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EMPIRE
A French style of the early 19th Century, characterized by majestic scale and mahogany wood with carved motifs such as swans, chimeras or foliage. Upholstery is overstuffed and features strong shades of red, green, blue, yellow and deep brown.

ÉTAGÈRE
A storage and display piece with open shelves to showcase collectibles and other small items.

F

FEDERAL
Often associated with neoclassicism, Federal style is composed of refined rectilinear framing with an emphasis on surface inlay rather than carving. Distinguishing features include square or turned tapered legs that are reeded rather than fluted, spaded and flared bracket feet, and the use of straight, oval or serpentine lines in the formation of inlay patterns.

FELT-LINED DRAWERS
Protect your belongings from nicks or scratches caused by knocking against hard drawer walls.

FILIGREE
Pierced ornamentation, usually of metal, but also used to refer to wood fretwork and elements of cast iron furniture.

FINGER JOINT SEAT FRAME
This ensures exceptional durability and is one of the strongest methods of constructing wooden seat frames. Usually seen in frames with curved or rounded corners, this technique employs interlacing fingers of wood that are glued together.

FLUTING
Shallow vertical channels or grooves, usually with rounded sections, carved on a column, pilaster or any other vertical surface.

FRETWORK
Carved wood ornamentation consisting of short intersecting lines in geometric patterns resembling a lattice. A favored accent of Chippendale style.

FULL-GRAIN LEATHER
Made only from top-grain leather, this types of leather has not been corrected in any way, meaning its actual grain is intact. These natural hides provide optimum fiber strength, which in turn provides superior durability. The natural grain will also breathe and wear better than most leathers.

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GALLERY
A raised rim or railing around the top of a table or other furniture to prevent small items from falling off the surface.

GRILLE
A lattice of wood or metal used to protect glass doors on secretaries, bookcases, china cabinets and entertainment armoires.

H

HIGHBOY
A tall 18th Century American case piece with four or five drawers, a cornice or pediment crown and a legged base.

I

INDEPENDENT SPRING SEATING SYSTEM
Unlike other spring systems, the deck under each seat is designed separately, eliminating disruption or "lean-over" caused by sitting next to another person. This ensures a completely personal level of comfort.

INLAY
A decorative design created by embedding pieces of one material into another, usually forming a flat plane, such as a tabletop.

J

JACQUARD
Reversible fabric with a woven pattern, named after Joseph Jacquard, inventor of the punch-card loom used to weave it in the 1700s.

JEWELRY TRAY
A discrete and practical storage for jewelry.

JUTE
A 100% natural fiber that is twice as durable as cotton.

K

KEYHOLE ARMS
Rectangular arms with a box-style upper section, resembling the shape of a keyhole.

L

LAWSON SILHOUETTE
A fully padded, generally skirted design characterized by square seat cushions and trim, lowered arms accented with a slight roll. Often associated with transitional styling.

LEATHER-VINYL MATCH
An affordable, quality alternative to all-leather furniture, this uses top-grain leather upholstery except on the sides and back, where a high-grade matching vinyl is used — see also MATCHING SPLITS.

LEVELERS
Help keep your furniture sturdy and protected from premature wear when the floor below your furniture is not level. These are pegs that screw into the bottom of furniture legs and adjust each corner to a balanced height.

LINEN
A fabric made from natural vegetable fibers that is sturdy and stiff with a natural sheen. It can conduct heat and softens with each cleaning.

LOWBOY
A dressing or serving table or a low chest of drawers, set on legs, originating in 18th Century America.

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MARQUETRY
A technique in which various types of wood are applied to a surface to produce a picture with a natural theme, such as flowers and birds.

MARSHALL UNIT
Offering superior comfort and resiliency, a Marshall unit is formed when coil springs are secured into individual pockets.

MATCHING SPLITS
An affordable, quality alternative to all-leather furniture, this uses top-grain leather upholstery except on the sides and back, where a high-grade matching vinyl is used — see also LEATHER-VINYL MATCH.

MICROFIBER
Durable, stain resistant material that is easy to maintain in high traffic homes.

MISSION
An American furniture style of the early 20th Century and an offshoot of the Arts and Crafts movement. Furniture is simple and rectilinear in form, usually of oak with exposed wooden joints.

MODERNE
A style of design, inspired by the bold geometry of Art Deco design, popular in Europe and the United States between 1920 and 1940.

MORTISE AND TENON
Joinery that is a variation of tongue and groove joints and are used in table legs, chairs, chests and drawers to provide added strength.

