Here you will find interior decorating glossary terms.
The following was sourced from FIDM.
advancing colors
Warm colors that make items and surfaces appear larger or closer, such as red, yellow, orange.
ambient lighting
Lighting throughout an area from any source that produces general illumination, as opposed to task lighting.
antique
The definition of an antique varies from source to source; however, it is generally agreed that antiques are decorative or functional items that show a degree of craftsmanship or special attention to design elements. Customs officials in most countries deem all items, including furnishings, art, accessories, and personal possessions over 100 years old to be antique and, therefore, duty free. Most collectors use 50 years as a benchmark. Cars in the United States are considered antique if they are 25 years or older.
armoire
A large tall French cabinet originating in the late 16th century and used as a wardrobe for storing clothing. Today, it is commonly used for housing linens, computer or entertainment equipment. It usually has one or two doors with adjustable shelves rather than drawers.
Art Deco
A streamlined, geometric style of home furnishings and architecture originating in France in the 1920s and popularized in America in the 1920s and 1930s. Characteristics include rounded fronts, stylized ornamentation, fine traditional craftsmanship, and wood furniture with chrome hardware.
ball and claw
A carved lion's or bird's paw or furniture foot clutching a ball or sphere, usually at the end of a cabriole leg or table base.
Bauhaus
Practical, theoretical, and influential industrial art, craft, architecture, and design based at a Weimar, Germany, art school from 1919 to 1933. Founded by architect and designer Walter Gropius. The New Bauhaus opened in Chicago in 1937. Although architecture was the main focus, some of the most famous designs for textiles, lights, chairs, stacking stools, tables, and dinnerware are still used today.
bergère chair
Upholstered French overstuffed armchair with exposed wood frame, loose seat cushion, wide proportions, and closed arms.
bobèche
A removable glass, porcelain or metal ring inserted at the base of a candle to catch wax drippings or on the base of an electric chandelier light from which glass pendants dangle.
cabriole leg
A decorative S-shaped table, desk, or chair leg that curves outward at the knee and tapers at the ankle. Dominant in the 18th century; commonly found on Queen Anne, Chippendale, and other Early Georgian furniture pieces.
camel back sofa
A sofa style characterized by a large symmetrical rise or "hump" located at the center of the back.
cartouche
An ornate or ornamental Rococo framing motif, shield, or scroll often used as decorative elements above door openings, in cornice treatments, or on fireplace mantles.
celadon
Chinese stoneware first made in the Sung dynasty and still made today. A unique shade of gray-green glaze. Usually seen on vases and bowls.
chiffonier
A tall and narrow double door chest of drawers normally used for storing undergarments and lingerie. Lingerie chest.
Chinoiserie
A French word referring to items Chinese in style, taste, or manner. Decorative Chinese motif that can be painted or lacquered on furniture or used as themes on wallpaper, fabric, etc.
chintz
A multi-colored, woven, shiny or glazed bright calico cotton printed fabric. Originally manufactured in India for export. Frequently used for upholstery and draperies. Unglazed chintz is called cretonne.
Contemporary
A decorative style covering many types of furniture that were developed in the latter half of the 1900s. The look includes clean lines, simple contours, and bold colors.
dado
The zone or decorative treatment on the lower portion of an interior wall between the baseboard and the chair rail or lower part of a window sill.
dhurrie rug
A flat wool or cotton woven rug from India.
dupioni
Luxurious 100% silk fabric with fibers from double cocoons using two different colors of threads so that it shimmers or changes color in the light.
duvet
French word for comforter or cover. Fabric casing or removable cover that usually encases a down-filled comforter. Sometimes used on the bed as a blanket.
eclectic
A personalized decorative style that combines elements from multiple periods, sources, textures, origins, and styles. Sometimes called "mix and match."
ergonomics
The study of workplace design and the physical and psychological impact it has on workers. The science of analyzing human beings and how we function in conjunction with a variety of equipment, products, methods, and work circumstances to improve our health, safety, and welfare. According to Ergoweb it is "the science of work. Ergonomics removes barriers to quality, productivity, and safe human performance by fitting products, tasks, and environments to people."
Euro shams
Square bed pillow shams, typically 24" x 24", used in combination with other decorative pillows.
environmental design
The field of developing physical, spatial environments (interiors and/or exteriors) to solve a particular need or create a specific experience, including air quality and circulation, temperature control, ergonomic layout, and physical circulation plans. This field includes architecture, urban planning, landscape design, interior design, exhibit design, and sometimes event design.
façade
The face or front exterior of a building given special architectural treatment.
faux
A French words meaning imitation, false, fake, not genuine. A reproduction or re-interpretation of a finish on another surface, for example faux marble is a marble-like surface painted onto walls or furniture. In interior design, fabrications include faux leather, faux fur, faux suede, etc.
