Furniture Terms Glossary: Part 3

DINING TABLE : a table designed for dining.

UPHOLSTERY : a fabric covering, including padded covering, applied to seats and other details for comfort and decoration. Padded upholstery attached to a frame appeared in France at the end of the 16th century. Horsehair was the primary stuffing material.

OTTOMAN  : a wide, low upholstered sofa with bolsters and cushions replacing the back, plus bolsters at the sides.

WRITING DESK : a table designed for writing, working with documents and similar tasks, usually fitted with drawers.


CANOPY : see BALDACCHIN

 Italian furniture by Bazzi Interior Decoration

POUF : a low upholstered seat without a back.

EXTENDING DINING TABLE : a transformable table with folding or extending leaves, for example. Moving the table components can change the table's function and dimensions.

RIZNER : a chest of drawers with a marble top.

SECRETAIRE : a writing desk with a drop-front, drawers and shelves for storing papers and books; a bureau.

SEMINER : a French linen cabinet, usually with seven drawers.

FOOTSTOOL : a furniture item used as a support for the feet.

BENCH : a long seat, usually without a back.

SOYABLE : an upholstered S-shaped sofa with ends curved so that seated people face each other for intimate conversation.

SOFA : a wide upholstered sofa with armrests and a low back.

TABLE : a furniture item consisting of a tabletop and a base made from legs, trestles or connecting rails. A table can have one, three, four or more legs, most commonly four legs, or can stand on pedestals and include drawers. A tabletop can be round, quadrilateral, including square or rectangular, polygonal or another shape. Table types include dining tables, writing desks, kitchen tables, tea tables, coffee tables, dressing tables and billiard tables.

VASE TABLE : an 18th-century small table designed to hold a vase filled with water.

BREAKFAST TABLE : a small four-legged table with two hinged leaves.

DESK WITH BUREAU COMPARTMENT : a table with a drop-front and drawers in the base.

GATE-LEG TABLE : a table with legs that support hinged leaves.

DRUM TABLE : a round table with a deep frieze of drawers in the base.

 DROP-LEAF TABLE : additional table leaves that enlarge the working surface and are supported by hinged legs or swing-out supports.

 TOP PANEL : the upper wall of case furniture.

CHAIR : a piece of seating furniture with a back, designed for one person.

BALLOON-BACK CHAIR («IN THE SHAPE OF A BALLOON») : an open chair with an O-shaped back and upholstery. Balloon-back chairs were especially popular as dining-room sets from 1820 to 1900.

LOOP-BACK CHAIR : a chair with a back forming a loop-shaped scroll.

CHAIR WITH A BACK : a three- or four-legged chair whose back developed from the forms of armless chairs.

STOOL : a chair with a square or round hard seat and no back.

 TAKHTA  : a wide, low sofa without a back.

FLOOR LAMP : a floor or table light used in residential and professional interiors, as well as outdoors. A floor lamp is a type of light fitted on a tall stand with a shade covering the light source.

THRONE : a richly finished armchair on a raised platform used as the monarch's seat during formal ceremonies.

TRUMEAU : a mirror from the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI with a painted panel above; a tall mirror mounted vertically, originally placed between windows or other architectural openings.

DRESSING TABLE : a small furniture item used to hold toiletries, cosmetics and personal hygiene products. The name comes from the French word "toile", meaning «outfit». Dressing tables began to be produced during the flourishing period of French balls, when specialised furniture became necessary. Early dressing tables resembled smaller writing desks. Later versions became complete dressing sets with a mirror, drawers, shelves and pull-out compartments.

CORNER FURNITURE : furniture designed to fit into a corner.

CYLINDER BUREAU : a late-18th-century desk with a curved cylindrical top that reveals a writing surface when opened.

SCREEN : a portable partition.

CHAISE LONGUE : the French term «chaise longue» translates as «long chair». A chaise longue is a low, elongated chair that became fashionable during the Rococo period, during the reign of Louis XV and the era of the Marquise de Pompadour. In the 18th century, royal mistresses set fashion trends. Royal mistresses received guests in a reclining position and popularised chaises longues and the art of «reclining gracefully».

CHIFFONIER : in France, a tall chest of drawers popular in the mid and late 18th century. In Britain, a cabinet form with a sideboard and hinged top, often used as a dining-room sideboard.

CABINET : a furniture item resembling a large standing box with doors, used for storage.

ENCOIGNURE : a French type of sideboard, often with a marble top.

ESCABEL : an English chair with a hard, open back.

   Italian furniture by Zanaboni

ETAGERE : a furniture item consisting of shelves on supports.