Armoire:  a tall, wide wardrobe usually having two large doors behind which clothes can be hung or stored

Ball Foot:  the rounded end of a turned leg, which has a hooded effect

Barrel Back:  a chair or sofa with the arms and back forming a continuous curve

Blanket Chest:  a low box-like chest designed for storing blankets often having a hinged top

Bow Back:  chair back formed by a bent piece of wood fitted with vertical spindles

Brass Plate:  brass plated furniture usually has steel frames electroplated with a thin layer of brass or nickel and brass

Brewster Chair:  an American colonial wooden chair with heavy turned posts, many turned spindles and a wood seat

Buffet:  a small cupboard or sideboard used to store dining implements

Bun Foot:  a flattened ball foot

Bunk Bed:  Two beds that are joined together so that one is placed above the other

Bureau:  a chest of drawers used in the bedroom

Butler’s Table:  an oval wooden tray on legs whose four sides are hinged to fold out flat when set down

Butterfly Table:  a small drop-leaf table whose leaves are supported by a swinging support

Button Tufted:  fabric covered buttons are sewn through the upholstery surface and tied down

Cabriole:  a furniture leg that curves outward from the structure which it supports and then descends in a tapering reverse curve terminating in an ornamental foot

Camel Back:  double curved back, shield shaped

Center Glide:  a center track that a drawer glides on

Chaise Lounge:  a type of sofa or daybed designed for reclining

Chest on Chest:  composed of two stacked chests of drawers. The upper chest usually being smaller than the lower

China Cabinet:  a cabinet which is used for the display and storage of fine china

Chinoiserie:  painted or lacquered Chinese designs

Chip Core:  board made of chips of wood that are held together with resin and compressed into a strong, warp resistant panel

Claw and Ball Foot:  the terminal portion of a furniture leg consisting of a carved animal or bird claw clutching a sphere

Club Foot:  rounded foot that resembles a club resting on a flat base

Coil Springs:  wire coils used in upholstery to give a desired resiliency and firmness to the seat and back

Comb Back:  Windsor chair having an extension of the back above the arm rail that consists of five or more spindles and a curved top rail that resembles a comb

Commode:  low chest of drawers and/or doors or a cabinet on legs which usually stands against a wall

Console:  table that is fixed to a wall and supported by one or more carved legs

Corner Blocks:  blocks of wood that are placed at major joints in a furniture frame

Corner Cupboard:  triangular shaped dining room china cabinet made to fit into a corner

Credenza:  sideboard of buffet

Cupboard:  cabinet, box or closet with shelves designed to hold cups, dishes or food

Curio:  case piece which has glass doors, panels and shelves, which is used to display collectibles

Daybed:  sofa with head and foot and/or back pieces, having a twin sized mattress which doubles as a sitting and sleeping surface

Dentil Molding: ornamental cornice molding consisting of rectangular blocks spaced at regular intervals resembling teeth

Easy Chair:  any large chair which is suitable for lounging

Fiddleback:  chair back whose splat looks like a violin

Finger Joint:  joint made with interlocking finger-like projections in two boards

Finials:  the curved cast turned or stamped decorative piece that adorns the top of bed posts

Four Poster:  any bed with four high posts positioned at each corner

Frame:  the bed frame supports the mattress and attaches to the headboard and footboard

Gallery:  small ornamental barrier or railing around the top of a table, cabinet or buffet, etc.

Gateleg Table:  table which has drop leaves supported by a leg which swings out like a gate

Hand Tied:  single coil springs that are attached to the webbing with links and then "hand tied" to each other and the frame with twine to achieve differing amounts of elasticity in the seat

Hardwood:  wood derived from angiosperms (broad leafed trees such as oak, beech, maple, mahogany, and walnut)

Hardwood Frames:  frames which are made from hardwoods such as ash, oak, or birch

Headboard:  an upright structure rising above the mattress at the head of the bed

High Boy:  tall chest of drawers that is often made in two sections. The upper chest is sitting on a table with long legs called a lowboy

High Pressure Laminates:  Synthetic sheet surfacings that are bonded to a core material. Laminates offer heat, soil, and stain resistance

Hitchcock Chair:  the chair has a rush or caned seat, slightly bent back, and an oval turned top rail. These chairs are often painted or stenciled with fruit and flower patterns

Hoop Back:  chair back formed by a bent piece of wood fitted with vertical spindles

Horseshoe Back:  the outward sweep at the base of the bow in the back of a Windsor chair

Hutch:  low cupboard with doors usually surrounded by open shelves

Hutch Mirror:  a mirror incorporated into an open shelved cabinet designed to sit on a dresser

Inlay:  wood or other materials which are set into corresponding carved out recesses often producing a pattern

Iron Beds:  term often used to describe beds made of steel that are coated with colored protective coatings

Kiln Dried:  Kiln drying reduces the moisture content of the lumber, a process which inhibits checking, splitting and strengthens the finished product

Ladder Back:  chair back which has horizontal cross rails or slats that resemble a ladder

Lawson:  an overstuffed furniture design that has square seat cushion, short squarish back rests and high square or rolled arms

Library Storage:  drawers, trays, cabinets or racks designed to store cassettes, compact discs or VHS tapes

Lingerie Chest:  tall, narrow chest or drawers originally designed to hold women's undergarments

Loop Back:  oval chair back or a Windsor bow back without arms

Loose Pillow Back:  pillow treatment which can be removed from an upholstered piece

Loveseat:  double chair or small sofa

Marlborough Legs:  heavy straight leg used by Chippendale and others

Marshall Unit:  coil springs which are inserted in separate pockets and then joined together to form cushions

Miter Joint:  joint made by fastening two pieces cut at an angle (usually 90 degrees)

