A

A.F.F.

Abbreviation for Above Finished Floor. This is typically used on construction plans to note installation heights or objects.

ADA Guidelines

A set of requirements applied to the design and construction of all buildings to ensure individuals with disabilities have full access to the building and its facilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Adaptations

Newly made furniture pieces that capture the flavor of the original but are not authentic.

Adjustable Parts

Many parts in an item of furniture can be adjusted to fit the equipment and users’ needs. Such as, seat height/angle, arm height/position/width, back height/angle, lower lumbar support, worksurface height, and overall recliner position for a lounge chair.

Anti-Fatigue Mat 

A polyurethane cushion to support your feet while working on a hard surface.

Apron

Boards that are placed at right angles to the underside of a tabletop or seat of a chair, extending between the tops of legs. On case goods furniture, it is the perpendicular face below the lowest drawer between bracket feet.

Armoire

The French term for a wardrobe is frequently used to describe a French-style wardrobe.

Art Deco

Style of architecture and furnishings popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s; characteristics include streamlined, geometric motifs expressed in materials such as glass, plastic, and chrome.

Art Nouveau

Forerunner of Art Deco; style of decoration between 1890 and 1910 characterized by flowing lines, sinuous curves, and forms derived from nature.

Asynchronous Control for an office chair

This multi-faceted tilt control system allows the back to pivot independently from the seat and locks the back in any position to give users the broadest possible range of postures, from full recline to perch.

Attached Back

The attached back pieces feature cushions that are attached, and cannot be removed or flipped. Prevents pillows from being moved out of place. The attached back cushioning maintains the durability of the cushions because the back does not move or wear as it would if it were detached.

B

Bachelor’s Chest

The small low chest of drawers first appeared in the 18th century and became very popular.

Back Splat

A section of flat occasionally pierced wood in the center of the back of a chair

BBackorders

Items on a purchase order with insufficient inventory to satisfy demand.

Balance

A state of equilibrium; can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Arrangement of objects around an imaginary central point to achieve a pleasing result.

Ball and claw

A turned food of spherical form with a carved bird’s claw clutching the ball. Inspired by ancient Chinese figures of a dragon claw holding a jewel

Ball Foot

A basic, historic style is seen on chairs, tables, or other casegoods, which appears like a carved ball sitting at the end of the chair leg. Also called bun foot.

Banding

Veneer is cut into narrow strips of contrasting color for decorative effect, typical of marquetry or inlay. Often used around the edges of furniture, drawers, etc.

Banquette

A long bench-like seat, often upholstered and generally built into or along a wall.

Bariatric Seating 

Specialized seating engineered to support people up to 450lbs, mostly used for medical applications.

Baseball Stitch

Upholstered furniture containing a triple stitch seam of fabric, with two visible stitches bordering a center stitch between the two pieces of fabric. Inspired by the classic stitching on a baseball, this stitch is a design feature and often contrasts with the upholstery of a sofa, loveseat, or chair.

Blanket Chest

A low storage chest with a hinged lid and often a lower drawer, serving also as a bench.

Beading

Decorative detail resembling a row of flattened beads.

Bench Seat:

A sofa or loveseat that utilizes only one long seat cushion. Bench seating is streamlined, with attached cushioning. Sofas and couches, love, seats and other upholstered pieces can feature bench seating.

Bentwood chair

A chair popularized in Paris café culture that is made, by a wood bent using a steaming process.

Beveled Glass:

Thick glass with an angled surface cut around the entire periphery. The bevel on a mirror or glass piece adds visual interest and enhances the formality of mirrored pieces. The bevel is cut into the glass and is usually showcased by framing.

Bolster

A long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc.

Bombe

(Pronounced Bombay) A low, usually heavily decorated chest of drawers with outwardly bulging front and sides.

Bonded Leather/ Durablend™

A polyurethane/leather blended upholstery. A composite material made of leather, polyester, cotton, and polyurethane. It contains about 17% genuine leather. Pieces of leather are applied to a polyester/cotton blend material as a backing, and then polyurethane is applied to the top to get a consistent look and feel. You gain the look and feel of leather, along with the easy maintenance, without the cost.

Bookcase Headboard

A headboard for a bed that has space to store books, radios, clocks, and other small items. Sometimes called a storage headboard.

Book Match

A method of veneer matching is where pairs of adjacent slices of veneer, as they are cut from the log, are opened up like the pages of a book, producing a mirror image of the grain pattern.

Bow front

Outwardly bowing in front of an item of wooden furniture.