MULTI-STEP
Adds dimension, color, character and smoothness to wood. It also preserves the wood's natural beauty.

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NEOCLASSICISM
A European furniture design characterized by forms from ancient Greek and Roman art and architecture and often using light wood, ebony and gold.

NO-SAG SPRINGS
Zigzag-shaped springs that offer comfort and support derived from the springs' resiliency. Attached to the frame with steel clips or tacks, these springs are then connected by helical springs — see also SINUOUS SPRINGS.

NU-BUCK
A top-grain leather, nu-buck is as luxurious as it is durable. Nu-buck is produced by buffing the top layer to create a velvet-like feel, then richly dyed and treated with special oils and waxes to ensure each hide will age well and grow in character with use.

NYLON
An easy to clean, extremely resilient and durable fabric.

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OLEFIN
Fabric that Is resistant to stain, moisture, mildew, abrasion and sunlight exposure. It is also comfortable, quick-drying and efficient as a heat insulator.

P

PARQUETRY
Similar to marquetry, parquetry is a veneer technique used to create geometric patterns and designs. Most often appears in hardwood floors and ornate chessboards or tabletops.

PARSONS
A 20th Century furniture style associated with a small, square occasional table. Also refers to upholstered armless dining chairs and skirtless, rounded sofa rails. Named for the Parsons School of Design in New York.

PATINA
A natural color and/or finish produced in wood and leather through age, wear and repeated polishing. The effect can also be created artificially.

PEDESTAL TABLE
A tabletop supported by a single or double pedestal base.

PEDIMENT
An arched, heart-shaped or triangular ornamental element usually placed atop a tall case piece. Simulates the gable of a classic Greek or Roman temple.

PIGMENTED
Also referred to as painted leather, pigmented leather is finished with a solid pigment coating that covers imperfections and produces consistent color and texture. Pigment coating increases the leather's durability and color consistency, while adding stiffness to the hide.

PILASTER
A long section of a pillar or column set into or against furniture or a wall.

PILLOW TOP
A separate or semi-attached extra layer of cushioning added to the top of a seat cushion, arm or mattress.

POLYURETHANE
A synthetic material made to look like leather that is easy to clean and gives added strength.

PULL-UP
Refers to a look associated with quality leather that gives the leather an antique, traditional finish. For this style, full-grain, aniline-dyed leather is waxed or oiled and then pulled, producing variations of lighter and darker areas.

PRESERVE®
As the world's first bio-based foam, Preserve® is not only an eco-friendly alternative to conventional petroleum-based foam, but is also a more comfortable and supportive alternative due to the layered technology. The core of each Preserve® cushion is made up of 1.8-density supportive soy-based foam. That layer is sandwiched between two layers of super soft caps for better resiliency, then wrapped in a thin layer of fiber to reduce crushing. The result keeps its shape better while leaving a smaller environmental footprint.

PURE-ANILINE
Also known as full-aniline, naked-aniline or naked leather, this process has no additional coloring added. By far the softest and supplest of leathers and richest in natural color, pure aniline also has the least natural resistance to stains, so a protective treatment is strongly recommended.

Q

QUEEN ANNE
Name given to furniture styles popularized during the reign of England's Queen Anne (1702-1714), including the cabriole leg with spoon foot, shell carvings and splat-back chairs.

R

RATTAN
A strong vine-like palm native to Asia used to make caning and wicker.

RAYON
Absorbent, comfortable and colorfast fabric.

REEDING
A series of semicircular, ornamental grooves, either flush with or raised above the surface they decorate, which run the length of the surface. Commonly seen on chair and table legs and poster beds during the later 18th Century. The reverse of fluting.

REGENCY
A 19th Century style of furniture known for its combination of small-scaled, well-proportioned curves and straight lines. Named for the regency of George IV, Prince of Wales.

ROPE MOLDING
Convex molding designed with a series of indentations to resemble a length of rope.

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SABER LEG
A concave curved leg that resembles a cavalry sword.

SAUVAGE
A two tone effect with a mottled appearance that adds depth and character to the leather.

SCATTERBACK SILHOUETTE
This boxed-cushion, bench-style design is named for its loose or unattached, large-scale matching or coordinating back pillows. May be skirted or unskirted.

SECRETARY
A slant-top desk with a chest base and door hutch developed in the late 17th and 18th Centuries in England and America. Also known as secrétaire.

SEMAINIER
From the French word semaine, meaning week, a tall, narrow chest with seven drawers, one for each day of the week.

