Antique and Vintage Furniture Glossary

This glossary offers clear definitions of key terms related to antique furniture. It’s a straightforward guide for anyone looking to better understand the language used in this field. 

A

Acanthus: A carved ornament featuring leaves, often found at the top of Corinthian columns and popular in Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian furniture.

Adam Style: An 18th-century neoclassical style developed by the Adam brothers in Britain, characterized by delicate ornamentation, classical motifs, and an emphasis on symmetry. 

Apron: A decorative element below the seat rail of a settee, chair, cabinet, or table.

Arcading: A carved architectural ornament in the shape of arches. It can be seen on chair-backs and applied on panels on coffers.

Armoire: A large wardrobe, typically from France.

Art Deco: A design style from the 1920s and 1930s characterized by bold geometric patterns, rich colors, and luxurious materials. Art Deco furniture often features sleek lines and exotic materials like ebony, ivory, and chrome.

Art Nouveau: A style from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for its flowing, organic lines, floral motifs, and emphasis on craftsmanship. 

Astragal: A small molding used on glass for glazing bars.

B

Baize: a lining cloth usually found in card tables.

Ball and Claw Foot: A furniture leg design where the foot resembles a bird or animal claw grasping a ball. This style was popular in the 18th century, especially in Chippendale furniture.

Baluster: A turned vase-shaped post supporting the staircase rail or a chair splat.

Bamboo Turning: Turned timber made to simulate bamboo, usually painted.

Banding: Decorative edging or inlaid border on wooden furniture.

Baroque: A highly ornate and extravagant style that originated in Italy in the 17th century. Baroque furniture is characterized by its elaborate carvings, gilding, and dramatic curves.

Bead or Beading: a molding that resembles a string of beads.

Bergere: A chair with caned or upholstered sides.

Bevel: An edge that has been cut at a slant.

Biedermeier: A style of furniture that originated in Germany and Austria in the early 19th century, known for its clean lines, minimal ornamentation, and use of light woods like birch and maple.

Black Forest: This furniture is highly carved and is known for carved bears and other creatures of the forest, such as deer and birds.

Bolection molding: a decorative molding that projects beyond the face of a panel or frame in raised panel walls, doors, and fireplaces.

Boulle: A decorative type of marquetry in which tortoiseshell, brass, copper, and tin were used in elaborate floral or curving designs, named for French cabinet maker,  Andrè-Charles Boulle (Paris 1642-1732) who was also known as le joailler du meuble, or “The Furniture Jeweler.”

Bombé: A French term describing furniture with an outward swelling curve, often used for bureaus and commodes.

Bonheur-du-jour: A small, ladies writing desk.

Bracket Foot: A foot type with an outward straight right angle and a curved inside, used on chests and cabinets.

Braiding: A finishing decoration used in upholstery around the edges of chairs.

Breakfront: A front that has one or more projecting portions.

Bulb: the bulb-like part of the often carved and turned supports of furniture on tables, chairs, etc.

Bun Foot: A rounded foot used on various types of furniture.

Bureau: A desk with a sloping fall front. The flap is hinged above a chest of drawers.

C

Cabochon: A gem-shaped carved embellishment, polished and generally convex, generally found on the “knee” of a chair leg.

Cabriole Leg: A curved furniture leg that features an outward curve at the top and an inward curve near the bottom. This style is commonly associated with Queen Anne and Louis XV furniture.

Camelback: a chair or sofa back featuring a top rail with a serpentine curve that forms two humps downward and three humps upward.

Candelabra: A branched candlestick or lamp stand.

Canapé: A French term for a sofa or settee.

Caning: A technique in which thin strips of cane, rattan, or other materials are woven to form a seat or backrest on chairs. Caning was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Canopy: A draped covering of fabric suspended over a piece of furniture and supported by four posts, usually on four poster beds.

Canted: Canted surfaces are beveled, chamfered, or obliquely faced. They are often found on the corners of chests of drawers.

