Furniture Glossary

Adaptations: Furnishing that capture the flavor of the original but are not authentic
Angel Beds
A traditional term used to describe a bed that has a canopy, but without any front support.
Aniline - Term applied to dyes derived from coal tar used to color fabrics and leather.

Antique: An object 100 or more years old
•    Apron - part connecting legs; directly under table tops, chair seats, cabinet bases. Also called “skirt.”

Armoire: A tall, freestanding wardrobe devised by the French in the 17th century; originally used to store armor
Armoires
A large and very popular piece of furniture found in many American homes, usually used as a television or entertainment center, a cupboard, or a wardrobe, with doors and shelves to storing DVDs, clothes, and other items. Often used in the bedroom, dining room, or living room, and can conveniently hide its contents (television, etc.) by closing large doors normally found on these furniture pieces
Arts & Crafts - A design style originating in the mid-1800s by William Morris to offset the clutter and ornate designs of the Victorian styles. Its purpose was to show a simple handcrafted artist’s touch to furniture design. The popular Mission furniture is a variation of this design.
Art Deco - Ultra-modern design of the roaring 20’s featuring sleek lines and exotic finishes a very distinctive look.

•    Bachelor’s Chest - small scale chest with drawers or doors.
Baffling (Bedding, Down)
In bedding, a “baffled” construction has fabric walls sewn between the top and bottom of a comforter cover, which both prevents the down from shifting and allows the down to fully loft.
Bail - reverse arch handle or drawer pull hanging downward from pins attached to a backplate.
Ball and Claw Foot - The base of a leg is carved to resemble a talon grasping a ball.
Bamboo Turning - a wood turning to simulate natural bamboo that originated during the 18th Century
Banding
An inlay that provides a color/grain that contrasts with the surface it decorates.

Banquette: A long benchlike seat, often upholstered, and generally built into a wall.
Barcelona chair: An armless leather chair with an X-shaped chrome base; designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1929.
Batting
Cotton, wool, or synthetic fiber used for stuffing furniture and mattresses and for lining comforters.
Bed Skirt
A piece of material laid on top of the box spring on a bed and used to decorate the base of the bed and hide the space underneath the bed; available in most bedding sets on Total Bedroom Furniture.com
Beidermeier - A relatively inexpensive, clean lined 19th Century German style of furniture reminiscent of the much more expensive Empire design that utilized light woods and black or gold painted decorations. Popular decorations were wreaths, festoons and stars that were painted rather than carved on the furniture.

Bentwood - wood softened by steam for bending into curved shapes.
Bergere: An armchair with upholstered back, seat, and sides and an exposed wood frame.
Blend
A term applied to a yarn of a fabric that is made up of more than one fiber. In blended yarns, two or more different types of staple fibers are twisted or spun together to form the yarn. An example of a typical blended yarn or fabric is polyester/cotton.
Block Foot - Square vertical Foot at the base of any straight, untapered leg.

Blockfront Chest
A chest, book case, or china cabinet containing 3 sections, with the middle section being deeper (or higher) than the outer sections
•    Bombé - a surface that swells outward; typical of French chests and commodes of Louis XV.
Bonnet Top
Often found in tall case goods (case furniture), and indicated when the broken-arched pediment covers the entire top of the piece from front to back.
Bouile - a French cabinetmaker who developed a special inlay technique called Boulle Work, utilizing tortoise shell, silver, brass or pewter. A sheet of metal and a sheet of tortoise were glued together, and a design was cut out of both at the same time. The cut-out piece of one material was then reinserted into a corresponding opening in the other material
Box Spring
A rigid box, usually constructed of wood and covered with fabric, that forms the foundation for the mattress; placed beneath the mattress; necessary for most beds, with the exception of platform beds and some children? beds.

Bracket Foot - right angled foot, with each inner end curved.
Breakfront: A large cabinet with a protruding center section.
Buffet - French term that refers to a sideboard for china, silver, linens, with a top surface used as serving counter
Bunching - Furniture pieces that fit flush with each other to create unified wall arrangements
Bun Foot
A style of Burl
A knot found in wood that creates circular (swirl) patters when finished or used in a veneer
foot on furniture consisting of a flattened ball with a thin ankle above.

