Kagan's Furniture : North Carolina's Complete Home Furnishings Resource!

Acrylic A synthetic fiber that's derived from a plant or chemical resin. Acrylic's best properties are its moderate strength and acceptance of brilliant color dyes.

Ageing Decorative technique used to create the effect of wear-and-tear on a wooden, painted, plastic or other surfaces.

Antique Could be anything ranging from a piece of furniture to art. The U.S. government considers any item over 100 years old to be an antique, whereas most collectors use 50 years as a benchmark.

Armoire A tall wardrobe with doors and shelves for clothing, more recently armoires have been adapted for use as an entertainment center or computer workstation.

Art Deco A streamlined, geometric style of home furnishings and architecture popular in the 1920's and 1930's. Characteristics include rounded fronts, wood furniture with chrome hardware and/or glass tops.

Baker's Rack Commonly an open slatted back storage unit with shelves used for storing goods in the kitchen such as cook books, wine, etc. Most commonly made of wood and metal or a combination of the two.

Ball & Claw A carved lions or birds claw clutching a sphere, usually at the end of a cabriole leg or tables base.

Bar Stool A stool that has a seat height of about 30", opposed to a counter stool that normally has a seat height of 24" to 26".

Bed Rails Metal or wooden frames that join a headboard and footboard together and also support the mattress set. Most commonly used bed rail styles include hook-on and bolt-on designs.

Bistro Table Term conventionally refers to a round table about 40" in height designed for small spaces and intimate dining. It is common for people to also refer to bistro tables as pub tables.

Body Impressions The "normal compression" of upholstery layers as they lose resilience over time. Often mistaken for sagging on mattresses, sofas and other upholstered furniture.

Bolster A long and usually cylindrical stuffed pillow or cushion. Also an oversized backrest or pillow which can be rectangular or wedge-shaped.

Box Pleat A symmetrical skirt pleat made by folding the fabric to the back of each side of the pleat to create a dentil pattern.

Breakfront A china cabinet that's divided vertically into three segments with the middle segment projecting forward.

Buffet (or Sideboard) A sideboard without a hutch or storage cabinet on top.

Bullion Fringe Corded fringe that's twisted into a rope or braid. Primarily used on the base of upholstered furniture, window treatments, accent pillows and lamp shades. Also called bullion trim.

Bureau A dresser used to store clothing also a piece of furniture with drawers used as a desk. Bureau's normally feature either a fall-front, which slopes at 45 degrees, a tambour front, or a cylinder front.

Butterfly Table A small drop-leaf table whose leaves are supported by a swinging support resembling a butterfly wing on a rudder.

Button Tufted Buttons that are fabric covered and sewn through the upholstery surface and tied down. The placement of the buttons and their resulting folds produce geometric patterns.

California King A bed size that measures 74" x 86". This style is popular on the West coast of the United States. The additional size comes in the length creating a rectangular shape rather than the square shape of a standard king (Eastern King).

Cambrick (Dust Cover) A non-woven cloth that covers the bottom of an upholstered piece of furniture such as a sofa or box spring. Also commonly called a "dust cover".

Case Goods (Case Furniture) Non-upholstery pieces such as tables, hutches, dressers and chests, which have functional or storage capabilities.

Casters Round wheels attached by a swivel to furniture pieces for mobility. Commonly used on dining and office chairs.

Chaise Lounge An upholstered armchair with the back and seat lengthened for reclining. Styles ranges from formal to contemporary.

Channel back A style distinguished by vertical channels stitched into a seat's back, creating individual compartments.

Chest A tall, narrow piece featuring a series of drawers for storing clothing.

Cheval Mirror A freestanding mirror in a vertical frame. Also called a dressing mirror or cheval glass.

Chiffonier (Lingerie Chest) A tall and narrow chest of drawers normally used for storing undergarments and lingerie.

China Cabinet (China Hutch) A cabinet with glass fronts to store and display china, the sides may or may not feature glass.

Chip Core A board made of chips of wood which are held together with resin and compressed into a strong, warp resistant pane. Particle board and press board are other names for this type of product which is produced to meet a variety of quality specifications.

Coil Count The specific number of coils in a mattress or box spring unit. The standard count is based on the coils within a full size piece. A high coil count was once touted to indicate better quality, however this term is no longer applicable to many of today's better mattress sets.

COM/COL Furniture industry term for "Customer's Own Material" or "Customer's Own Leather". Typically expressed in square yards for fabric (COM) and in square feet for leather (COL).

Commode A small, low chest with doors or drawers, many traditionally styled nightstands are referred to as commodes.

Console A term originally applied to a bracket that supported cornices or shelves and later used to describe tables that were affixed to a wall and supported with legs at the front. Today it describes any type of table used along a wall.

Continuous Coil A mattress design in which each row of coils is made using a single, continuous wire.

Contrasting Welt Welting or piping at seams that's covered in fabric contrasting or different from the main body fabric. Used on upholstered furniture and fabric accessories such as accent pillows and drapes.

Coverlet A bed cover that reaches to the top of the bed and to the bottom of the box spring on three sides.

Credenza Normally a sideboard or buffet. In office furniture, credenzas are a horizontal filing cabinet, which are often placed behind a desk.

Curio (Collectors Cabinet) A case piece featuring glassed in shelves and doors for displaying collectibles.

Density Weight of a polyurethane foam cushioning material. Low-density foam will flat- ten out soon when sat upon while high-density foam will support more weight for a greater duration of time and is usually more comfortable.

Double Bed ( Full Size) Refers to a bed for a mattress that measures 54" x 75". Was once the standard or most popular size bed. Sometimes referred to as a full, double or standard.