Mortise:  a hole, groove or slot in wood into which a tenon or tongue fits to form a secure joint

Nest-of-Tables:  small occasional tables that are graduated in size so that they slide beneath one another

Night Stand:  small, low table or cabinet which sits by a bed

Ottoman: an upholstered seat or couch usually without a back or an overstuffed footstool

Oval Back:  the shape of a chair back

Overstuffed Furniture:  upholstered pieces in which the wood frame is completely covered by the upholstery with little exposed woodwork

Pad Seat:  upholstered furniture built without springs

Parquet Top:  table top made by using joinery or inlay which has geometric or other patterns usually made from different colored woods

Parsons Leg:  a relatively long fully upholstered leg

Pedestal Table:  table which has a central supporting column or pillar

Pier Group:  two very tall, narrow chests (pier cabinets) which sit at the head on either side of a bed

Piping (fluting):  used on barrel back, fan back, kidney shaped and hollow backed upholstered pieces

Platform Bed:  a bed whose base consists of a raised, flat, hard, horizontal surface meant to support a mattress

Plinth Base:  a squared base (sometimes other shapes) which sits on the floor and usually recessed from the outermost outlines of the case piece

Poly Dacron Wrap:  cushion construction method in which a soft resilient polyester material is wrapped around a polyurethane core

Pressboard:  a strong, highly glazed board sometimes. Also known as composition board or particle board

Punch-out Back:  Entertainment centers either have fully or partially open backs or backs with removable panels that can be "punched out"

Rabbet Joint:  a joint formed by fitting together boards into which rectangular grooves have been cut

Rail Joints:  the places where the horizontal members of an upholstered frame meet

Refectory Table:  a long narrow table with heavy stretchers positioned close to the floor

Rolled Arms:  arms which flare out, then down and return to meet the sides of a chair or sofa

Rule Joint:  a knuckle joint as between a table top and drop leaf that leaves no open space when the leaf is down

Saddle:  a chair seat which has been hollowed to the sides and back to resemble the pommel of a saddle

Scoop Seat:  a chair with a seat that has been hollowed out to fit the body

Scrolls:  Scrolls (curls) are the supportive and decorative members shaped like a scroll or curl which are connected to posts, rails, and each other on many brass (especially traditional) headboards and footboards

Sectional:  furniture made up of modular units capable of use separately or in various combinations

Self Storing Leaves:  leaves that store within an extension table

Serving Table:  a long narrow side table with drawers used in dining rooms for silver storage

Shield Back:  a chair back that resembles a shield, the outlines of which are formed by a double curved top rail with a half ellipse below

Side Glide:  drawer located on the vertical side faces on the drawer

Slat Back:  this treatment uses horizontal rails across the back and looks similar to a ladder back

Slip Seat:  an upholstered "loose seat" insert that is dropped into the frame of a dining chair and can be removed for reupholstery

Sofa Table:  a long, thin, tall, occasional table placed against the back of a sofa or against a wall

Soft Woods:  wood from a conifer (cone bearing tree). Pine, cedar and redwood are common examples

Spiral Leg:  leg having the shape of a spiral or twisted rope

Spooning:  curved chair back designed to fit the sitter's form

Spoon Back:  to hollow out chair seats as in Windsor chairs

Springs:  the most commonly used springs for upholstery are coil springs and sinuous springs

Spring Edge:  upholstered seat front edge that is supported by springs rather than the hardwood frame giving added comfort

Steam Bend:  a method of bending a single piece of wood (bowback chair, bowed splat, etc.) into a furniture part

Swing Leg:  hinged table leg lacking a lower stretcher (as in a gate leg) which swings out to support a drop leaf

Table Pad:  guards your table against scratches, spills and accidental heat sources

Tapered Leg:  chair leg whose thickness is reduced as it approaches the bottom

Tee Seat Cushions:  loose seat cushion whose outside front edges laterally in the front of the arm of an upholstered piece

Television Cavity: space for television

Tester Bed:  four poster bed that has a canopy supported by a frame

Tight Seat Bed: fully upholstered back designed not to have a cushion

Trestle Table: table top supported by a braced frame (divided foot, horse), often consisting of two posts with feet, joined by a connecting member

Trifold Mirror:  a tri-fold or tri-view mirror sits on or hangs above a dresser

Trundle Bed:  a low or collapsible bed which is stored under another bed

Turning:  the shaping of chair or table legs on a lathe

Tuxedo Arms: slightly flared arms that are the same height as the back

Twist:  a chair or table turning resembling a screw or spiral

Urethane Foam (Polyurethane):  flexible polyurethane foam is used as a cushioning material in upholstered furniture seats, backs and arms

Veneer:  thin decorative layer of wood which is applied to underlying wood solids or particleboard. Veneers are used to match and balance grain, create inlay and banding effects

Vinyl Wrap:  flexible vinyl wrapping applied to underlying wood solids or particleboard to produce a surface that most often resembles wood

Wall Units:  large free-standing or wall hung units which can have drawers, shelves, cabinets, desks, entertainment centers or a variety of other features

Webbing:  interwoven 3.5 inch wide jute (or synthetic) strips that provide a foundations for many upholstered arms, backs, seats and wings

Welting:  cord wrapped in fabric which is used to trim upholstery seams and places where the fabric meets exposed wood

Windsor Chair:  a wooden chair with a bentwood, fan, hoops or bow back & legs which are pegged into a thick saddle seat

Wing Back Chair:  comfortable large chair with side pieces (ears, wings) attached to the sides of the back, usually overstuffed

Wrap Group:  bedroom furniture designed to sit against a wall that can be juxtaposed to "wrap" around a room