Descriptionary

Tuscan bed from the Italian Renaissance period, an ornately-carved, four poster bed with a gilded headboard.

waterbed a modern, plastic bed filled with water, originating in the 1960s.

bureaus, cabinets, and chests

armoire a tall cupboard, wardrobe, or closetlike cabinet with doors and shelves for clothing, but also used in modern times as an entertainment center hold­ing a television, stereo, DVD player, etc.

apothecary chest a low chest with several small drawers, once used to store medicines, but today employed to hold numerous small items.

ark a medieval chest with a rounded cover.

art cabinet a cabinet having a glass front and vari­ous display shelves or niches and sometimes mirrored backs for showing off small ornamental items, popu­lar in Victorian times.

bachelor's chest a chest of drawers with a hinged leaf that doubled as a writing surface when opened, popular in the 18 th century.

blanket chest a small, boxlike chest for holding blankets or quilts. Sometimes called a hope chest.

bowfront any cabinet with a rounded or convex front.

breakfront a style of cabinet divided into three sec­tions, with the middle section projecting slightly, pop­ular in Chippendale case pieces.

buffet a cabinet having shelves and cupboards for dishes and silverware and other dining room items.

canterbury formerly a rack for holding music, now a magazine rack.

case furniture generic term for any furniture intended to hold or store something, such as a cabinet or bureau.

chest on chest a tall chest of drawers topped by a smaller chest of drawers.

chiffonier a tall and narrow chest with many draw­ers and often, a mirror.

coffer a medieval chest with a rounded top, made for transport.

commode

a low chest with either doors or drawers, originating in the late 17th century.

dresser a chest of drawers for clothes, often having a mirror.

entertainment center an armoire-like cabinet with multiple compartments for a television, DVD player, CD player, and so on, and which may or may not have hinged doors.

etagere a freestanding, open cabinet with shelves, used to display knickknacks, curios, or other small items.

Guilford chest originating in the 17th century, a four-legged chest with a single drawer, usually painted with floral motifs.

Hadley chest originating in the late 17th century, a chest with four short legs and one or more drawers, usually paneled, carved, and stained, with floral and vine decorations.

highboy a tall chest of drawers on tall legs, often crowned with a pediment.

hope chest a small, boxlike chest, traditionally used by a young woman to accumulate and store blankets, linens, and/or clothing in anticipation of marriage.

hutch a chest or cabinet with drawers and cupboards.

lowboy a low chest or table with drawers and short legs.

pediment an arched crown on top of tall case furni­ture. The arch is often broken in the center and called a broken pediment.

plinth the base on which a chest with no legs sits.

pot cupboard a small cabinet originally designed to store a chamber pot, washbasin, and pitcher, from the 1700s through the 1800s.

pot table similar to the pot cupboard, a cylindrical cabinet, intended to hold a chamber pot, originating in the 1800s.

wardrobe a tall cabinet in which clothes may be hung, and underneath is usually attached a chest of drawers, now largely replaced by closets.

chairs and sofas

arm stump on an armchair, the vertical member that supports an armrest.

balloon chair a round-backed Hepplewhite chair, reminiscent of a balloon.

banquette

a long, upholstered bench, most often used in a restaurant waiting area.

Barcelona chair a padded leather chair without arms, supported by an X-shaped frame.

barrel chair a semicircular, upholstered chair.

basket chair a wicker chair with a rounded and hooded back.

bergere a French-designed, fully upholstered arm­chair with a loose seat cushion and closed sides, origi­nating in the 18th century.

Boston rocker originating in the 19th century, an American rocking chair with a spindle back and curved wooden seat, often painted or stenciled.

Brewster chair originating in the 17th century, a Jacobean-style chair constructed of turned wood and numerous spindles and sometimes having a rush seat.

butterfly chair a canvas sling chair on a metal frame.

cabriole sofa originating in the 18th century, a sofa having a rounded back that curves into its arms. It may or may not have curved cabriole legs.

camelback sofa a sofa originating in the 18th cen­tury, characterized by a large, rounded back, as that of a camel.

canape an upholstered settee.