Down-blend A mixture of waterfowl feathers and down. Waterfowl (goose, duck) feathers are used because the quills are curved and provide a springy, buoyant feel. Polyester fibers are mixed with the feathers to give extra resiliency.

Dye Lot Because fabrics are dyed in varying quantities of yardage, consistency of color will vary. Therefore there will be differences in color from bolt to bolt.

Edge roll Thick jute cord wrapped in burlap. Used to soften frame and spring edges.

Eight-Way Hand Tied Springs used in upholstered furniture, in which each spring is tied in eight directions by hand securing the springs inside of the frame. This system creates even comfort and prevents "give" in the frame. This traditional method is believed to offer superior comfort, but has lost ground in recent years due to the advent of equally durable systems that are more cost-effective and less labor-intensive.

Drop-In / Machine Tied A pre-assembled, machine-made coil system designed to simulate the hand-tied version. It drops into the frame and is typically fastened at the corners.

No-Sag (Sinuous) A popular system using S-shaped steel components fastened to the frame from front to back. The highest quality versions use sturdy 8-gauge wire closely spaced and reinforced with horizontal steel supports. This method is used in many contemporary and traditional style frames.


Eight-Way Hand-Tied	Sinuous Wire

Étagère A freestanding set of open shelves commonly used for displaying accessories.

Exposed Frame Parts of the frame, usually arms or legs, are exposed, while the seat and back are upholstered. The combination of short slipcovers and exposed legs is a very popular new look

Finial A decorative detail that's carved or shaped to ornament the top of an upright piece such as a bedpost. Finials are commonly found in the opening of a broken pediment or on the topping a lamp. Common motifs include flames, urns, and pineapples.

Full Grain Leather in which the natural grain pattern has not been mechanically altered. Full-grain leather features the genuine grain texture of the hide.

Hardwood Wood derived from trees such as oak, beech, maple, mahogany, and walnut.

Highboy Simply a tall chest of drawers. The style was developed in the 1700's and is usually composed of a base and a top section with drawers, which is often topped with a decorative broken pediment crown.

Hutch Enclosed cupboard with shelves resting on a solid base such as buffet or desk.

Inlay Decorative patterns created with pieces of different woods or other materials, which have been set into the surface of wood furniture.

Kick Pleat An inverted pleat that's usually found at the corner of a flat or box-pleated skirt on a piece of upholstered furniture.

Kiln Dried Wood that's dried by a means of controlled heat and humidity in kilns or ovens to specific ranges of moisture content.

Knocked Down (KD) Furniture that is sold unassembled or partially assembled.

Lacquer A hard, protective varnish that is applied as a topcoat to furniture.

Laminate Any thin material such as wood or plastic that's glued to the exterior of a cabinet or other surface.

Loose Pillow Back A pillow treatment that can be removed from an upholstered piece of furniture.

Microfiber A fabric that's tightly woven from a very fine poly thread and has a suede like finish. Microfiber fabric is water repellent due to its construction process and when specially treated it can also be waterproof.

Modular Furniture units that can be rearranged or stacked in different configurations.

Nailheads Decorative brass nails attaching fabric or leather to a frame, thereby outlining its design elements. Nailhead trim is often applied along the arms and backs of upholstered pieces such as sofas.

Nubuck Leather that has had its finish surface-buffed to produce a slight nap or suede-like appearance. Nubuck is aniline dyed top grain leather, so it lasts longer and shows more natural markings. Because of its nap, nubuck often receives a protective coating to guard against stains and markings.

Occasional Table General term for small pieces of furniture such as coffee and end tables.

Overstuffed Upholstered pieces in which the frame is completely and deeply covered by the upholstery with little or no exposed woodwork.

Pencil-Post Bed A bed with four slender posts generally rising from six to eight feet in height. The design is normally very simple with straight lines. These beds can be used alone or with a canopy.

Piping (Welting) A cord wrapped in fabric, which is used to trim upholstery seams and places where the fabric meets with exposed wood.

Pigmenting Coloring and coating the leather surface to cover imperfections and produce hides that are wear- and face-resistant.

Premium Select The finest leather hides available, exhibiting few imperfections. Only 5% of all hides are premium-select quality.

Pure Aniline Leather Leather dyed with aniline dyes. Only premium-select, full top-grain hides are dyed in this manner, permeating the entire hide and resulting in a rich color.

Railroaded Fabric that runs horizontally along the width of a piece of furniture and from front to back along the arms.

Semi-Aniline Leather Hides that have been dyed throughout and have a surface finish applied. These leathers offer both a soft hand and protective benefits.

Scatter back Also known as multi-pillow back. This style has more back pillows than seat pillows. The randomly tossed pillows across the back create a more casual look. These sofas tend to sit softly and are often deeper than other designs

Skirt Fabric panel that surrounds the base of a piece of furniture and hides the furniture's legs

Slipcovered An overstuffed or exposed frame with a fitted or relaxed cover that can be removed for cleaning.

Tufted back A style distinguished by upholstery that is tied down with a button, producing folds and patterns.

Vertically run Fabric that runs vertically, bottom to top, over furniture's front, back and arms.

Veneer Veneering is the process of applying a thin sheet of material, usually wood or plastic, to the surface of another material. Veneer is usually applied to a less expensive piece of wood, and thereby gives the look and feel of a more luxurious piece without the cost. Veneering, if applied properly can also add extra strength to a piece of furniture. If wood is used, the manner in which the wood is cut and the part of the tree it is cut from determines the type of pattern produced. Horizontal slices reveal a pattern of rings, while vertical slices produce a wood grain effect.

Welt Cord wrapped in fabric. Used to trim upholstery seams and places where fabric meets exposed wood. Can be single or double welt.