Bureau - low chest of drawers usually for a bedroom, often with a mirror, originally a desk or table with drawers.
•    Burl - beautiful mottled veneer, produced by slicing cross-sections of abnormal tree growths.
Cabinet Wood - fine quality wood that is used for exterior surfaces
Cabriole: A style of furniture leg where the top curves out, the center curves in, and the foot curves out.
A knot found in wood that creates circular (swirl) patters when finished or used in a veneer.
Cabriole Leg - an S-shaped curve, bowing out at the knee and in at the ankle.
Calendering
A process for finishing fabrics in which such special effects as high luster, glazing, embossing, and moire are produced.
Campaign Chair - from British chairs used by officers, a sling seat supported by a collapsible scissor structure
•    Campaign Chest - from originals used on fields of battle, a fairly low, small chest with metal corners and flush hardware.

Cane
Used to cover chair backs and seats, a material of split rattan; can be used in outdoor furniture.
Canopy Beds
A popular type of bed consisting of four posts and a surrounding high rail, allowing a fabric canopy to be draped from the posts; a romantic styling dating to the central European castles and palaces of the 17th century.
•    Canted - a piece with an oblique surface, slanting backward at the sides from the central section.

Casegoods
Industry term used to define any furniture not associated with upholstery and fabric, commonly used to refer to components of a furniture collection other than the central pieces in a room (e.g. bed, sofa, chairs). In the bedroom, commonly used to refer to dressers, nightstands, chests, mirrors, and armoires.
Casual Furniture
A style of furniture more informal than a traditionally styled pieces, including simple details, textured elements of upholstery, and minimalist horizontal lines; furniture is large in scale and selected for comfort and utility with less emphasis on intricate details.
Celluose
A material derived from the cell walls of certain plants. Cellulose is used in the production of many vegetable fibers, as well as being the major raw material component used in the production of the manufactured fibers of acetate, rayon, and triacetate.
Chambray
A plain-woven fabric that can be made from cotton, silk, or manufactured fibers, but is most commonly cotton. It incorporates a colored warp (often blue) and white filling yarns. Pronounced “sham-bray”
Chest-on-Chest - a chest of drawers in two sections, usually a smaller one on top.
•    Cheval Mirror - free-standing mirror swung between footed posts.
Chiffonier
A furniture piece usually found in the bedroom consisting of a tall narrow chest of drawers; sometimes also be referred to as a semanier; see Chiffoniers at Total Bedroom Furniture.com.
Chinese Made Furniture
Furniture made in China; much furniture that is sold today in the US and European markets is made in China; refinements and industry best-practices implemented through the 1980s and 1990s have driven considerable manufacturing and quality improvements in furniture made in China; today, well-made Chinese furniture is indistinguishable from most American-made furniture.
Chippendale: Name applied to Thomas Chippendale’s 18th-century furniture designs, including the camelback sofa and wing chair.

Claw And Ball Foot
The base of a leg on a piece of furniture that imitates a talon (an animal’s paw) grasping a ball; often found on wood beds, chests, buffest, and dressers.
Club Foot - a flat, round pad, usually at the bottom of a cabriole leg; also known as a spoon or pad foot
Cocktail Table - a short-legged table usually positioned in front of a sofa or within an arrangement of chairs and a sofa or loveseat.
Colorways (also known as Color Ways)
Refers to the variety of colors and color patters in which a commercial design is available.
Comforter Sets
The top layer of bedding, usually consisting of two layers of fabric, filled with either down or fiber filling; view Comforter Sets at Total Bedroom Furniture.com.
Commode: French word for a low chest of drawers, often with a bowed front; in Victorian times, it referred to a nightstand that concealed a chamber pot.
Common Carrier Shipping
See ‘LTL Shipping’
Console: A rectangular table usually set against a wall in a foyer or dining room; a bracketed shelf attached to a wall.
•    Corestock (or Core) - the center layer of a veneered wood.
Cotton
A unicellular, natural fiber that grows in the seedpod of the cotton plant. Fibers are typically .5 inches to 2 inches long. The longest staple fibers, longer than 1.5 inches, including the Pima and Egyptian varieties, product the highest quality cotton fabrics.
Credenza: A sideboard or buffet.
•    Crossband - layer of wood between the core and the face ply of a veneer. Its grain is at right angles to the grain of the face ply in order to strengthen the veneer.

