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Abaca
A strong fiber derived from the leaves and stems of a banana plant native to the Philippines. Also known as Manila Hemp, this fiber is used to make everything from baskets and rope to furniture. The plant is cut down during harvesting, but the roots remain and put forth new growth.
Aniline Dyed Leather
Leather that has been soaked in a transparent dye, allowing the natural character of the hide-the wrinkles and grain-to show through. Only the finest hides are dyed this way, since any undesirable flaws would remain visible.
Appliqué
Decorative needlework in which shapes cut from one fabric are stitched to the surface of another.
Art Deco (also Deco)
An aesthetic movement of the early 20th century (1910s - 1930s) characterized by opulence, grandeur and modernity. Streamline Moderne (also called simply Streamline, or, often, just Moderne) is a subset of Art Deco style.
Baluster
The support beneath a banister or railing. Used to describe any object or vertical member (such as a table leg, a lamp base or the stem of a glass) having a similarly turned outline. A balustrade is a series of balusters.
Beading
Decorative edging in the form of a row of close-set spheres or half-spheres. Often seen on picture frames.
Bergère
A traditional French style of upholstered armchair, with an exposed wood frame (at the legs, and sometimes at the back). In England, the term is often used to describe chairs with caned sides and backs.
Bisque
Pottery (porcelain or other ceramic) that is fired but not glazed, resulting in a matte surface.
Bobeches
A flanged rim at the top of a candlestick designed to catch wax drippings. Often these are incorporated in the design of the candlestick, but they can also be separate, and removable, disks of glass, metal or ceramic. On electric chandeliers, they can appear as decorative elements, sometimes hung with crystals.
Bone China
A type of porcelain in which the clay is mixed with ox bone ash, lending it durability, whiteness and a lovely translucent quality. The recipe for fine bone china was perfected by Josiah Spode I in England in the 18th century.
Campaign
The name given to furniture pieces designed to accompany high-ranking military officers to the field. The wars (or campaigns) of Imperial France and England saw tents furnished with folding desks, tables and chairs, chests that stacked to form bureaus and even four-poster beds that could be assembled on site. Today, the term applies to these antiques as well as to new furnishings created to look or function like the portable originals.
Caning
A method of weaving often used for chair seats and backs. Generally executed with the skin of the rattan, a vine-like palm plant common in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Carrara Marble
White marble quarried from the hills of Tuscany in Italy. Prized for its brilliance and translucence, this is the marble Michelangelo used to sculpt the David. Can have silvery gray veins that lend each piece unique character.
Cashmere
A soft, warm wool derived from the fine, downy underfleece of the Cashmere (or Kashmir) goat, which lives on the high plateaus of Asia. The fibers that are spun into cashmere yarn are combed from the goat during its natural molting cycle in the spring.
Charmeuse
A soft, smooth satin-like fabric, often woven from silk, with a lustrous front and a matte, or crepe, back.
Chamfered
Corners that are cut off, or beveled. A shaping technique often used for the front corners of dressers and cabinets.
Chenille
From the French word for "caterpillar." A fuzzy yarn with pile on all sides, which produces a soft, nubbly woven or knit fabric.
Chinoiserie
Romanticized (and often Westernized) Chinese style, most popular during the 17th and 18th centuries in decorative arts, including the paintings of Antoine Watteau, porcelain by Meissen, and - perhaps most famously - the furniture of Thomas Chippendale.
Corner-Blocked
Supported at the corner joints by an added brace, or block, of wood.
Crystal
From the Greek for ice, crystal is a term for a clear, colorless glass made with lead oxide, which gives it a high refraction index, or brilliant sparkle.
Damask
Originating with ornamental silks from Damascus, damask now refers to any fabric with a pattern, in white or color, woven in. On the back side, the colors reverse.
Delftware
Earthenware, most often decorated in cobalt blue on tin-glazed white, first popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Traditionally made near the town of Delft in the Netherlands, it was inspired by pottery imported from China by the Dutch East India Company.
Dobby
A decorative fabric weave, usually in the form of small geometric patterns. Often used to denote the flat-woven (non-looped) decorative band at either end of a bath towel.
Double-Dowling
A method of joinery in which the joint is reinforced by a pair of wood pins, or dowels.
Dovetail Joinery
A method of joinery in which a tenon, or tongue, of wood, shaped like a dove's tail, tightly and precisely interlocks with a similar tongue from another piece of wood, somewhat like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Difficult and time-consuming to create, dovetail joins are a mark of fine craftsmanship.
Dhurrie
A flatwoven wool or cotton rug from India; similar to a kilim. Very colorful and durable.