Canterbury: An ornamental stand featuring compartments and divisions for papers, portfolios, envelopes, magazines, etc.

Carcase: The term used to describe the body of a piece of furniture.

Cartouche: An ornamental panel in the form of a scroll or shield, often used in Rococo furniture. It often features a coat-of-arms, ornamental monogram, or an inscription.

Caryatid: A decorative upright female figure used in the place of a column. It is often found on 18th-century furniture such as chests and cupboards. It is quite common on some French furniture.

Case Furniture: Furniture that provides storage.

Castellated: A type of molding in the shape of a castle top often found on wardrobe and bookcase tops.

Cavetto: A hollowed molding that forms the quadrant of a circle—a prominent cornice in large pieces of antique furniture.

Cellaret: A portable chest, case, or cabinet dating from the 18th century. It is used to store bottles, decanters, and glasses.

Chaise Lounge: an upholstered chair with a lengthened seat forming a leg rest for reclining.

Chamfered: An edge that is beveled or cut away from the square of the top or edge of the piece.

Checker banding: An inlay of light and dark wood forming a chess or checkerboard-type pattern.

Chiffonier: A small sideboard or cabinet with a cupboard or drawers below.

Chinoiserie: A style of decoration inspired by Chinese art and design, popular in the 18th century.

Chippendale: A style of furniture named after English cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale, popular in the mid-18th century. Chippendale furniture often features intricate carvings, including rococo, Gothic, and Chinese influences.

Club Foot (or pad foot): Often at the base of a cabriole leg.

Cock Beading: a thin beaded molding that is carved around the edges of drawers.

Colonial: This style reflected early American furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries, influenced by European designs but adapted to the practical needs of the New World settlers. 

Commode: A low chest of drawers, often with elaborate decoration.

Console Table: A table designed to be placed against a wall, often with a half-moon shape.

Corbel: A decorative carved bracket often seen on antique bookcases.

Cornice: a horizontal molding at the top of furniture pieces such as bookcases, cabinets, and antique wardrobes.

Credenza: A generally elaborate sideboard with a mirror back.

Crest Rail: The top rail of a chair back, often carved or decorated.

Cross banding: Thin strips of decorative cross-grained veneer.

D

Danish Modern: A style from the mid-20th century that emphasizes simplicity, functionality, and clean lines, often using natural materials like teak wood. 

Davenport: A small writing desk with a sloping top.

Dentil: the moulding under the cornice consisting of a series of small rectangular shaped blocks or “teeth”.

Directoire: A French style from the late 18th century, transitional between the Louis XVI and Empire styles, featuring restrained ornamentation, classical motifs, and a more simplified aesthetic. 

Dovetail Joint: A woodworking technique used to join two pieces of wood at right angles. The interlocking pins and tails of the joint are highly resistant to being pulled apart, making it a common method in antique furniture construction.

Dowel: a headless pin of metal or wood that fits into a corresponding hole on another piece, forming a joint that fastens them together.

Drop-leaf: A table leaf that is hinged to the side of the table and designed to drop to the side of the table when not in use.

Drum Table: a round table resembling a drum. It has a deep apron and generally features drawers in the frieze.

Dumbwaiter: a serving table, also known as a tier table. It features several shelves.

E

Early American: A style from the 17th and 18th centuries in America, reflecting the practical and sturdy designs brought to the colonies by European settlers, often made of locally sourced wood. 

Eastlake: A style of furniture from the late 19th century, named after English designer Charles Eastlake. Eastlake furniture features simpler, more geometric lines and often includes incised (engraved) decoration rather than elaborate carving.

Ebonized: Wood that has been stained or painted black to resemble ebony.

Edwardian: Furniture made from 1901 to 1911 during King Edward VII’s reign in England.

Egg-and-dart: A decorative molding featuring egg shapes alternating with dart-like points.

Embossing: Stamping or hammering wood and leather so that a design stands out above the surface.