Curbside Delivery (also known as Curb Side Delivery)
Product delivery to the street curb in front of a person’s home, office, etc.; often the least expensive form of delivery for large furniture items.
•    Deck - the surface directly under the cushions of an upholstered chair or sofa.

Damask
A reversible fabric, usually of cotton, linen, or silk, with a pattern woven into it; often used in upholstered furniture, window treatments, and bedding.
Daybeds
A very popular and unique form of bed that can also be used as seating, similar to a sofa/couch, when not being used for sleeping; a highly adaptive piece of furniture popular in guest rooms, children? rooms, and in space constrained homes such as urban apartments, condos, and townhomes/townhouses; Total Bedroom Furniture.com offers a broad selection of Daybeds in many styles.
Director’s Chair - named for its long use by Hollywood directors, a folding armchair with sling seat and back.
Distressing - a treatment sometimes called antiquing, designed to make new woods look old by means of markings.
Dobby Weave
A decorative weave, usually geometric, that is woven into the fabric structure.
Dove Tails
A traditional tongue-and-groove style of securing two piece of wood, typically at a corner or right angle to each other; creates a smooth, finely hand-crafted look/finish for corners in dressers, nightstands, armoires, chests, and other furniture with drawers and lids; many products offered on Total Bedroom Furniture.com are finished with Dove Tails (look for product zoom shots on product detail pages).
Down
Natural feathers used to fill cushions of pillows, bedding, and upholstery; the material traps air to provide extremely soft comfort; also a very warm insulator often used in bedding (particularly comforters).
•    Drape - the way a fabric hangs; this influences its ability to shape well, particularly in an upholstery skirt.
Drawer Guide - strip of wood, plastic or metal under a drawer that serves as a guiding track for opening and closing
Dresser - from the French term, dressoir, originally a table used to dress meats that evolved into a cupboard for utensils and dishes. in the United States , the word describes a chest of drawers with a mirror
Drop-leaf table: A table with hinged leaves that can be folded down.
•    Dry Sink - a low, Early American two-door cupboard with a sink or with an open top lined with zinc or copper.

Duvet Covers
A giant pillowcase-like covering that fits over a duvet. It is open on one end, typically closed by buttons, ties, Velcro, or a zipper.
Duvets
A duvet is similar to a comforter and/or a quilt in that a duvet is also composed of two layers of fabric with an insulation substance between. However, the difference between a duvet and a comforter and/or quilt is that the duvet is to be placed inside a duvet cover. A comforter and/or quilt can be used as independent bed covers
Eames chair: A classic lounge chair and ottoman made of molded plywood and fitted with down-filled leather cushions; designed by Charles Eames in 1956.
Egg-and-Dart - a classic carving motif of ornamental molding in which an egg shape alternates with a dart

Egyptian Cotton
Cotton grown exclusively in Egypt and the longest fiber staple in the world. This means less linting, more durability, more luster and a softer feel, frequently used to make sheets and other bedding materials due to its softness and high quality.
Electric Fireplace
A moveable fireplace, generally consisting of a wood, metal, or composite mantel and an electric element used to simulate flames; often includes a heat generating element, and run from standard US electrical outlets.
Embossing
A technique used to decorate furniture through the imitation of wood carvings; involves compressing wood around a decorative, raised area during the manufacturing process.
Etagere: An open-shelved stand used for display of decorative objects.

European Sham (also known as Euro Sham, Eurosham, European Pillow Sham)
A large pillow case used as an accent in bedding sets; usually contains additional fabric surrounding the standard pillow case and commonly included as a part of bedding/ comforter sets; many Bedding Sets at Total Bedroom Furniture.com contain European Shams.
Fauteuil: A French-style chair with open arms, upholstered back and seat, and small upholstered pads for resting the elbows.