feng shui
Literally translated as "wind" and "water." An ancient Chinese scientific practice based on selecting or positioning a site, structure, or interior so that positive effects are realized and negative effects are minimized. This ancient art of placement was established to achieve comfort, harmony, and balance in and around one's environment and thereby in one's life to enhance health and prosperity. Actively practiced in Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
finial
Decorative hardware, wood, or metal ornaments used to cap drapery rods, newel posts, furnishings, woodwork, etc. Common motifs include leaves, flames, urns, balls, and pineapples.
focal point
Center of interest or point of emphasis in a well-designed room. Something that draws your eye to it.
frieze
A decorated horizontal band with designs or carvings attached to or painted along the top of a wall or above doorways or windows.
futon
A Japanese-style filled mattress placed on the floor, a folding wooden or raised frame which can be used as both a seating piece and a bed.
guimpe braid
A round or flat narrow decorative braided trim or cord of fabric used on upholstered furniture. Also called gimp or guipure.
halogen
A light that emits true color characteristics unlike fluorescent and other lighting that tend to give a room a yellowish cast. More energy efficient than standard incandescent lamps, but not as energy efficient as fluorescent lights. Developed by General Electric.
jabot
The side portion of a window treatment where fabric is draped vertically in soft folds on either side of a swag or valance.
matelassé
The French word "matelasser" means to quilt or to pad. Intricately woven fabric created with two sets of warp and filler threads in a double weave, giving an embossed, puckered, or quilted effect.
obelisk
A tall, slender, tapering, four-sided stone pillar with a pyramid top. Reproduced in table-top versions as a decorative accessory and used in high-end interiors.
Parsons table
A sturdy square table with block legs and an apron of equal widths. This was developed in the 1950s at the Parsons School of Design.
patina
A luster or sheen that develops on an object's surface with use, wear, or oxidation over time. Usually associated with fine antiques, vintage, and leather furniture.
portico
Entrance, porch, or walkway to a building with columns supporting a roof, which can be large enough to enable cars to drive under for protection while exiting a vehicle.
primary colors
Three colors: red, yellow, and blue.
ragging off
A paint technique/effect caused by rubbing/wiping a painted surface with a rag or piece of leather.
receding colors
Cool colors that make surfaces appear more distant or smaller, such as blue, green, violet, gray, or bluish-greens.
relief
Raised ornamentation that makes a design prominent by lifting it or cutting away the background or surface of a particular design.
RTA
Ready-to-assemble furniture.
sconce
An electric lamp or candlestick fixture attached to a wall. Also called girandole.
Shoji screen
A room dividing, translucent wood-framed screen with rice paper panels. Used as a standing art element, for privacy, or to define space.
sisal
Strong fiber from sisal leaves used to create floor coverings.
slipper chair
Used in bedrooms or small rooms, this is a small, armless, high-backed, short-legged upholstered chair.
table runner
A long, narrow, decorative strip of fabric running down the middle of a table. Also used on top of dressers.
task lighting
A lighting system directed to a specific surface or area to provide illumination for visual tasks. Designed to conserve energy by lighting confined work spaces.
teak
Tall hard wood trees resistant to insects and warping. Originally grow in East India, native to south and southeast Asia, and now planted in Western Africa and tropical America. Yellow-brown, high-quality, durable, heavy, close-grained wood. Used for shipbuilding and furniture.
throw
A lightweight fabric accessory meant to be used as a light blanket or as a decorative element commonly placed at the foot of a bed or draped over the back of a sofa. Throws usually measure about 64" x 72" in size.
toile
A French word for cloth or fabric, linen, sailcloth, or canvas. Cotton or linen woven or printed documentary fabric, typically printed in monotone colors on an off-white or white background, originally made in France. The names come from "Toile de Jouy." In 18th century Jouy, France, this new technique of engraved plate printing on linen or cotton cloth was made famous.
torchiere
Type of standing floor lamp with a reflector bowl designed to throw indirect light upward.
thread count
This refers to the number of threads in one square inch of fabric. Different levels of softness in bed linens. The higher the thread count, the tighter the weave, making the lines soft and smooth. The minimum that most consumers look for in a comfortable sheet is 250. Luxury linen lines can have as high as a 1200 thread count.
traditional furniture
Classic, elegant, and formal in appearance, this furniture category includes dark polished woods, curves, carvings, and deep rich color. Traditionally styled furniture is available in both original antique pieces and quality reproductions. This type of furniture usually follows a particular period style such as Georgian, Tudor, Regency, French Provincial, or Louis XV.
traffic pattern
The flow or direction in which people move through, in, and out of a room.
trompe l'oeil
French for "fool the eye." Three-dimensional architectural painting effects. A form of wall painting that creates the illusion of tangible and spatial qualities. Often used to make a room appear to carry on outdoors. First used thousands of years ago in frescoes and murals by the Romans.
trundle bed
Twin bed frame or daybed housing an additional mattress on casters, which is pulled out as needed.
valance
A shallow ornamental drapery treatment, i.e. rod picket, box-pleated, kick-pleated, shirred-balloon, etc., hung at the heading of a window or canopy to conceal hardware. A decorative short drapery board.