Box Match

A veneering pattern similar to a diamond match and angled to create a series of consecutive squares radiating out from the center.

Brace Block

A piece of wood or metal is fitted into an angle of a piece of furniture to add strength or rigidity.

Bracket

Used to connect parts of furniture, gang chairs together, cubicle style panels, or flat parts of furniture. Worksurfaces can be flat bracketed to connect them at the same level next to each other or right angle brackets to construct bases to support a desk top. Also, piano hinge brackets allows movement for a lid or folding end panels.

Bracket Clamp

This is a clamp that supports items above the worksurface by attaching to the edge of a worksurface.

Bracket foot

A foot resembling an “L” on its side is placed at the corners of cabinet furniture.

Breakfront

An item of furniture is divided vertically into three sections, with the center section projecting forward.

Bridge for U-unit Desks

The bridge is installed between the front single pedestal desk and the rear single pedestal credenza to form a U shape around the user.

Brocade

Used in fine, formal upholstery, it has raised surface patterns resembling embroidery.

Buffet

A buffet/sideboard without a hutch or storage cabinet on top. The French definition of the word is “a small sideboard; a place to keep dishes.”

Bullet Worksurface

The Bullet shape is a standard rectangle worksurface with one of the narrow ends rounded to an even 180 degrees, like a bullet.

Bun Foot

A foot-shaped as a slightly flattened round ball typically used on chests of drawers or upholstered chairs.

Bureau

A desk built on top of a chest of drawers. The desk is revealed when a flap or “fall” is lowered. Occasionally a bookcase sits on top of it.

Burl:

A variation (or “knot”) in the wood grain that creates a pattern when cut thin; is often used for veneer or inlay. Burls are naturally occurring in wood and can be mimicked in manufactured pieces to add an organic appearance.

Butt Joint

This is a type of joint where wood ends meet perpendicularly at right angles without overlapping or notching.

Butt Match

Veneer arrangement similar to book match, but joined end-to-end in a continuous strip. This may also be called an end match.

Butterfly Table

A small folding table with splayed legs generally turned. The top has wing brackets underneath to support drop-leaf wings on either side.

C

Cable Trough

Power/data cable management to power office equipment, in furniture and workstation layouts.

Cabriole leg

A table or chair leg with a gentle “S” shape that curves outward at the top and then curves inward while tapering gradually. Named after an early French term for “goat” (literally “goat’s leg”) it is common on Queen Anne and Chippendale style furniture. Occasionally referred to as a Queen Anne leg.

Cafe’ Height

For tables and counters that are 40″-42″ and primarily used for standing Height.

Camelback

Used to describe furniture with a curve like a camel’s hump along its back.

Cantilever table

These are also known as “C” tables, to use with seating that has an open base. The table base slides under the seat and the top goes above the seat to give you a solid place for equipment or plate ware.

Carts

Carts help carry stuff, rolling on wheels or castors. They 2 or more shelves and can be made from wire racking, metal, polymer, nylon, or plastic. It is helpful to use a material that will resist any wet or harsh environments.

Casegoods or Case Pieces

A category of furnishings and home accents that is not upholstered, and is used for storage. Casegoods typically features drawer and cabinet storage and can be used in most rooms of the home.

Casters

Wheels that allow home furnishings to roll around. Each small set of wheels is free to swivel in any direction, fixed to the legs or base of a heavy piece of furniture so that it can be moved easily. Casters add versatility and easy mobility to a variety of home accents and furniture pieces.

Cedar Chest

A rectangular storage chest made of sold cedar or cedar veneers to prevent moth damage on woolens.

Center Match

An arrangement of two veneer sheets of uniform size, matched in the center on a single face. Also called a balance match.

Center Tilt Mechanism

This is a residential or old-style chair mechanism that allows the chair to rock or tilt with the pivot point in the center of the seat. Many times there is a height adjustment as well.

Chaise Lounge

An upholstered settee with an arm at one end and a back that tapers down to seating level.

Chamfer

To bevel and edge.

Charging Carts

Start each day with your devices fully charged, organized, and accounted for! Shop our collection of UL safety-certified Line Leader charging carts to safely charge your laptops, tablets, and Chromebooks.  

Chenille

Fabric with thick needle-punched design. Chenille is soft to the touch, durable, and found in home accents, furniture upholstery, and rugs.

China Cabinet

A cabinet with a glass front typically sits on a buffet or shallow cupboard.

Chintz

Printed cotton fabric, frequently glazed, used in the country or casual decoration.