Feather Bed
Feather -filled sacks made to fit under or on top of the fitted sheet
Fiber
The basic entity, either natural or manufactured, which is twisted into yarns, and then used in the production of a fabric.
Fiberboard
Sometimes known as Particleboard, a board made of compressed wood fibers and glue and often utilized as an inexpensive substitute for a solid wood edge; found in inexpensive furniture sold at many mass merchants and ‘big box’ retailers; the higher quality furniture offered at Total Bedroom Furniture.com contains very little or no fiberboard in its construction.
Fiddleback: A chair with a center splat shaped like a fiddle.
Figure - the pattern or design in wood created by the growth of the tree; abnormal growths produce unusual figures

Fill (in bedding)
The material used to stuff items such as comforters or pillows. Natural down and man-made synthetics are examples of fill materials.
Fill Power (in bedding)
A measure of how many cubic inches one ounce of down will loft and expand to fill an empty space. Fill power usually ranges from 500 to 800 cubic inches, with 625 or greater considered excellent. A higher fill power means that the down will loft more, insulate better and provide greater warmth and comfort.
Filling
A finishing process in wood furniture manufacturing - wood pores are filled with a substance that causes the surface to be smoother and flatter when complete.
Finial
Frequently found in classically or traditionally-styled furniture, a carved or turned piece which is found at the upper end of a post; often seen in four poster beds and in bed headboards and footboards.
Fitted Sheet
Has pockets at each of the four corners and an elastic band around the sheet.
Flat Packed (also known as Flat-packed)
An industry term referring to furniture that is shipped unassembled and packed into a flat container (usually reinforced cardboard boxes); also used to describe a category of furniture made by companies such as Sauder and O’Sullivan.
Flat Sheet
Hemmed on four sides usually with a larger hem or cuff at the top of the sheet
•    Flitch - any part of the log which is sliced into veneer.

Flutes
A traditional ornamentation consisting of a series of semi-circular grooves that terminate just above (below) the end of a post or leg.
•    Fluting - parallel channels, usually cut vertically; used for columns and legs.

Footboard
The portion of a bed that forms the end of the bed, near where the sleeper places his/her feet; often constructed of wood or metal and rising above the level of the mattress, but generally at the same height or of lower height than the headboard; beds do not need a footboard if they utilize a metal bed frame.
Four Poster Bed
A bed which contains four high posts, one at each corner of the bed; considered a highly romantic form of traditional bed.
Frame (also known as Bed Frame or Bedframe)
The underlying structure supporting the mattress and box spring; Total Bedroom Furniture.com sells the finest and strongest Bed Frames on the market.
Fretwork
Decorative trim on furniture consisting of pierced or interlaced components.
Furniture Market
An industry term referring to the furniture trade show that occurs twice per year (currently April and October) in High Point, North Carolina; consisting of more than eleven million square feet of space used by furniture manufacturers to showcase their products to furniture buyers from around the world; operated by an organization called the International Home Furnishings Market (www.ihfc.com); a number of secondary furniture markets exist in other geographic areas (e.g. San Francisco); a furniture market intended to compete with the High Point market started in Las Vegas in 2005 (called World Market Center), and currently supports several million square feet of showroom space for furniture. Total Bedroom Furniture.com staff visits each of these markets several times per year in order to find the best quality home furnishings and accessories for our customers.
Futon
A highly adaptable furniture piece which can serves as a sofa, and converts into a full-size bed for sleeping; became extremely popular in the United States in the 1980s, and continues to be a very popular furniture piece due, in large part, to its functional flexibility.
Gateleg table: A table with legs that swing out like gates to support raised leaves.
•    Gesso - a plaster-like material used to make a raised design on furniture; it is often painted or gilded.

Gilding
Used frequently in traditional furniture; a thin layer of gold coating (or a substance resembling gold).
Gimp: Decorative braid used to conceal tacks and nails on upholstered furniture.
Gingham
A plan woven cotton and/or synthetic fabric. Most common patterns include checks, stripes or plaids. Available in a variety of colors and pastels against a white or ecru background.
Glaze
A part of the wood furniture finishing process, a color development step during which the piece is blended to highlighted to show the grain characteristics of the wood.
Grain - the fiber arrangement in wood, giving the appearance of markings.
Grandfather clock: A wood-encased pendulum clock that measures 6-1/2 to 7 feet high; shorter versions are called grandmother cloths.
Hand - the way a fabric feels, refers to its resilience, drapability and flexibility
Hand Distressing
A technique used to create a marred or distressed surface, which lends an aged look to furniture.
HAND MADE: While ‘made by hand’ is a benefit in some manufacturing processes, it is not in teak furniture manufacturing.  Hand made in Indonesia means hand tools and would indicate that joints and joinery would not fit tightly enough to last through practical outdoor furniture usage.
Hardwood Furniture
Furniture constructed mostly or entirely of solid hardwoods, such as Oak, Maple, or Asian Hardwood.
Headboard
The complete head section of a bed, forming the top portion of the bed nearest to the head of the sleeper; also defined as the boards within the head framework; generally equal to or greater in height than the footboard; can be used without a footboard and only a bed frame; a great variety of Headboards are offered by Total Bedroom Furniture.com.
HEARTWOOD:  The wood closest to the inside of the teak tree trunk.  This wood has a tight grain with a pleasant, aromatic fragrance and a honey color which turns more brown or salmon with hardening.

