Planning an interior makeover?
Planning an interior makeover? Before you head out to the furniture store, make sure you know your chaise-longues from your Chippendales with this handy glossary.
Chaise-longue: Meaning "long chair" in French, these extended seats look like small sofas without the sides or back. They have a raised bit down one side and a small headboard at the top. Usually pronounced "chaise lounge" in US furniture stores - not inaccurately, since that's just what you do on them.
Chippendale: Not to be confused with the troupe of beefy boy dancers, this graceful furniture style harks back to London cabinet-maker and furniture store owner Thomas Chippendale in the 18th century. In furniture stores, look for arms that are curved outwards, in mahogany or cherry wood, and chair backs shaped like a horseshoe or square.
Inlay: The practice of inserting sections of coloured wood (or other materials) to create a mosaic-like pattern built into the furniture.
Italian: Many contemporary household brands in today's furniture stores are Italian-made. Italian style is shorthand for sleek, daring designs that are often very modern and minimalist.
La-Z-Boy: Originally developed in the 1920s using orange crates as a mock-up, this super-comfy style of chair has never quite gone out of fashion and is a firm fixture in furniture stores. Made to follow the contour of a body - both sitting up and leaning back - the first chair was made out of wood. In the hit TV show Friends, Chandler and Joey had a matching pair.
Minimalist: Any design that has been taken right back to its bare structure. In furniture stores, look out for forms that are simple and unfussy, with uninterrupted lines and plain colours.
Ottoman: A square or rectangular piece of furniture, padded, with no back or arms, that's often used as a footstool and sometimes - if hollow - doubles up as a chest. Stick a tray on the top and you can use them as coffee tables too. Another furniture store regular.
Pouffe: A small, low seat that can also be used as a footstool. Available in most furnitures stores.
Queen Anne: Another 18th-century style with graceful lines. Legs are S-shaped, slightly pointing out and ending in a small, rounded or shaped "foot". The balanced structure keeps furniture legs slim but still supportive. Some furniture stores specialise in dealing in such distinctive styles.
Scandinavian: In the 1950s a movement developed among furniture designers in Denmark, Sweden and Norway to provide furniture that's affordable for everyone. In furniture stores, look for plain wooden items and simple, minimalist designs in neutral or light colours and pretty, simple fabrics.
Veneer: A thin covering - usually of wood - over another surface. This is an inexpensive way of getting a good "look" for less money, if you put a thin layer of oak over MDF, the oak veneer, not the cheaper base, is what you see. If in doubt, ask in your furniture store.