Accent Colors
An emphasis on a particular color. e.g A pale neutral room with bright blue cushions.
Accessories
An extra part or object. e.g lamps, rugs, collectables, candles, clocks, pots etc.
Antique
An object from the past that is collected for its value or beauty.
Art Nouveau
Originating in France, art nouveau is a decorating style that was popular during the 1920s. In French, art nouveau means "new art" and is defined by organic and flowing lines.Whether you think you are creative or not the following list of terms are good for everyone to know and understand to be sure you're moving in the right direction with any diy project.
Art Deco
A decorating style that was popular during the latter 1920s and early 1930s. This style originated in Paris, France and is known for its geometric patterns, angular shapes and bold colors.
Arts & Crafts
A decorating style that flourished from the late 1800s to the 1920s in Europe and America. Because the look features clean lines and straightforward style, furnishings and textiles feature simple motifs in a nature-inspired color palette.
Axminster
A type of machine made rug.
Bombe
A short, squatty dresser where the sides and front bulge out from the front.
Brocade
A thick material with a raised patter, usually expensive.
Cabriole Leg
A style often found in Queen Anne Furniture.
Chaise Lounge
A reclining chari with a long seat that supports the outstretched legs.
Chandelier
A branched, decorative lighting fixture that holds a number of bulbs or candles and is suspended from the cieling.
Chenille
A velvety fabric used in upholstery and drapes.
Chintz
A cotton fabric that is brightly patterened. usually used for curtains or covering furnature.
Color Scheme
The colors you choose to decorate throughout your house.
Color Wheel
A color wheel is a chart that shows the spectrum of colors and how they relate to one another.
Chomlementary Colors
Colors that are opposite from one another on the color wheel are called complementary colors. .
Deacon Bench
A broad term applied to many bench styles. Typically it is made of wood including both back and arms. The legs, back and arms are usually carved in a spindle style.
Damask
A rich patterned fabric of cotton, linen, silk or wool.
diy
Do it yourself.
Etagere
A series of shelves supported by columns. Used to display collectibles and other decorative items.
Flokati
A flokati rug is a thick rug with extremely long pile. Authentic flokati rugs are made in Greece.
French Provencal
French Provencal is a country style of decorating from France that features bright colors, floral prints and painted wood furniture.
Gauge
Gauge describes the thickness of specific substances such as aluminum or wire. For example aluminum blinds come in 6-gauge (.006" thickness) and 9-gauge thickness (.009" thickness). Thicker blinds are generally more durable.
Gilt
A thin layer of Gold.
Hand Knotted
To create a hand-knotted rug, a weaver individually ties thousands of knots to create the design of the rug.
Hand Tufted
A hand-tufted rug is made by hand with a tufting gun that is put into a pre-marked canvas. All hand-tufted rugs are held together with a backing called a scrim.
Hand Hooked
Hand-hooked rugs have the look of embroidery. Yarn is punched through the canvas using a special tool. Latex is placed on the back to keep the yarn in place.
Hue
Is a colour or shade of a color.
Kiln Dried
Lumber is dried slowly in a kiln to prevent warping and cracking, and is superior to air drying because the speed and air temperature can be controlled.
Laquer
A resinous varnish used to create a highly polished surface on wood.
Loveseat
A small sofa or double chair that seats two people.
Lowboy
A low chest or table with drawers.
Machine Made
A machine known as a Wilton loom and power loom, produces a machine-made rug.
Monochromatic Color
Use of variations of the tone and intensity of a single color.
Mosaic
Small pieces of glass, ceramic, or pottery placed into a pattern.
Natural Fiber Rugs
Made of sisal, jute, seagrass, coir or bamboo, natural fiber rugs are often used in casual settings such as a porch or family room.
Neutrals
Neutral colors are not shown on the color wheel they include: black, white, grey, rown, beige.
Oriental Rug
Strictly defined, an Oriental rug is one that is hand knotted in Asia. This category includes Persian rugs.
Pastel Colors
Soft or pale colors.
Patina
An aged or faded look.
Persian Rug
A Persian rug is one that is made within the borders of Iran.
Primary Colors
Red, Yellow, and Blue.
Queen Anne
A style of architecture and furniture reviving elements of Queen Anne design, popular especially in England in the late 19th century.
Routeless
Normally, the ladder on a horizontal blind is routed through the slats, leaving small holes that allow light to show through. The routeless feature offsets the route holes to prevent light from shing in. Routeless is an excellent feature for a bedroom, or for any place where you need total light control.
Scallop Shell
Emphasized the curvilinear element in Queen Anne furniture.
Sideboard
Also known as a buffet or credenza. Sideboards are typically used as an accessory item during meals. It is a wide cabinet with drawers or doors.
Sommelier
A restaurant employee who orders and maintains the wines sold in the restaurant and usually has extensive knowledge about wine and food pairings.
Tertiary
Tertiary colors are those created by combining primary and secondary colors.
Transitional
Transitional is a broad category to define the style between traditional and modern.
Tufted
This look is achieved by sewing a button through the upholstery. The pattern created by multiple buttons creates a "tufted" appearance.
Veneer
Veneer is the paper-thin sheet of wood that sometimes covers the surface of furniture and is approximately 1/100- to 1/4-inch-thick.
Victorian
Victorian era decorating features ornate carvings in furniture and architecture from the mid-1800s. Heavily printed floral drapes, upholstery and rugs are used.
Wrought Iron
While the iron is hot, the iron is bent, pounded and cut to form furniture shapes.