Highboy: A tall chest of drawers, sometimes mounted on legs.

High Point (also known as High Point, North Carolina)
The location of the largest furniture industry show in the United States, with over 11 million square feet of showroom space used by furniture manufacturers to display and market their products to furniture buyers from retail and other trade groups; consumers often travel to this area to purchase furniture at a discount to traditional retail prices without realizing the cost savings already available to them through the Internet (retail prices available on Total Bedroom Furniture.com, for example, are much lower than those available in North Carolina, even at discount outlets); High Point evolved as the traditional center of US furniture manufacturing; with much furniture manufacturing having moved to other countries such as China, High Point has evolved into a center for furniture showrooms and distribution centers.
Highlighting
A technique in the furniture finishing process in which the colored finish materials in a pattern are removed in order to enhance the wood’s natural grain patterns.
Hitchcock chair: A black painted chair with a stenciled design on the backrest; named for its creator, an early American cabinetmaker
Hutch: A two-part case piece that usually has a two-doored cabinet below and open shelves above.
Inlay
A design formed flush into wood furniture through the contrast of grains, colors, and textures of wood, metal, ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, and other materials.
Jacquard Weave
A weave structure that creates a variety of patterns, such as damasks, florals, and geometric. Jacquard weaves have a varying drape ability and durability depending on which fibers are used.
Jardinere: An ornamental plant stand.
Jewelry Armoire
A small armoire specifically designed to hold jewelry, and usually placed in the bedroom.
Knock-down (also known as KD) Furniture
A furniture industry term referring to furniture that is shipped in multiple pieces and assembled at the point of use (either the consumers’ home, office, store, or warehouse).
Lacquer
A cellulose-based, clear material applied as top coats in furniture; provides protection to the furniture piece and often shine.
Ladder-back: A chair that has horizontal slats between its upright supports
Laminate
Multiple layers used in furniture construction to create strength and durability; usually used in wood panels in three, five, or more layers, laid alternately across the wood grains.
Lattice
A style of cutout work in furniture that involves carved crisscross patterns; often found in chair backs.
LIGNIN:    The substance in wood that makes it hard.  The more lignin that is present, the harder the wood.  Lignin can be digested only by termites.

Linen
A fabric made from linen fibers obtained from inside the woody stem of the flax plant. Linen fibers are much stronger and more lustrous than cotton. Linen fabrics are very cool and absorbent, but wrinkle very easily, unless blended with manufactured fibers. Linen is one of the oldest textile fibers.
Linenfold - a carved motif that looks like a scroll of linen
Lingerie Chest
A term used to describe a tall chest of drawers used to store lingerie; most frequently found in the bedroom.
Linkspring
A spring mechanism used in daybeds in place of a box spring, provides support for the mattress; provides enough height below the mattress to allow a trundle unit or storage drawers to fit underneath.
Loft (in bedding)
Measured by fill power and is the ability of down to fill an empty space.
Long Staple Cotton
Cotton fibers are typically .5 inches to 2 inches long. The longest staple fibers, longer than 1.5 inches, including the Pima and Egyptian varieties product the highest quality cotton fabrics.
•    Low Relief - a form of decoration in which the design is only slightly raised from the surface.

LTL Shipping (also known as Common Carrier shipping)
Less-Than-Truckload’ shipping; a freight industry term used to describe a shipping method in which an individual order does not fill an entire truck, but forms part of a full truckload of items being shipped by multiple customers.
MACHINE MADE: The preferred method of manufacturing Teak Furniture, it produces pieces that are well-matched and repeatable
Man-Made fibers - this term refers to all synthetic fibers.
•    Marquetry - a decorative pattern made by inlaying unusual woods, mother of pearl, etc., into a veneered surface.

