Historical Periods & Movements

Acanthus is a decorative motif used in interior design and architecture, characterized by stylized leaves of the Acanthus plant.

An acroterium is an ornamental pedestal or statue located at the apex or corners of a building's roof.

Adam Style refers to a neoclassical design movement originating in the 18th century.

A style related to the designs of the Adam Brothers, characterized by neoclassical elements.

An almery is a type of cupboard or cabinet.

Amorini are decorative motifs featuring cherubic children, often depicted with wings.

Anaglypta is a type of embossed wallpaper.

A high-value item that is at least 100 years old.

An apothecary chest is a type of storage furniture originally used to store medicines and herbs.

An arcade is a succession of arches, supported by columns or piers.

Architectural salvage refers to elements of buildings saved from demolition or renovations for reuse in other projects.

Art Deco is a design style characterized by bold geometric shapes, rich colors, and lavish ornamentation.

Art Nouveau is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts, that was most popular between 1890 and 1910.

Aubusson refers to a specific type of French flat-woven tapestry or carpet.

Baguette, in interior design, refers to a long, thin decorative molding.

Bakelite is an early form of plastic known for its durability and heat resistance.

Ball & Claw is a type of furniture leg that resembles an animal’s claw holding a ball.

A Balloon Back Chair is a type of chair with a rounded backrest resembling the shape of a balloon.

Bandy Leg refers to a curvature present in furniture legs.

A Banister-Back Chair is a type of chair characterized by its vertical back slats or banisters.

Barrel back refers to a curved, rounded backrest on a chair or sofa, resembling the shape of a half barrel.

A bed canopy is a decorative covering suspended over a bed.

Biedermeier refers to a style of furniture and interior design that originated in Germany and Austria in the early 19th century.

Block front refers to a furniture front design that protrudes in the middle section, creating a convex appearance.

Bombe refers to a type of furniture with a bulging or outward curved shape.

A small, elegant writing desk with a variety of compartments.

A decorative top piece on furniture that resembles the shape of a bonnet.

A Boston Rocker is a type of rocking chair with a distinctive style and historic origins.

Boulle is a marquetry technique involving inlays of brass and tortoiseshell.

A bracket foot is a decorative foot on a piece of furniture, characterized by its curved or scrolled outline.

Brocade is a rich, decorative fabric often woven with a raised pattern.

A broken pediment is an architectural element that features a gap or break at its apex.

A building permit is an official approval issued by local government or regulatory authority for the construction or substantial alteration of a building.

A Byzantine chair is a style of decorative, often ceremonial seating that originates from the Byzantine Empire era.

A cabriole leg is a curved furniture leg that typically terminates in a distinctive foot.

Campaign furniture is portable, foldable furniture designed for travel and military campaigns.

In interior design, capital refers to the topmost portion of a column.

Carolean refers to the style of furniture and interior design from the reign of Charles II in England.

A Carver Chair is a type of dining or armchair originating from the American colonies.

A sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support.

Casein is a natural, protein-based paint binder derived from milk.

A Cassapanca is an Italian Renaissance chest, often ornately decorated and used for seating as well as storage.

A large wooden chest, often richly decorated, used historically in Italy for storage and as a dowry trunk.

A chandelier is a decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture.

Chest on chest is a tall piece of furniture featuring two stacked chests of drawers.

Chippendale refers to a style of furniture that was named after Thomas Chippendale, an influential British cabinet-maker.

Cinquefoil is an architectural motif used primarily in Gothic architecture.

Claw & Ball is a decorative motif featuring a claw, paw, or talon grasping a ball, typically used in furniture legs.

A series of columns supporting a roof or entablature.

Commonwealth does not have a specific meaning in interior design.

A distinctive chair design characterized by a series of vertical spindles that stretch upwards to form a high backrest.

Curule Legs refer to a distinctive style of chair legs or furniture supports that have an intersecting, X-shaped design.

Directoire refers to a style of design inspired by the period of the Directory government in France.