Chippendale

Name applied to Thomas Chippendale’s eighteenth-century furniture designs, including the camelback sofa and the wing chair.

Clamp Mount

This bracket goes around the edge of a worksurface and supports items above the worksurface. Such as monitors, privacy screens, Covid Plexiglas, adjustable monitor arm ,and, stack on storage.

Classic

Refers to design based in the artistic standards, principles, and methods of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Club Chair

Low back upholstered chair with arms. Club chairs are streamlined, often scaled down, and are versatile in use. These chairs can be used in dining, or in arranging seating areas.

Coffee Table

A long, low table is used in front of a sofa. Also called a cocktail table.

Coffer

A storage chest has a hinged lid.

Complementary colors

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (i.e. blue and orange).

Concept

A comprehensive idea or generalization that brings diverse elements into some basic relationship.

Core

The inner layer of plywood or particleboard in veneered panels.

Corner Block

Triangular wood blocks used are in the concealed structure under tabletops, inside cases, and at points of stress on upholstered furniture frames.

Corner-breaking

Taking the sharp edges off the corners on moldings, drawer fronts, doors, etc.

Corner Tabfive-sided

A five sided tableright-angleht angle side to fit into the right angle corner on a space.

Cornice

Decorative section of wood that runs along the top of cabinet furniture and leans out at an angle to provide a pleasing finished appearance to the piece.

Couch

Also called a sofa; it is an upholstered seat typically for more than one person.

Counter Weight

An extra weight (flat metal) that keeps file cabinets from falling when the top drawer is open or other furniture to lower their center of gravity.

Cube / Cylinder Tables

Side tables with simple shapes used on the side of a chair or sofa.

Credenza

A buffet, sideboard, or bookcase, especially one without legs. A piece of office furniture having a long flat top.

Crossbanding

A veneer banding in which one layer of veneer runs at a right angle to the next layer in order to offset shrinking, swelling, and warping.

Curio Cabinet

An enclosed glass cabinet for displaying a variety of products such as glassware and other collectibles. Sometimes simply called a curio.

Cutwork

Embroidered fabric with decorative cut-out designs that are outlined in a buttonhole stitch.

D

Damask

Formal fabric with textural contrast between satiny and dull.

Data Grommet

A finished hole in furniture that data / power cables can be run through that includes a partial lid.

Daybed

Similar to a bed but narrower and with a padded seat back at one end for leaning against. It is a versatile bed that can be used as a sofa, a sleeping bed, or a lounge area. Daybeds are common in guest rooms, as they double as seating and sleeping areas.

Density

Often used to reference the weight per cubic foot of foam. Density is independent of firmness, but is an important marker of foam quality: the denser the foam, the higher quality the foam. Foam with a density of 1.8 pounds per cubic foot is less likely to “bottom out” or flatten.

Dentil molding

A decorative feature composed of rectangular blocks (“teeth”) spaced at equal intervals, typically along the length of a cornice. Favored in 18th century design.

Desk Divider

Popular during the Open Plan office design. They are any material that defines space for each person to work in. They are used for visual, sound and Covid breath control.

Desk Shell 

When a worksurface is supported by solid end panels and strengthen with a modesty panel between them it is a desk shell. It will have 3 sides, a top and open space for a person to put their legs under for working on the top.

Diamond Match

Four pieces of relatively straight-grained wood veneer cut diagonally then joined to meet in a central diamond shape.

Dinette

Small-scaled dining furniture with a table and four to six chairs designed for kitchen use, but also used in small dining areas.

Distressing

An antiquing process that makes new wood look old and used. Usually entails surface marks and indentations that are added during the finishing process. Dovetail- A type of joint generally used to join the front and sides of a drawer by having wedge-shaped projections on one piece of wood interlock with grooves in another piece of wood.

Diversity

Variety and multiformity. The opposite of unity and just a little adds interest. Too much can make a design chaotic.

Double Pedestal

A tabletop supported by two supporting columns. The two supporting columns, or pedestals, allow sturdiness and give the table a distinctive, symmetrical style.

Double Pedestal Desk

A desk that has a drawer set at each end, a single pedestal desk will have one drawer set at one end.

Dovetail

A type of joinery using interlocking wedge shapes, often used in drawer construction. They are associated with quality of drawer construction. Its purpose is to stabilize drawer fronts so that years of use won’t loosen them. In earlier construction, concealed or discreet dovetails were common. Dovetail construction and detailing is a classic, traditional feature common in English design, and found now throughout quality made furniture.