Empire: A style that emerged in the early 19th century during the reign of Napoleon I, characterized by grandeur, strong classical influences, and the use of rich materials like mahogany, gilt, and marble. 

Engraving: the process of cutting or carving lines into a wood surface.

Escutcheon: A decorative plate around a keyhole or door handle, often brass.

Étagère: A free-standing cabinet or wall shelving used to display small objects, sometimes with drawers and doors.

F

Fauteuil: An upholstered armchair with open sides.

Federal Style: An American furniture style from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, influenced by neoclassical design. Federal furniture often features straight lines, inlays, and motifs such as eagles, urns, and swags.

Fielded panel: A panel with beveled edges surrounding a flat central field. Often seen on antique coffers.

Finial: An ornamental top piece, often found on the top of a chair back or bedpost.

Flip-top: A type of antique dining table in which the tabletop tilts for storage.

Fluting: Decorative vertical, carved parallel grooves generally seen on column legs.

French Polishing: A durable finish of high gloss created by applying many layers of shellac to wood. The process is believed to have originated in France in the late 1600s, hence the name.

French Provincial: French Provincial, sometimes used interchangeably with French Country, refers to a decorating and furnishing style that originated in the provinces of France throughout the 1700s and 1800s.

Frieze: Also called the apron, it is the perpendicular face below a tabletop, cornice, or drawer (case furniture).

G

Gadrooning: A decorative edging with a series of convex curves, often found on the edges of tables and cabinets.

Gallery: An ornamental metal or wood railing around the edge of a furniture piece.

Geometric: A type of molding used on 17th-century oak furniture.

Georgian: English furniture dating from 1714 to 1800. Marked by its symmetry, proportion, and use of classical elements, often featuring mahogany wood and elaborate carvings. Hepplewhite, Sheraton, Chippendale, and Adams were among the best-known designers and cabinet makers of this period.

Gesso: A white paint mixture made of chalk, gypsum, and a binder, used as a base for gilding or painting. Gesso is often found on antique furniture as an underlayer for gold leaf or decorative painting.

Gilding: The decoration of an object with a thin layer of gold, gold leaf, or gold foil.

Gothic Revival: A 19th-century style that drew inspiration from medieval Gothic architecture, characterized by pointed arches, intricate tracery, and an emphasis on vertical lines. 

H

Hassock: a tightly stuffed upholstered cushion generally used on footstools or chairs.

Hepplewhite: This style of furniture, named after English cabinetmaker George Hepplewhite, was popular in the late 18th century. It is known for its elegant, slender lines and motifs, such as shield-back chairs and tapered legs.

Herringbone: Also known as feather banding, it is a decorative border of inlay around furniture in which strips of veneer are laid at a 90-degree angle, forming a herringbone pattern.

High Victorian: A mid-to-late 19th-century style characterized by heavy ornamentation, rich materials, and eclectic influences from Gothic, Rococo, and Renaissance styles. 

Hoof Feet: This style originated in the 17th century and were popular in furniture styles such as Queen Anne, Chippendale, French Provencial, and Neoclassical. They were shaped like the hooves of animals. Deer (pied-de-biche) was the most common inspiration.  They were considered a symbol of luxury and were often featured on high-end furniture pieces.

Hutch: A cabinet or cupboard with open shelves on top.

I – K

Inlay: The technique of embedding pieces of contrasting material, such as wood, ivory, or metal, into the surface of furniture to create decorative patterns. Inlay work is often seen in antique furniture, adding visual interest and value.

Italian Renaissance: Popular during the 1400s to 1600s, it is a style of interior design that emphasizes luxury and opulence.

Jacobean: A style of furniture from the early 17th century, during the reign of James I of England. Jacobean furniture is typically heavy and sturdy, with simple lines and minimal ornamentation.

Japanning: A type of lacquerwork that imitates Asian lacquer techniques.

Joinery: the craft of woodworking by means of mortise and tenon, dovetail, tongue and groove, dowels, etc.