A style of design and architecture that flourished in the Netherlands during the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Dentil molding is a decorative architectural element featuring a series of closely spaced, rectangular blocks.

Distemper is a water-based paint used on walls and ceilings.

A dowry chest is a large, ornate storage chest.

Duncan Phyfe refers to a style of American furniture that became popular in the early 19th century, characterized by its classical design and high quality of craftsmanship.

Eastlake is a design movement named after Charles Eastlake.

Egg & Dart is an ornamental design featuring alternating egg-shaped and dart or arrow-like elements.

The Early Renaissance is a period in art and architecture characterized by a revival of Classical influences and a focus on symmetry, proportion, and harmony.

Elizabethan refers to an architectural and interior design style from the Elizabethan era in England.

An encoignure is a corner cabinet or piece of furniture designed to fit into a room’s corner.

Empire refers to an opulent and majestic interior design style that originated in France during the First French Empire (early 19th century).

A Farthingale Chair is a type of chair with a wide seat and usually no armrests, designed to accommodate the wide skirts of women's dresses in the 16th to 17th centuries.

Eight-Way Hand Tied is a traditional method of sofa and chair construction known for its durability and comfort.

An ebeniste is a highly skilled cabinetmaker who specializes in the art of fine furniture making.

A fauteuil is a style of open-arm chair with a primarily wooden frame.

Federal refers to an American architectural and interior design style that flourished from roughly 1780 to 1830.

A fanlight is a semi-circular or semi-elliptical window with glazing bars or tracery radiating out like a fan.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice of arranging living spaces to create harmony and balance with the natural world.

Fiddle back refers to a type of chair back characterized by a central splat that resembles a violin.

A Court Cupboard is a type of wooden sideboard or cabinet.

A crest rail is the uppermost part of a chair's back, often decorative and providing structural support.

Decorative arts is a term that encompasses a wide range of arts and crafts designed to embellish interior spaces and objects.

De Stijl is an art movement that emphasizes abstraction and simplification.

Pegged furniture is furniture that has been assembled using pegs to join its parts.

Fresco is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid wet plaster.

A Morris Chair is an early type of reclining chair.

An Ogee Bracket Foot is a decorative furniture foot style characterized by a curved s-shape.

Ormolu is a method of gilding that involves applying finely ground, high-carat gold to a bronze object.

Parquet is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative flooring.

French Provincial is a style of interior design characterized by its rustic yet elegant appearance, originating from the provincial towns of France.

French Regence is a decorative style of interior design developed in France between 1715 and 1723.

An Ogee is a type of curved shape, consisting of a concave arc flowing into a convex arc.

A pencil-post-bed is a style of bed with four thin, tapered posts.

A table featuring a scalloped or carved edge resembling the crimped edges of a pie.

A pediment is a triangular upper part of a building in classical architecture, often found above the horizontal structure of the entablature.

A Prie-Dieu Chair is a type of chair designed for private prayer and devotion.

A large and comfortable armchair of British origin, known for its open sides and upholstered seat and back.

A four poster is a type of bed frame distinguished by four vertical columns, one at each corner, often supporting an upper rectangular panel.

A French bed is a luxuriously styled, often ornate bed known for its curves, intricate details, and romantic appeal.

Rococo is an elaborately ornamental late baroque style of decoration prevalent in 18th-century continental Europe.

Sheraton refers to a classic British furniture style that emerged in the late 18th century.

A settle is a traditional wooden bench with a high back and armrests.

A serpentine front refers to a curved, undulating form on the front edge of furniture.

A shield back is a specific design of chair back that resembles the shape of a shield.

A slant-front desk is a type of writing desk with a hinged writing surface that slopes downwards when opened.

Flemish refers to the design and architectural elements originating from the Flanders region of Belgium.

A spandrel is the triangular space created between the outer curve of an arch and the framework enclosing it.

A spiral leg is a furniture leg characterized by its twisted or helical shape.

A spinet desk is a compact and versatile piece of furniture, blending the functionality of a writing desk with the aesthetic appeal of a spinet.