Earthenware
A ceramic material made from clay with quartz and feldspar. It can be red, white or tan before glazing.
Ebony
A very dark wood (almost black) with a dark grain, from Africa, Madagascar, Gabon or Ceylon. Also used to describe a stained finish that is nearly black, but still transparent (as opposed to paint, which is opaque).
English Arm
A low, curved arm on an upholstered chair or sofa. This style of arm originated at a time when voluminous skirts were all the rage, and was intended to make sitting easier for women wearing layers of crinolines, hoops and petticoats.
Egyptian Cotton
Very high quality cotton with fine, long-staple fibers that make for exceptionally smooth, soft yarns.
Eight-Way Hand-Tied
Refers to a type of support system used in upholstered furniture, in which coiled steel springs are secured to each other and the frame by being tied in eight directions. This creates an even surface and ensures that the springs move uniformly.
Etagère
A freestanding open-sided shelving unit.
Finial
A decorative ball, spire or knob. Found (among other places) at the tops of bedposts, on the lids of covered dishes, at either end of a curtain rod and at the top of a lamp, where it generally screws on to hold the shade on the harp.
Flanged Shams
A pillow cover with a decorative edge that is straighter and more tailored than a ruffle.
Fretwork
Geometrical, openwork designs created by interlocking pieces of wood or metal. These designs often have an Oriental influence, as seen in Art Deco and Chippendale-style furnishings.
Giclée
(Pronounced "zhee-clay") A plateless method of fine art printing in which images are scanned and digitally stored, then reproduced using a high-resolution printer. The process uses specialized inks and high-quality paper to create rich, nuanced, long-lasting prints. The word Giclée is French for "to spray" and is a registered trade name for the IRIS printer.
Habutai
Plainweave silk that is very lightweight and soft. Originally woven on Japanese hand looms, but now generally machine woven.
Herringbone Weave
A type of twill weave in which the chevron pattern alternates direction, creating a zigzag effect or the illusion of stripes.
Hemp
A natural fiber, derived from the hemp plant. Used to make durable rugs, paper and even fabric.
Hemstitching
A decorative stitch created by removing horizontal threads from woven fabric and bundling clusters of vertical threads at regular intervals. The technique creates a row of tiny openwork squares or diamonds.
Houndstooth Check
A geometric pattern made up of squares with drawn-out corners that link them together. Named for the resemblance of these corners to the fangs of a dog.
Innerspring Cushion
A chair or sofa cushion with springs at its core. Provides long-lasting resiliency and support.
Jacquard
A type of weaving, named for its French inventor, in which each warp yarn is controlled separately to create an intricate pattern or design. Varieties of jacquard-woven textiles include damask, brocade and tapestry.
Kilim
A flatwoven rug traditional to Turkey, North Africa, Iran, Pakistan, the Caucasus and Afghanistan, among other areas.
Kiln-Dried
Wood that is heat-dried in a kiln. By alternating heat and humidity, the wood is carefully dried and stabilized, to reduce the chances of warping, checking, splitting or twisting.
Lathe-Carved
A lathe is a rotating tool that spins a block of wood, metal, glass or other material so that when cutting or forming tools are touched to the block they shape the block symmetrically. This technique is often used to shape table legs and bedposts.
Matelassé
French for "cushioned or padded." A double-cloth weave that creates fabric with a quilted look, though there is no batting or fill involved.
Mohair
Wool from the angora goat. Springy, lofty and very warm. Unlike cashmere, which is judged by softness, the quality of mohair is judged by luster.
Mortise-and-Tenon Joinery
Introduced in the 16th century, this is an efficient method for joining two pieces of wood, especially for cabinetry. A mortise is the hole cut in one piece of wood to snuggly receive the specially shaped tenon, or projection of the other. The joint may also be glued and/or pegged with a dowel.
Ogee
An S-shaped double curve, as often seen on the arms of chandeliers and the legs of 18th and 19th century tables. Can also describe an S-shaped profile, as on a tabletop edge or picture frame.
Oxford Cloth
Lightweight cotton (or sometimes cotton blend) in a plain 2 x 2 or 4 x 2 weave, often used for men's shirting.
Paisley
Originally associated with a type of fine wool shawl woven in the town of Paisley, Scotland, this term has come to apply to the Indian-inspired patterns those shawls made popular in the 1800s. In particular, the word has become associated with the prevailing motif: a teardrop shape with a curved tail.
Percale
A lightweight, plain weave fabric-usually cotton-often used for sheeting.
Piqué
Tightly woven fabric with raised ribs or cords. Waffle-weave pique is traditionally used for polo shirts and tennis togs.
