Glossary of Terms
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Buying Guide
- Backless stool
- Round bar or counter stool with no back or sides
- Backsplat
- Vertical support piece in the center of an open chair back, usually carved or ornamented
- Bar accessories
- Items used around a home bar; can include cocktail shakers, shot glasses, martini glasses, brandy glasses, beer glasses, brandy snifters, ice tongs, a bar strainer, corkscrew, double jigger, mixing glass, and liquor pourers (also referred to as barware)
- Bar height
- The height of a bar, generally 40-42" high
- Bar stocking
- Stocking a bar with various accessories such as glassware, drink mixers, ice buckets, and bottle openers
- Bar stool height
- Measurement of the bar stool from the floor to the seat. Stools and tables that are "bar height" generally have seats that are 30" high.
- Beverage bar
- A standing liquor cabinet with a storage area for beverages and barware
- Bistro set
- A small round table and two matching chairs, usually made of wrought iron; designed for casual dining
- Bistro table
- Round table designed for small spaces and casual dining; available in bar height or counter height
- Bourbon Street style
- Style of furniture found in the French Quarter of New Orleans
- Brass rail
- Brass rail attached to the bottom of a bar or the floor, designed to rest your foot on while seated at the bar
- Chair
- A cushioned seat; types of upholstered chairs include the lounge chair and wing chair; generally used in family rooms or living rooms; designed for relaxing, reading or socializing
- Channel back
- Chair back that has fluting or grooves as decorations
- Chippendale
- English style of furniture that has graceful proportions and delicate decoration
- Checking
- Splits or cracks in wood caused by expansion and contraction due to humidity changes
- Cherry
- Hard, reddish-brown wood; resists warping and checking; used as a solid or a veneer.
- A deep red color.
- Collapsible bar
- Home bar that unfolds to serve drinks; closes into a conveniently sized liquor cabinet
- Convertible bar
- Bar that opens or folds out
- Contemporary
- Style of furniture developed in the latter half of the 20th century; has softer, rounder lines than modern design
- Cyma
- A distinctive 'S' shaped double curve, commonly found on chair arms
- Ebony
- Dark black hard wood, primarily used for veneers and inlays
- Edwardian
- Style of architecture popular during the reign of Edward VII in the early 1900s. Noted for its eclectic, opulent qualities.
- Engraving
- The process of printing a pattern or wood grain design on a panel
- Faux
- French word for "fake"; a simulation of something else; faux marble, faux fur, and faux leather are generally made of synthetic materials and designed to look real
- Faux leather
- "fake" leather; made of synthetic materials and designed to look real. Faux leather is often used on barstools to keep the price low while providing life and durability that natural leather could not.
- Fiberboard
- board made of glue and compressed wood fibers
- Fiddleback
- Backsplat in the shape of a violin or fiddle, found on chairs
- Finishing
- Process of applying coats of stain, paint, lacquer, and oils to wood
- Fleur de lis
- A stylized three-petaled iris flower, used as a decorative emblem
- Fluting
- Series of carved out semicircular grooves, usually found on molding, columns, chairs, or wooden legs
- Game table (or gaming table)
- Specialized type of table developed for games such as chess, checkers, cards, or backgammon. Many gaming tables have two-sided or flip tops with a solid surface on one side and a game playing surface on the other. Chess tables and smaller game tables have different playing surfaces.
- Game table chairs
- Comfortable chairs (usually upholstered) designed for use with game tables
- Granite
- A hard rock comprised of quartz and mica, commonly used on tabletops and counters
- Hand carved
- Wood or other materials that are carved by hand
- Hardwood
- Wood from broadleafed, or non-needled trees, such as walnut, maple, oak, beech, and mahogany
- Hepplewhite
- A neo-classic furniture style with tapered legs and classical ornamentation such as shields
- Home bar
- Large wooden bar designed for entertaining and serving drinks in the home; has space to store beverages, glassware, and bar accessories
- Inlay
- Design set into the surface of furniture by inserting contrasting wood or other materials into grooves
- Lacquer
- Varnish with a very high polish
- Mahogany
- A red-brown wood, used as a solid and for veneers
- A deep, dark redish color or stain.
- Maple
- Extremely hard wood used for contemporary furnishings; generally light in color, can be stained to simulate cherry wood
- MDF
- Medium density fiberboard; made from compressed particles of wood and used in the construction of furniture
- Memory-retaining swivel seat
- Swivel seat that has a home position; swivel seat returns "home" after a person gets up
- Mission (or Mission Style)
- Furniture style with rectangular lines, simple design, and study construction; popular in the early 20th century; usually made from solid oak
- Modern style
- Streamlined 20th century furniture
- Mosaic tile
- Ceramic tiles made of clay or porcelain
- Oak
- Hard wood with a prominent texture and grain; popular wood for country, casual, and Mission furniture.
- A light, golden color or stain
- Occasional table
- Generic term for small end tables and coffee tables
- Pedestal table
- Table supported by a single, center base
- Plywood
- Made from thin sheets of wood material bonded together
- Pub table
- Round table designed for small spaces and intimate dining
- Rattan
- Wood made from stems of tough palms found in tropical Asia; often weaved or bent into furniture
- Retro
- Contemporary retrospective design which reinterprets furniture styles from the 1930s to the 1980s
- Slat Back chair
- Chair that has horizontal slats in the back
- Softwood
- Wood from needle-bearing trees such as cedar and pine; susceptible to marks and dings
- Solid wood
- Generally means that all the exposed pieces of wood are solid; hidden areas of the furniture (such as the back), may be made of another material
- Swivel stool
- Bar stool with a seat that turns or swivels to the side; allows a person sitting at the bar to turn with ease
- Teak
- Hardwood found in varying shades of yellow to dark brown; heavy, strong, and durable
- Tempered glass
- White or colored glass often used for tables and table tops
- Veneer
- Thin layer of high-quality wood permanently bonded to a frame of less expensive wood. Veneer is also used in decorative work, such as inlays.
- Walnut
- Hard wood used for cabinets and veneers
- A medium brown color or stain
- Wicker
- General term for furniture woven from natural materials, such as willow, reed, and rattan; commonly used in summer and outdoor furniture.
- Willow
- Soft wood used as a solid wood. Willow withes (the long, tough stems) are used to make wicker furniture
- Wine bar
- Bar designed for holding wine, generally in a horizontal position to reduce the possibility of the cork drying or the wine becoming "corked"; smaller than a full-sized home bar; generally has drawer space to holds barware
- Wine cooler
- Container filled with ice used to chill a bottle of wine (like an ice bucket, but generally much larger)
- Wrought iron
- Iron with low carbon content, malleable enough to be forged and welded into different decorative shapes