A decorative small wooden molding featuring a series of round beads.

French Empire refers to a grand, ornate design style that emerged in the early 19th century during the First French Empire.

A spoon back is a chair design characterized by a curved, concave backrest that resembles the shape of a spoon.

A central element of the backrest in a chair, typically wooden, that provides both support and decorative value.

A Sussex Chair is a type of wooden armchair traditionally made from elm or beech.

Stickley refers to a style of furniture and a furniture manufacturing company known for its role in the American Arts and Crafts movement.

A trumpet leg is a type of furniture leg, characterized by its flared shape that resembles a trumpet.

French Polishing is a wood finishing technique that produces a very high gloss surface.

Trompe l'oeil is a decorative painting technique that creates the optical illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.

A thumbpiece is a decorative or functional element, often found on the lids of metal or ceramic containers, that assists in lifting or opening.

A type of curtain heading that resembles the shape of a goblet.

Gilding is the application of a thin layer of gold or gold-like material to a surface.

A girandole is an ornamental branched candlestick or light fixture.

The Glastonbury Chair is a wooden folding chair of medieval English design.

Gobelin refers to a type of luxury tapestry or fabric known for its intricate designs and historical significance.

Gothic refers to a style that is characterized by intricate designs, pointed arches, and a heavy emphasis on verticality and light.

A tall chest of drawers, often divided into two sections and equipped with legs.

A piece of American furniture characterized by its painted finish, stenciled decorations, and rush or caned seat.

A vargueno is a type of portable desk with compartments and drawers.

A wainscot chair is a type of wooden chair characterized by its paneled construction, often featuring intricate carvings and a high back.

An X-Stretcher is a cross-shaped support structure found in furniture.

A Windsor Chair is a classic style of chair known for its solid wooden seat with a backrest formed from several spindles.

A Welsh Cupboard is a traditional piece of furniture originating from Wales, characterized by its unique combination of storage and display sections.

A wash stand is a piece of furniture designed for holding a wash basin and usually has provisions for storing toiletries.

William & Mary refers to a style of furniture and interior design that was popular in England and later in the American colonies from 1689 to the early 1700s.

Palladian is an architectural and interior design style characterized by symmetry, perspective, and classical forms.

Williamsburg Style is a blend of colonial design aesthetics with modern functionality.

Hepplewhite refers to an 18th-century design style of light and elegant furniture.

An iron bed is a bed frame made primarily out of iron.

Jacobean refers to the styles of furnishings and design popular during the reign of James I of England.

Italian Renaissance refers to the revival of classical art and architecture originating in Italy in the 14th century.

Klismos is a type of ancient Greek chair known for its graceful lines and elegant form.

Ladder-back refers to a chair design featuring horizontal slats between two vertical posts, resembling a ladder.

A kneehole desk is a desk featuring a central recess that provides space for the user's legs.

A Modillion is a decorative bracket used in classical architecture.

A lambrequin is a kind of decorative drapery or wood paneling that extends down the sides of a window or arch, often used in conjunction with curtains or blinds.

Louis XIII is a style of interior design and architecture originating in France during the reign of King Louis XIII.

Louis XIV style, also known as Louis Quatorze, is a French design style that emerged during the reign of King Louis XIV.

A design inspired by the shape of a classical lyre incorporated into the back of a chair.

A linen-press is a type of cabinet traditionally used for storing linens, such as sheets, tablecloths, and towels.

A Lit à la Polonaise is a type of decorative bed characterized by its domed or arched canopy supported by three or four posts.

Louis XVI refers to a French design style that emerged during the reign of King Louis XVI.

Molding is the use of decorative strips to enhance architectural features and spaces.

A shelf above the fireplace.

A Lincoln Rocker is a specific style of rocking chair.

A mantel clock is a small, decorative timepiece designed to sit on a fireplace mantel.

Low relief is a decorative carving that protrudes slightly from its background.

Mid-Century Modern is a design style characterized by clean lines, organic shapes, and a seamless integration of form and function.