Dowel

A round grooved wooden pin, peg, or rod that is fitted into the holes in two pieces of wood to hold them together.

Down

Soft, fluffy feathers from very young birds or from the undersides of older birds or fowl. This is used for stuffing pillows and cushions, often combined with polyester fibers.

Drawer Guide/Slide

These strips of wood or metal are placed under the center or on the outside of drawers to serve as a track on which they are drawn back and forth.

Dresser/Dressing table

An item of bedroom furniture consisting of a low table with drawers, usually with a kneehole and frequently having a mirror attached to the top.

Drop leaf table

A table with hinged leaves which can be lowered to save space when not in use. The leaf is an extension piece, and on a drop-leaf table, hinges are to be lifted as needed to put the extensions in place.

Drop-in Coil Springs

A pre-made wire assembly usually containing coil springs, which is inserted into the seat frame below the deck to provide a desired level of seating comfort and elasticity. These springs add structural support and maintain seat height.

Durapella® & Duraplush™

High-tech fabrics that consist of 100% MicroDenier polyester suede. Also called microfibers.

Dust Panel

A thin, horizontal board between two drawers in a chest to diminish dust accumulation.

E

Eclecticism

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

Edging

A method of protecting a veneer panel by applying a thin strip of solid wood, metal, or plastic at the edge of the panel. Also called banding.

Eight-way, hand-tied

A marker of high quality furnishings, these are the hand-tied springs in a sofa to hold the supportive springs in place. In today’s furniture, most sofas feature metal clips and wires that keep coils in position.

Elastic Webbing

Interwoven synthetic and nylon-blended strips that provide a foundation for upholstered furniture in the arms, backs and seats. Replaces sinuous springs or eight way hand tied coils. As alternative, elastic webbing provides support for cushioning along all seating areas of sofas and couches, loveseats, accent chairs, and other upholstered pieces.

Embossing

A type of design that is produced on a surface by hammering, stamping, pressing, or molding.

Embroidery

The art of working raised and ornamental designs in threads of silk, cotton, gold, silver, or other material, upon any woven fabric with a needle.

Emphasis

Directing special attention or effort to a specific object or area.

Enamel Finish

A coating of paint that can be brushed and sometimes rubbed to a high gloss.

End Panel

End Panels support a worksurface with a solid rectangular supportive material acting as a leg.

End Table

Small side table that may be used at the end of a sofa or beside a chair.

Engineered Wood

Any restructured composite of wood, including oriented strand board, particleboard, and plywood.

Executive Chair

An office chair with upgraded design, comfort and higher status features than a normal office chair.

Executive Desk 

As with the Executive Chair, everything is upgraded above the rest of the office to show status.

Executive Office

Executive is the very highest position in an organization and deserves the very best. Work area, chair, guest seating, book cases, display cabinets, side tables, closed door storage, meeting table and chairs. Other amenities can include a private bathroom with dressing area and door into a large meeting room with a conference table and chairs. The Executive office can be very elaborate or to make a “statement” just 2 sawhorses and a door.

Extron Plate

Installed in worksurface or other accessible part of furniture that supports power, data, sound or other high tech interface.

F

Fall Front

The hinged front of a bureau that lowers to reveal the desk inside.

Fan Pattern

Width and evenness of paint coming out of spray gun.

Faux

Literally French for “fake”, this term is used to describe things that appear to be of one material or finish, but in fact are not. An example is faux books where bookends are used to create the effect of a real library.

Fiberfill

A soft, synthetic material used as cushioning in upholstered furniture, bedding, and comforters. Polyester fibers are most commonly used.

Fiddle back

A back splat shaped like a violin, common in Windsor chairs.

File Cabinet

A set of drawers made to hold paper files and other supplies. They can be small on castors, tall with 5 high drawers, 3 1/2 feet wide or large cabinets of wheeled tracks. Track Files can be moved to allow access and moved next to each other to save floor space and make them more secure.

Filigree

Ornamental openwork of delicate or intricate design that is usually done in gold or silver wire.

Finger Joint

A process by which the ends of pieces of lumber are machined and fastened together by using glue. The machined edge looks like a series of fingers. The objective is to reclaim short unusable pieces of lumber into longer useable pieces.

Finial

A decorative knob that caps the top of a bedpost or lamp. Finials are a traditional design element, but have been modified for use across various styles. Finials can additionally be found on accent pieces.

Finish

A treatment that is applied to wood to protect the surface and to make it more durable and resistant to stains and burns, to accentuate the natural grain, to lighten or deepen the color, to make a dull or glossy surface, or to change the color completely as by painting, lacquering, polishing, antiquing, distressing, etc.