MDF (Medium Density Fibre, Medium Density Fiberboard, or MDFB)
A wood product used in furniture construction, usually beneath veneers; formed by breaking down wood into fibres and mixing with wax and resin, and creating panels through the application of pressure and high temperatures; a more dense and sturdy construction than particleboard.
Mercerization
Chemical finish for cotton. This finish imparts luster to the cotton, increases its strength by nearly 25% and improves dye affinity, producing brighter shades than unmercerized cotton. It also enhances fabric hand and drape ability.
Micro Modal
Used in bedding, a natural fiber made of 100% beechwood cellulose.
Microfiber Fabrics (also know as Microfibre)
Microfiber specifically refers to any synthetic fiber that weighs less than one denier per filament. To illustrate this nearly microscopic scale, consider that a filament of this fiber more than five miles long weighs less than one gram. Such filaments are much, much finer than a human hair. Because of the size of this fiber, many can be woven closely together to create a very tight, dense fabric. This density allows for more resistance to wear and staining. Because synthetic fibers are typically not as porous as natural fibers, further resistance to damage from dirt and spills is an added characteristic.
•    Modulars or Modular System - a collection of multi-purpose units.

Modular Storage
A furniture industry term used to refer to flexible storage solutions that are changeable/adjustable by the end user to create multiple customized configurations; example products include storage cubes, shelving, and bookcases used to store CDs, DVDs, video tapes, cassettes, books, records, clothes, personal items such as perfumes and jewelry, and many other small items requiring organization; can be used in any room of the house.
•    Molded Components - sections of furniture such as decorative panels or legs that have been molded of plastic.
•    Molding or Moulding - a narrow, decorative strip, recessed into or projecting from, a flat surface.
•    Motive or Motif - the theme or dominant feature of a design.
Natural Fibers - all fibers that occur in fiber form in nature
Neckroll Pillow (also known as Neck Roll Pillow)
A small, oblong accent pillow commonly found in bedding/ comforter sets.
Nesting Tables - set of occasional tables, in graduating sizes so that one slides under another.
Nightstand
A small table placed beside a bed and usually used to for a small lamp, books, or a clock; frequently one nightstand is placed on either side of a bed if the bed is a full, queen, king, or cal king size.
Occasional furniture: Small items such as coffee tables, lamp tables, or tea carts that are used as accent pieces.
Organic
Produced without the use of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants or pesticides.
•    Overlay - decorative veneer that is appliqued rather than inlaid.

Over The Threshold Delivery (also known as First Dry Area Delivery)
A transportation industry term referring to a type of delivery service in which the delivered items are brought ‘over the threshold’ of the building to which they are delivered, usually a residence or office, into the first dry area of the building (foyer, lobby, first room beyond the building entrance, garage, or porch); a less expensive and common form of delivery for furniture items.

Parsons table: An unadorned square or rectangular straight-legged table in various sizes; named for the Parsons School of Design.
Patina: The natural finish on a wood surface that results from age and polishing.
Pattern
A design found in fabrics, often in multiple colors; in furniture, patterns are commonly found in upholstered items such as sofas and chairs.
Pedestal table: A table supported by one central base rather than four legs.

Pediment
Often found on case goods, an ornamental, usually triangular crown used as a decorative finishing element.
Pembroke table: A versatile table with hinged leaves at the sides; one of Thomas Sheraton’s most famous designs.