SEMI-ANILINE
Also called aniline-plus or protected aniline, this is aniline-dyed top-grain leather that has been coated with matching pigment and/or other topical finishes, like a clear sealant topcoat with a slight sheen, for color consistency and added protection. Semi-anilines are sometimes considered to be the best of both worlds, offering some degree of protection while still retaining the softness and natural beauty of the leather.

SERPENTINE
Furniture or trim treatment formed by alternating convex and concave curves.

SETTEE
The predecessor of the sofa, developed as an elongated arm chair. May be wooden or upholstered.

SHAKER
A 19th Century design form developed by the American religious group of the same name and based on the belief that "beauty rests on utility." Furniture has clean, simple lines with no ornamentation.

SHERATON
Named for Thomas Sheraton, this style favors light, rectilinear forms with flat inlay and painted accents, as well as geometric veneer patterns. The sheaf-back chair is a popular example.

SHIELD-BACK CHAIR
An American and British design with an open-framed back shaped like a shield.

SIDE GUIDES
Wheeled tracks along the sides of drawers that guide the drawer along the inner wall that allow for smooth, directed drawer movement and alignment.

SIDEBOARD
An auxiliary dining room case piece used for serving with drawers and cupboards for storage.

SILVER TRAY
Fits right into a china cabinet or curio and provides rows for every type of silverware to keep it separate and protected.

SINUOUS SPRINGS
Zigzag-shaped springs that offer comfort and support derived from the springs' resiliency. Attached to the frame with steel clips or tacks, these springs are then connected by helical springs — see also NO-SAG SPRINGS.

SMOOTHLY FINISHED DRAWERS
By being smoothly finished on the interior, a drawer is able to prevent splinters and snags.

SPLAT-BACK CHAIR
A chair with a single central support on the back, generally shaped, pierced or otherwise decorated. Also called a fiddle-back chair.

SPLIT-GRAIN LEATHER
Split-grain leather comes from the bottom layers of the hide and is just as durable, though not as supple as top-grain.

SPOON FOOT
The foot on a turned leg that resembles an 18th Century spoon.

STRETCHER
One or more crossbars connecting the legs of a piece of furniture, in order to strengthen and stabilize the construction.

SUEDE
A fabric created by buffing the lower layer, this classic leather is softer than most and feels very similar to velvet.

T

TAPESTRY
Hand-woven decorative pictorial designs appear on both sides of heavy ornamental fabric. Originates from the Orient and is famous for its presence in medieval culture.

TONGUE AND GROOVE
Joinery that is common in flat surfaces that allows pieces to fit together so that the seam is not visible.

TORCHIERE
The French name for "candle stand," a stand originally used to hold a candle or lamp. Today it refers to a lamp with a tall central column supported by a small platform, or four legs, that directs light upward.

TOP-GRAIN LEATHER
This type of leather is the uppermost layer of a hide and is often referred to as full-grain. Full-grain leather has not been corrected, and its actual grain is intact. Top-grain leather is of the highest quality and is the most preferred for furniture. Only higher-quality leathers with few imperfections can be classified into this category.

TRANSITIONAL
Defined by understated, restrained approach to line and material and refined shapes of the modern era with established references to the past, this style is versatile in that it can easily adapt to different décors.

TRESTLE TABLE
A table supported by centered legs connected by a horizontal beam. Originally designed for easy disassembly and movement.

TUXEDO SILHOUETTE
Reinvented by contemporary styling, a tuxedo silhouette features high, straight or flared arms that match or nearly match the height of the back. Arms are designed at, or close to, the same height as the sofa or chair back.

TWILL
Has diagonal ribbed weaves that prevent the fabric from retaining dirt. The two most notable variations are herringbone and denim.

V

VENEER
Thin slices of wood cut through the cross or vertical section of a log, then glued together at right angles over a thick central core to create a pattern.

VISCO ELASTIC FOAM
A non-allergenic spring-free cushion material that absorbs movement, gives you better circulation and has great air flow.

W

WAXED
A waxed finish helps condition leather to prevent it from drying out and offers protection without detracting from the natural feel, or "hand" of the hide.

WEBBING
Consists of individual fabric strips interlacing together in upholstered furniture to create a more comfortable, giving seat and a longer cushion life.

WINDSOR CHAIR
A wooden chair design featuring a curved back with thin spindles and a saddle seat.

WING CHAIR
A high-back, upholstered easy chair with panels or wings projecting forward from the sides of the back and curving downward to meet the rolled arms. The wings were originally designed to protect a sitter from drafts, and the style has remained popular since the late 17th Century.

WOOD-ON-WOOD DRAWER GUIDES
Coated with wax for a smooth action.

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Xtra Information