Klismos: An ancient Greek style of chair that was revived in various periods, including the Neoclassical era, known for its distinctive curved, splayed legs and simple, elegant form. 

Kneehole Desk: A desk with a space for the knees, often with drawers on either side.

L

Liming: A finish usually seen on period oak furniture. The process uses a white paste to fill open wood pores, which gives the furniture a distinctive look.

Linenfold: A carved decoration that resembles folded linen, often found on paneling.

Lowboy: A chest of drawers mounted on short legs.

Louis XV: A French Rococo style from the mid-18th century, characterized by its asymmetry, curved lines, and ornate, floral motifs, often featuring intricate marquetry and gilding.

Louis XVI: A late 18th-century French style that returned to classical symmetry and straight lines, with restrained decoration, often incorporating classical motifs like fluted columns and laurel wreaths.

M – N

Marquetry: A decorative technique that involves creating patterns or pictures using pieces of veneer, often wood, inlaid into the surface of furniture. Marquetry was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Mid-Century Modern: A design movement from the mid-20th century (roughly 1940s-1960s) characterized by clean lines, organic shapes, and a focus on function. Mid-century modern furniture often features materials like teak, walnut, fiberglass, and molded plastic.

Mission: An early 20th-century American style, part of the Arts and Crafts movement, emphasizing simplicity, handcrafted quality, and the use of oak wood with exposed joinery. 

Miter joint: A framing technique using 45-degree angles to join wood edges.

Mother of Pearl: the hard, iridescent inner ling of shells like oysters and mussels used as a decorative inlay in furniture.

Neoclassical: A style inspired by the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It features clean lines, symmetry, and classical motifs such as columns, laurel wreaths, and urns.

Napoleon III: A French style that developed during the reign of Napoleon III (1852-1870), characterized by eclecticism and the revival of earlier styles like Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo. This style often features elaborate ornamentation and rich materials. 

O

Occasional table: a term for small tables such as side tables, coffee tables, lamp tables, etc.

Ormolu: A gilding technique using a gold and mercury amalgam to decorate furniture, especially during the 18th century in France. Ormolu is often found on clocks, candlesticks, and mounts on fine antique furniture.

Ottoman: A low, upholstered seat with no back or arms. Often used as a footrest, it may have storage space inside.

Oyster veneering: A technique used on William and Mary furnishings. It is achieved by cutting or slicing the smaller branches of certain trees, such as walnut or olive, and piecing them together.

P

Palladian: A style based on the designs of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio, popular in the 18th century, characterized by symmetry, classical proportions, and the use of elements like columns and pediments. 

Parquetry: Inlay work made from small pieces of wood arranged in geometric patterns.

Partner’s desk: a desk large enough to seat two people facing each other with working drawers or cupboards on both sides.

Patera: A round or oval motif incorporating fluting leaves or flower petals, usually carved or inlaid.

Patina: The surface appearance of a piece of furniture that has aged over time, often seen as a desirable characteristic in antiques. Patina can include wear, discoloration, and a soft sheen that adds to the character of the piece.

Pedestal: An upright support, either turned or in the form of a cupboard.

Pediment: The triangular top section of a piece of furniture, often found on cabinets and bookcases.

Pembroke table: A type of drop leaf table.

Pie-crust edge: Usually found on tables, the edge is carved in a scallop shape.

Pier Table: A table designed to be placed against a wall, often between windows.

Pilaster: A decorative flattened column on furniture that does not provide structural support.

Plinth: The low square base of a piece of furniture.

Provincial: Refers to furniture styles from the French provinces, simpler and more rustic versions of Parisian designs, often handcrafted with local materials. 

Q – R

Quatrefoil: A decorative element with four lobes or leaves.

Queen Anne: A style of furniture popular in the early 18th century, named after Queen Anne of England. Queen Anne furniture is known for its graceful, curving lines, including cabriole legs and scalloped shell motifs.

Reeding: A series of parallel convex ridges, often used on legs and columns.