Percale
Smooth fabric - a smooth-textured closely woven cotton or polyester fabric used for bed sheets and clothing. It sometimes has a glazed finish.
Pickled finish: The result of rubbing white paint into previously stained and finished wood.
•    Pie Crust Table - a small table with carved or molded scalloped edges.
•    Pile - a fabric with a surface of upright ends, cut or looped, like velvet.
Pima Cotton
A generic term for extra long staple cotton.
Pique
A crisp medium-weight fabric, either knit or woven, with raised dobby designs. Pronounced ‘pikay’.
Plain Weave
A weave structure that has horizontal and vertical threads woven in a simple over under pattern with no variations such as twists or knots.
Platform Bed
A low profile bed originating from European-influenced design, normally does not require a box spring below the mattress and usually does not include a footboard, thus forming a ‘platform’ for the mattress; now an extremely popular form of bed in the United States.
Polyester
A manufactured fiber. It is second only to cotton in worldwide use. Polyester has high strength, excellent resiliency, and high abrasion resistance. Low absorbency allows the fiber to dry quickly.
Polyurethane
A cushion material used in upholstered furniture pieces; composed of a synthetic material; available in degrees of softness and density.
Proof Of Delivery Form (also known as POD Form)
A form utilized by shipping companies at the point of delivery, signed by the recipient, evidencing that goods were delivered to the final destination.
Quilt
Created by placing a layer of cotton or some other fill between two layers of fabric. Held in place by stitching or sealing in a regular, consistent, all-over pattern.
Rails
The lateral components of a bed that run between the headboard and footboard and form the supporting components for the box spring and mattress.
Rayon
A manufactured fiber composed of regenerated cellulose, derived from wood pulp, cotton linters, or other vegetable matter.
Ready-to-Assemble (also known as RTA or Ready to Assemble) Furniture
Furniture that is shipped in a disassembled format, often ‘flat packed’ into boxes, and assembled once it arrives at its point of use; advantages include ease of shipping and lower pricing.
Reeding - close, parallel rows of convex moldings. The opposite of fluting
Refectory table: A long, narrow dining table; originally used in monasteries for community dining
Rubber Wood (also known as Rubberwood)
A high quality hardwood indigenous to Asian countries, similar to American Oak.
Sateen Weave (in bedding)
A weave structure having single vertical threads woven over four to eight horizontal threads and under one horizontal thread. This weaving method gives the fabric a smooth finish and shows off shiny threads.
Satin Weave (in bedding)
A basic weave, characterized by long floats of yarn on the face of the fabric. The yarns are interlaced in such a manner that there is no definite, visible pattern of interlacing and, in this manner; a smooth and somewhat shiny surface effect is achieved.
Scroll - spiral-shaped ornamentation
•    Secretary - combination slant front desk and bookcase.

Serpentine
A decorative component of furniture comprised of dual curves and used in drawer and door fronts; traditionally found in various French furniture styles.
•    Serpentine Front - chest, dresser, etc., with undulating front surfaces.
•    Settee - the forerunner of today’s sofa, a long seat with side arms and back, sometimes upholstered.
Sham (also known as Pillow Sham or Standard Sham)
The fabric used to form an encasement to a pillow, traditionally known as a pillow case (pillowcase); shams are included in most of the Bedding Sets offered at Total Bedroom Furniture.com.
Shearing
The process used to cut off surface fibers on fabrics.
Shoji screens: Japanese-style room partitions or sliding panels usually made of translucent rice paper framed in black lacquered wood.

Skirt
Fabric applied along the bottom edge of upholstered pieces of furniture, which hides the legs.
Slat System (as used in beds and daybeds)
Horizontal supports used in beds and daybeds that attach to or lay on the Rails (see above), and provide support for the box spring and mattress; an alternative support system used in place of metal bed frame in some beds and daybeds.
Slipcovers: Removable fabric covers for upholstered furniture.
•    Slub - a thick, uneven nub in yarn for a textured effect.
•    Sofa Table - a long table as tall as the sofa to place behind it.
•    Softwood - a general term for the wood of trees that remain green all year.
•    Spade Foot - rectangular, tapered Foot separated from the rest of the leg by a slight projection.
•    Stacking Furniture - pieces designed so they work together and can be super-imposed on each other for unified wall systems.
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Staining (Stain)
The application of colored dye to wood furniture; used in the furniture finishing step to provide a deeper, richer look.
•    Stretcher - crosspiece connecting and bracing legs of tables, chairs, chests, etc.
StriZ - a streaked or striped effect produced with yarns of varying tones.
Synthetic Fibers - manufactured fibers resulting from chemical synthesis.
Table Lamp
A smaller lighting fixture that is used on top of a table, typically 10″ to 3′ in height.
TEAK:  Teak is a premier furniture wood made from the Teak Tree (Tectona grandis) grown in East India and Indonesia.  Due to the high oil content, Teak furniture is naturally resistant to rotting, splitting, or pest issues making it the perfect choice for outdoor patio furniture.
TEAK OIL:  Products sold as “teak oil” are linseed or tung oil mixed with solvents.  We do not recommend using these products on your teak furniture.  They are not inherent to teak wood, and can actually attract, harbor, and feed mildew.

