2007-07-23 - Interior Design Terms
There are many terms used in interior design that could help you accurately communicate what you invision for your project. Read more on Interior Design Terms...

Accent colors: Contrasting colors used to enliven room schemes.

Analogous colors: Any series of colors that are adjacent on the color wheel.

Antique: An object 100 or more years old.

Antiquing: A technique for applying paint, varnish, or glaze to a surface then blotting it off with a cloth to suggest age.

Art Deco: A style of architecture and furnishings popular in the 1920s and 1930s; characteristics include streamlined, geometric motifs expressed in materials such as glass, plastic, and chrome.

Art Nouveau: The forerunner of Art Deco; a style of decoration between 1890 and 1910 characterized by flowing lines, sinuous curves, and stylized forms derived from nature.

Austrian Shade: A shade shirred in scalloped panels; pulls up like a Roman shade.

Balance: A state of equilibrium; can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Balloon shade: A poufed fabric shade that forms soft, billowy folds when raised.

Bauhaus: An influential German school of art and design that operated from 1919 to 1932 and stressed functionalism; much of what we refer to as "classic contemporary" today can be traced to Bauhaus beginnings.

Bay window: A projecting roofed structure that includes windows set at an angle to each other.

Bow window: A curved bay window.

Cafe curtains: Curtains that cover the lower half of a window.

Celadon: A pale green color.

Chair rail: A molding, usually of wood, running along a wall at the height of chair backs.

Chinoiserie: Furnishings, fabrics, and objects inspired by Chinese design.

Chintz: Printed cotton, often glazed.

Combing: A decorative paint technique for creating a striped or wavy pattern by pulling a special comb across wet paint.

Complementary colors: Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.

Cornice: Horizontal molding at the top of a wall, often used to conceal drapery fixtures.

Custom-made: Any product made to specification of size, color, shape, and material.

Decoupage: Cutouts of paper or other materials applied to various surfaces, then varnished for permanence.

Dhurrie: A traditional Indian woven carpet of cotton or silk.

Dimmer switch: A type of light switch (also known as a rheostat) that allows light levels to be controlled at various gradations, from dim to bright.

Documentary pattern: Copy or adaptation of a vintage wallpaper or fabric design.

Downlight: Recessed or attached to the ceiling, a spotlight that casts light downward.

Drop-leaf table: A table with hinged leaves that can be folded down.

Eclecticism: A style in which furnishings and accessories of various periods and styles are deftly and harmoniously combined.

Faux: French for "false"; a term to describe something that is simulated.

Faux bois: French for simulated wood.

Flocked wallpaper: Wallpaper with a raised surface that looks and feels somewhat like velvet.

Fluorescent: A type of cool, glareless light produced by the fluorescence of gas.

French Provincial: A term describing countrified versions of formal French furnishings of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Gilding: A technique for applying gold to furniture and other surfaces.

Glazing: A decorative paint technique whereby a film of color is applied to a painted surface to create a semitransparent effect.

Gloss: A type of oil-based paint that dries to a high sheen.

Gold leaf: Wafer-thin sheets of gold used in gilding decorative objects.

Graining: A decorative paint technique to create the effect of wood graining.

Graphics: A broad term for reproductions of artwork such as lithographs, serigraphs, and engravings.

Grass cloth: A type of wall covering made of woven reeds and dried grasses that are glued to paper or fabric.

Halogen: A type of incandescent light that uses metal halides in compact, highly efficient bulbs, tubes, and reflectors.

Heading: The top part of a curtain or drape extending above the rod.

High tech: A design style employing materials and objects from industrial settings.

Hue: The name of a color, such as red, blue, or yellow.

Incandescent light: The kind of light that emanates from standard light bulbs.

Indirect light: Light directed toward, then reflected from, a surface such as a wall or ceiling.

Jabot: Vertical fabric sections in swag drapery treatments.

Kilim: A reversible, woven rug made in Iran, Turkey, and other Middle Eastern countries.

Lacquer: A hard varnish that is applied in many layers then polished to a high sheen.

Lining paper: A plain, thin wall covering designed to provide a smooth surface for wallpaper or paint.

Malachite: A green-colored mineral used for ornamental objects.

Marbling: A decorative paint technique used to create the look of real marble.

Marquetry: Inlaid decorative detail on furniture and other surfaces using wood, metal, or other materials.

Matte: A flat paint finish with no shine or luster.

Moire: Fabric, usually silk, with a rippled, wavy pattern that gives a watered appearance.

Molding: Strips of wood, plaster, or other materials applied to walls for decorative effect or to conceal structure elements.

Monochromatic scheme: A color scheme limited to one color in various tones.

Oriental rug: A handwoven or hand-knotted rug native to the Middle or Far East.

Palette: Term used by artists and decorators to describe a range of colors.

Parquet: Inlaid geometric patterns of wood; used primarily in flooring.

Patina: The natural finish on a wood or metal surface that results from age and polishing.

Pickled finish: The result of rubbing white paint into previously stained and finished wood.

Picture light: A shaded metal light fixture that projects over a picture to illuminate it.

Picture rail: A molding placed high on a wall as a means for suspending artwork.

Plisse: Fabric with a puckered look.

Primary colors: Red, blue, and yellow, from which all colors are derived.

Primitives: Paintings and art of an unsophisticated culture.

Ragging: A textured effect produced by passing a crumpled rag over wet paint or glaze.

Refectory table: A long, narrow dining table; originally used in monasteries for community dining.

Reproduction: An exact, or nearly exact, copy of an original design.

Restoration: Anything that has been brought back to its original condition through reconstruction or replacement of missing parts.

Rococo: A highly elaborate form of decoration and architecture dating from the early 18th century in France.

Roman shade: A flat fabric shade that folds into neat horizontal pleats when raised.

Rya rug: A shaggy, hand-knotted area rug made in Scandinavia.

Scale: A term referring to the size of objects in relation to each other and the human body; in decorating, good scale is the result of an eye-pleasing relationship between furnishings and other objects, and the space in which they are used.

Secondary colors: Colors reproduced by mixing two primary colors, such as yellow and blue to form green.

Shaker design: Furniture made by a religious sect of the same name; noted for its functional simplicity and austere beauty.

Shoji screens: Japanese-style room partitions or sliding panels usually made of translucent rice paper framed in black lacquered wood.

Spattering: A decorative paint effect produced by tapping or flicking a loaded paintbrush onto a plain background.

Sponging: A paint technique involving the application layer after layer of opaque and translucent paint colors with a sponge.

Terrazzo: A hard-surface flooring material consisting of small chips of highly polished marble or stone.

Ticking: A striped cotton or linen fabric used for mattress covers, slipcovers, and curtains.

Tieback: A fastener attached to the sides of a window to hold back curtains.

Tint: The lighter values of a particular color obtained by mixing the color with white.

Tone: The darkness or lightness of a color; different colors may be of the same tone.

Trompe l'oeil: French for "fool the eye"; a two-dimensional painting designed to look three-dimensional.

Turn-of-the-century: Anything that was made around 1900.

Uplight: A light fixture that directs light toward the ceiling.

Valance: A drapery treatment made of fabric or wood used as a heading.

Veneer: A thin layer of wood, usually of fine quality, that is bonded to a heavier surface of lesser quality wood. Most new furniture is made of veneer construction.

Wainscoting: Wood paneling applied to walls from baseboards to the desired height.

Wallwasher: A type of spotlight that bathes a wall in ambient light.