Fire Cut Veneer

A combination of straight-grain and heart figure veneer produced by slicing half of a log directly through the center or heart.

Flared Arm

An upholstered arm that rolls out away from the midline of the sofa or chair. Flared arms resemble scrolls that move outward and draw the eye away from the seating area of the piece.

Flat packed furniture

Also called KD, flat-pack or self-assembly furniture. Refers to furniture that is to be assembled by the end user.

Flock

Short fibrous particles that are applied by various processes to the surface of fabric, paper, or wood to give the appearance and feel of velvet or suede.

Flip Top Mechanism

This is used mainly on tables, top flip the top from horizontal to vertical for tighter storage.

Fluting

Shallow vertical grooves, usually parallel, used to ornament a surface. Often used on columns or pilasters in classical architecture.

Folk art

A broad category of handmade art objects, new or antique, that display a charmingly naïve, unsophisticated quality.

Footboard

A supporting piece at the foot end of a bed, sometimes decorative.

Foot Ring

A supportive ring that goes a round the column of a chair or stool for a person to rest their feet on.

Four Post Bed / Four Poster

A bed having a post at each corner supporting a canopy.

Four Way Match

A veneer pattern produced by the combination of book matches and butt matches.

Frame

The supporting structure of a piece of furniture.

Freestanding Privacy Screen

A screen that will stand on support feet and used for privacy, light and some sound control. It can be made with various materials, fabric covered hollow core, plastics, glass or laminates.

French Provincial

A term describing countrified versions of formal French furnishings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; often referred to as “provencal” today.

Fretwork

Interlaced ornamental woodwork, usually in a complicated repeating, geometric pattern. This is often used in backs of chairs, beds, in china cabinet doors, or on table aprons and legs.

Frieze

A heavy pile of upholstery and drapery fabric with rows of uncut loops. Usually made of mohair, wool, cotton, or man-made fibers.

Fringe

A decorative border of thread, cord, or the like, usually hanging loosely from a raveled edge or separate strip.

Futon

A folded mattress on a frame that can be folded up for seating or down to form a sleeping surface.

G

Gate Leg Table

A drop-leaf table whose leaves are supported by extra legs that swing outwards like gates.

Glide

Used help furniture glide over the floor, protecting the floor and furniture. They can also be adjustable to level the furniture.

Glider

A mechanism that allows the chair to glide back and forth on a hinged or ball bearing assembly. Often coupled with swivel and reclining motion, gliders allow for a smooth horizontal motion.

Gilding

A technique for applying gold to furniture and other surfaces.

Grain

Variations in color and texture made by the size and arrangements of cells and pores of a living tree and is revealed when wood is cut through the trunk in an essentially horizontal direction.

Grommet

A plastic, metal, or rubber ring that is inserted into a hole made through another material. They may be used to reinforce the hole, to shield something from the sharp edges of the hole, or both.

Gusset

Frequently used to fuse any number of load-bearing columns with beams or trusses together. The members can be bolted, riveted or welded to the gusset. Their function is critical to the integrity of the structure they are supporting.

Guest Chair 

Used for visitors while they wait or during a meeting. Generally simple, comfortable and blend in with the surrounding decor.

H

Hard Board

A material used drawer bottoms, panel / bookcase backing and temporary floor covering. When rolling heavy items over solid surfaces, it gives an extra layer between the hard wheels to prevent marks.

Hardware

A generic term used to describe any metal fitting that goes onto furniture i.e., handles, locks, hinges, escutcheons, etc.

Harmony

The feeling created when tools are used together to provide a look that is pulled together.

Hardwood

A general term for the lumber of broad-leafed or deciduous trees in contrast to evergreen or coniferous trees, which are termed softwoods.

Headboard

A panel rising above mattress at the head of the bed. Often supports the bed rails.

High Pressure Laminate

Brands like Formica and Wilsonart have been used for many years as a final finish on furniture items. The construction uses layers of craft paper strengthened with binding agents and pressure. To top layer is very durable and uses photorealistic graphics to look like many real surfaces. They have further developed texturing process to simulate wood grain. It is the plastic resin layered with the craft paper creates and impact, heat and water resistant material that has been used for over 100 yeaars.

Homespun

Originally, this was a fabric loomed by hand at home, but now the name of a loose, coarsely woven, power-loomed fabric that uses textured and bulky yarns to create a hand-woven look.

Hope Chest

Synonymous with a cedar chest and dowry chest.