Regency: A style of furniture from the early 19th century, during the English Regency period. Regency furniture often features elegant, neoclassical designs with influences from ancient Greece and Rome, including saber legs and brass inlays.

Relief: A molded, carved, or stamped decoration that protrudes from the surface of a piece of furniture, forming a pattern.

Rococo: A highly decorative style of furniture that originated in France in the early 18th century. Rococo furniture is characterized by elaborate carvings, asymmetrical forms, and motifs such as shells, scrolls, and flowers.

S

Salon Set: Also known as a Salon Parlor Set, it is a complete set of matched seating furniture for a specific room.

Sarcophagus: a rectangular, coffin-shaped box with tapering sides.

Scallop Shell Carving: A semi-circular shell with ridges resembling a shell. This ornamental motif was common in furniture design during the Queen Anne and Georgian periods.

Scroll pediment: An open-topped curved pediment, its two S-shaped sides ending in scrolls. It is also referred to as bonnet-scroll, bonnet-top, gooseneck, or swan-neck.

Scumble: An early type of pain finish designed to look like faux grain.

Shaker: A 19th-century American style developed by the Shaker religious community, characterized by simplicity, functionality, and a lack of ornamentation, with a focus on quality craftsmanship. 

Sheraton: An 18th-century English style named after Thomas Sheraton, known for its refined, neoclassical design with straight lines, light construction, and the use of veneers and inlays. 

Shield back: Common in Hepplewhite designs, the back of the chair is shaped like a shield.

Sideboard: A larger type of dining-room furniture with a flat top and(often) a back for displaying china and glass. The body is a storage unit composed of drawers, sometimes flanked by cabinets with doors on each side.

Specimen Table: Made from a variety of veneers in a design that showcases the different grains and characteristics of the woods.

Splat: The vertical central element of a chair back, often shaped and decorated. The design of the splat can help identify the period and style of a piece of furniture.

Stretcher: the stabilizing rail at the bottom of furniture, which often forms X, H, or Y shapes.

Stringing: Decorative inlay in the form of fine lines.

T

Tea Caddy: a small, decorative box created for storing tea leaves.

Tallboy: A high chest of drawers.

Tambour: A flexible sliding door made of narrow strips of wood.

Tapestry: A heavy, handwoven fabric found on some upholstered furniture.

Tudor: A style from the early 16th century in England, characterized by heavy, solid construction, dark woods, and ornate carvings, often with Gothic influences. 

U – Z

Upholstered Victorian: Refers to the heavily upholstered furniture of the Victorian era, often featuring deep button-tufting, plush fabrics, and elaborate frames with carved wood details.

Veneer: A thin layer of fine wood applied to the furniture’s surface, often used to create decorative effects or cover less expensive wood. Veneering was a common technique in antique furniture, allowing for intricate patterns and designs.

Venetian: A style originating from Venice, Italy, known for its ornate and decorative features, including painted and gilded furniture, often with elements like mirrors, intricate carvings, and elaborate inlays. 

Victorian: Furniture produced through the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).

Webbing: Strapping that is used to support upholstered seats in antique or vintage chairs.

William IV: Furniture produced during the reign of King William from 1830-1837.

Windsor: An English and American style of chair dating from the 18th century, characterized by a solid wooden seat with a backrest and legs made of spindles, often with a slightly splayed design for stability. 

X-Frame Chairs: Also known as “Savonarola” or “Dante” chairs, these are chairs with an X-shaped frame, popular in the Renaissance period and revived in various styles, particularly during the 19th century. 

X-Stretcher: A cross-shaped support structure found on the legs of tables and chairs.

Yorkshire: A regional style from England, particularly known for its sturdy, rustic, and practical furniture, often made of oak and featuring simple, functional designs.

Z

Zigzag Chair: A modern chair design with a distinctive zigzag shape.

Zitan Furniture: Refers to furniture made from Zitan wood, a rare and highly prized hardwood from China, often used in Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, known for its rich, deep color and fine grain. 

Source link