Terry Cloth
A typical uncut pile weave fabric. This fabric is formed by using tow sets of warp yarns. One set of warp yarns is under very little tension; when the filling yarns are packed into place, these loose yards are pushed backward along with the filling yarns, and loops are formed.
Terry Velour
A pile weave cotton fabric with an uncut pile on one side and a cut pile on the reverse side. Terry velour is valued for its soft, luxurious hand.
•    Texture - the feel and appearance of a surface; also refers to the grain of wood.
Thomasville North Carolina
A traditional US manufacturing center located in central North Carolina and home to Thomasville Furniture, one of the country’s largest furniture manufacturers; many offerings at Total Bedroom Furniture.com are manufactured, designed, and warehoused in or near Thomasville.
Thread Count (in sheets/bedding)
Measured by counting the number of threads per inch in the woven fabric in both directions of the weave (these directions are referred to as warp and weft). Generally, the higher the thread count, the silkier and lighter the sheets.
Ticking
A tightly woven, very durable fabric, usually made of cotton, and used for recovering mattresses, box springs and pillows. Ticking may be of launderable fabric, and is usually removable. Down filled pillows require closely woven ticking fabric and calendered finish to prevent the fine down fibers from coming through the top or bottom layers.
Top Of The Bed
This is an industry term that refers to all textiles used to cover the mattress - from the sheets to the pillows and comforter/duvet.
Tri Pillow Pack (bedding)
A pillow combination consisting of three decorative pillows.
Turning - an ornamental or structural part of furniture made by rotating a cylindrical piece of wood on a lathe and shaping it with cutting tools.
Veneer: A thin layer of wood, usually of fine quality, that is bonded to a heavier surface of lesser quality wood. Most new furniture is made of veneer construction
Viscose
The most common type of rayon.
Wainscoting
An application of wood molding up to the middle or lower half of a wall; sometimes also found on ceilings.
Wall Mirror
Any type of mirror that’s designed to be hung on a wall.
Wall Units
Large free-standing or wall hung units which can have drawers, shelves, cabinets, desks, entertainment centers or other features.
Wardrobe
A tall upright cabinet with a door or doors. Designed for storing clothing.
Warp
In woven fabric, the yarns that run lengthwise and are interwoven with the fill (weft) yarns.
Waterfall Skirt
A skirt on an upholstered piece of furniture that falls from the top of the base below the cushion line to the floor without interruption.
WEATHERING:  The natural process of allowing your golden teak wood furniture to turn grey.  The oils in the teak wood oxidize which gives the outer layer of the teak furniture a lovely, soft grey patina.

Weft
In woven fabric, the filling yarns that run perpendicular to the warp yarns.
Wellington Chest
A tall, narrow, relatively plain type of chest named after the Duke of Wellington.
Welsh cupboard: A large cupboard with open, wood-backed shelves on top and a cabinet base; generally used in dining rooms for the display of china
•    Welt - a strip of fabric, resembling a cord, sewn between two pieces of upholstery fabric to give a more finished appearance to the seam; usually made by covering a cord with a tube of fabric.

Welting (or Piping)
A cord wrapped in fabric, which is used to trim upholstery seams and places where the fabric meets with exposed wood.
Wenge
A very dark, almost black, wood finish; sometimes referred to as espresso finish.
White Glove Delivery
A form of deluxe in-home furniture delivery typically including bringing furniture to the room of the customer’s choice, light assembly of furniture, and removal and disposal of packaging materials (boxes, etc.). Some of the larger furniture collections offered at Total Bedroom Furniture.com include white glove delivery (see individual product pages for white glove delivery availability on specific products).
Wicker Furniture
Furniture containing components woven from materials such as willow, reed, and rattan.
•    Windsor Chair - a country-style chair with a solid, shaped seat connected to the legs and chair back with round or flat shaped spindles.
X-Chair - This “X” type folding chairs dates back to ancient Roman times.
Yarn Dyed Fabric where the yarn is dyed before it is woven or knitted.

•    Yorkshire Chair - An oak chair with turned front legs and stretchers.
Zigzag - Molding or stitching with a series of frequent sharp turns from side to side.
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