Hue

The common name of a color. It indicates the color’s position in the spectrum or in the color circle. It is determined by the specific wavelength of the color in the ray of light.

Hutch

A two-part case piece that usually has a two-door cabinet below and open shelves above, originally dating from seventeenth-century England.

I

ILD (Indentation Load Deflection)

Method for testing and measuring the firmness of latex foam. The test and measurement is done to a 4” x15” x 15” piece of foam placed on a flat surface. Then a round metal plate, 8” in diameter pushes down on that piece of foam. The amount of pressure, measured in pounds that it takes to compress the foam 25% (to 3”) is referred to as the ILD. The greater the number the firmer the foam.

Independent Back Angle Adjustment

This allows an office chair to adjust the angle of the back to the seat with a hinge motion. It can be locked in place along the path of movement to give the user a more supportive and comfortable sitting position. With a good lumbar support the back angle can be fitted to each user.

Illumination

Impacts the perception of space, form, line, texture and color by creating shadows and color. The intensity of hue will be affected by illumination. Strong dark colors absorb light while light tints reflect light.

Inlay

A cut ornamental setting of a contrasting material (such as marble) in wood. Inlays are a popular design feature in tabletops, and add visual interest. Inlays can be stone, tile, glad, or two-toned wood to contrast with the base layer of the furnishing.

Innerspring Mattress

A mattress with a center core of springs for buoyancy and resilience. A protective pad surrounds the springs.

Iridescent

Brilliant, lustrous, or colorful in effect or appearance. In fabrics it is a changeable effect due to the color arrangement in the warp and filling yarns to provide contrast and interest.

J

Jacquard

A formal, highly decorative fabric that includes damasks, tapestries, brocades, and all cloths with elaborate figures woven on a jacquard loom.

Joint

When making furniture, this would be the junction at which two pieces of lumber unite to form a support or make a closure.

K

Kiln Dried

Wood that has been dried in a control-heated chamber, as opposed to air dried, and is more likely to warp because the drying is less even.

Knee Hole

A space beneath a desk or dressing table designed to accommodate a person’s legs to enable them to sit comfortably when using the top as a work surface.

Knitted Fabrics

Fabrics that are formed by knitting. The interlocking of loops of yarn rather than interlacing two sets of yarn as in weaving.

Knock Down Furniture

Also called KD, flat-pack or self-assembly furniture. Refers to furniture that is to be assembled by the end user.

L

Lacquer

A durable varnish applied in several layers to protect furniture’s surface. Finishes can vary from matt to glossy. Lacquer enhances durability to hard surfaces, and can add richness to the finish depending on the style of lacquer.

Ladder Back Chair

A style of country chair with horizontal slats in the back that resemble a ladder.

Laminate or “Lam”

Applied covering to boards, which provide different appearances such as colors and grains (see also paper, vinyl). A synonym for “replicated.”

Lattice

An openwork crisscross or fretwork made of thin, flat strips of wood or metal. Usually found on chairs and headboards.

Lazy Susan

A revolving tray or stand of wood or metal.

Leaf for a Table

A board or panel that is used as a tabletop extension. Some leaves are hinged to the table surface and must be raised to a horizontal position, as in a Pampero or gate-leg table. Other leaves are drawn out from beneath the table surface, as in the draw table. In other tables, the top can be separated and extended so leaves can be placed in the opening.

Leather Match

Upholstery that features top-grain leather in the seating areas with skillfully matched vinyl everywhere else.

Lift Chair

A reclining with a mechanism that raises the chair off the ground, elevating the sitter to a standing position. Lift chairs are great for people with difficulty standing from seated position.

Line

Works with form to emphasis or outline a space or materials used in a space. Horizontal lines can be used for a more relaxed look and to emphasis the length of a wall or item. Vertical lines added formality and height to an area.

Lockers

Lockers are used to store personal items and can be locked up safely. Some people bring things to work that they will not use during the day and other items that they will use at work, but not take them home. The size and material vary but, metal or laminated Medium Density Fiberboard are popular.

Loft Bed

A single bed that is elevated from the floor requiring stairs or a ladder. Loft beds save on space, and free up floor space for additional storage. Loft beds are ideal for students and children.

Loose Back

An upholstery furniture piece in which the back pillows are detached from the back frame. Specifically allows for cushions to be flipped. Loose back cushioning on sofas and couches, loveseats and other upholstered pieces is versatile and allows cushions to be flipped and moved as needed.

Loveseat

A two-seated sofa.