underneath an overhead storage cabinet.
  107. Twin Bed: A twin bed is the smallest bed made for adults.
  108. Upholstery Furniture: Upholstery is one of the two classifications of furniture: upholstery and casegoods. Upholstery refers to furniture that has fabric or leather and padding stretched over a frame. Casegoods generally refers to furniture made of hard materials, such as wood, metal, glass or plastic. Examples of casegoods include chests, dressers, bookshelves, and cabinets.
  109. Wardrobe: A large cabinet or cupboard for hanging clothes.