Pima Cotton
Very high-quality, long-staple cotton grown in the United States, Australia, Israel and Peru. Quite strong, and similar to Egyptian cotton in softness and smoothness.
Porcelain
A hard ceramic material made from pure clay. Creates wares that are strong, fine and translucent.
Primaloft
A synthetic filler that closely mimics the structure and performance of down.
Raffia
A tropical palm that can produce leaves 80 feet long. The dried leaves can be cut into strips and woven to create upholstery fabric, baskets, floor coverings and more.
Rattan
A vine-like palm plant common in the Philippines and Indonesia. The skin is typically used in caning, while the core is used to create wicker furniture and baskets.
Sateen
Cotton fabric loomed with fill yarns that float over warp yarns to create a smooth, satiny hand and a lustrous finish.
Seersucker
Light to medium-weight fabric woven with varying levels of tension on the warp yarns to create puckered stripes that alternate with smooth stripes. Traditional for summer suits.
Shagreen
Leather made from the skin of a shark or ray. A popular luxury material in the court of Louis XV of France, it resurged in popularity during the Art Deco movement.
Silk Dupioni
Pure silk, woven from double cocoons of the silkworm. The intertwined strands create a unique slubby texture, similar to that of linen but with silk's rich luster.
Sisal
Fiber made from the sword-shaped leaves of the Agave sisalana plant. Highly durable. Often used to make rugs and rope.
Stainless Steel (18/10)
A corrosion-resistant alloy of steel and chromium. 18/10 stainless contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel, making it extra durable and highly resistant to rust and corrosion.
Sultanabad Rug
Sultanabad is a region of Iran legendary for its carpets. In 1883, a British manufacturer called Zeigler set up shop in the region, employing the master rug weavers of the area to create carpets with designs and colors that would appeal to European tastes. Today, this term is associated with the softer palettes and all-over patterns Zeigler helped to popularize.
Tartan
Often used interchangeably with the word "plaid," a tartan is actually a length of wool, woven in a specific and complex pattern (most often plaid, but occasionally stripes and-in the case of the Duke of Argyle-diamonds) that served as the standard of a Scottish clan, or family.
Tea Stain
An herbal or chemical wash used to lend carpets an antique appearance. Tea-staining deepens and softens the colors.
Tempered Glass
Glass that is heated above its annealing temperature and then quickly cooled to increase its strength. Tempered glass is not unbreakable, but if it does break, it shatters into blunt, square pieces, rather than sharp shards.
Toile (or Toile de Jouy)
A French word for cloth or fabric, it became synonymous with printed textiles created by using engraved copper rollers, a technique popularized in Jouy, France in the 18th Century. Today, "toile" has come to mean any print that mimics the original style: generally a romanticized landscape or floral, rendered in a single color, in a fine-lined style that resembles an etching or pen-and-ink drawing.
Top-Grain Leather
The top layer of a hide and its strongest, most durable part.
Topstitching
Visible stitching on the right side of a garment used as a decorative, as well as functional, detail.
Track Arm
Also called square arm. A linear, modern style of sofa or chair with upholstered arms squared-off at a clean right angle.
Triple-Milling (also French Milling)
Soap-making method in which impurities are removed over several phases, creating a pure, hard and long-lasting bar of soap that produces a generous, creamy lather.
Tweed
A course-weave woolen fabric (in twill, plain or herringbone weave) with colored, slubbed yarns incorporated for a subtle confetti-like effect.
Twill
A basic weave characterized by diagonal wales, which, when alternated across the face of the fabric, produce a herringbone pattern.
Variegated
A number of different colors (as in variegated yarn), or sizes (as in variegated stripes), combined.
Vellum
Traditionally made from pigskin, sheepskin or calfskin, vellum is a thin, translucent sheet of specially treated leather. In medieval times it was used for writing manuscripts. Even after it was replaced in this capacity by paper, it continued to be used for book bindings.
Veneer
A thin sheet of choice wood applied, often decoratively, to the surface of wood furniture. There is archeological evidence to suggest that the Egyptians used veneers 3000-5000 years ago, but the technique was perfected by fine furniture craftsman of the 18th century, including Sheraton and Hepplewhite.
Welting
Thick piping that accentuates the seams of upholstered furniture.
Wicker
Woven goods, including furniture and baskets, often made from the core of the rattan plant, a vine-like palm.
Yarn-Dyed
A technique for coloring textiles that involves dying the yarn prior to weaving or knitting. Yarn-dyed, woven textiles are often more fade-resistant than batch-dyed or printed textiles.
Zebrawood
An African wood that has a light sapwood and a dark grain, producing zebra-like strips when quarter sawn. |
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