Furniture Parts

Types of Legs

Cabriole a leg that curves out at

the middle and then tapers inward just above an ornamental foot

Splayed

• Legs that spread outward

Tapered

• Legs that progressively narrow towards the bottom

Marlborough• A square leg

Cornucopia• A leg curved like a

cornucopia, or horn or cone shape

Types of Feet

PadFlattened oval-shaped block of wood rests on a disk or pad

Bun• Resembles the shape

of a flattened ball

Claw-and-ball

• The claw of a bird of prey (eagle, hawk, etc) grasping a ball

Bracket

• Used to hold up a heavy piece of furniture

Spade

• A foot that progressively narrow towards the bottom, like a garden spade (or shovel)

Chair Backs

Lyre

• musical instruments resembling a small harps

Ladder• a back consisting

of two upright posts connected by horizontal slats

Splat (fiddle)

• decorative back in the shape of a fiddle

Square

• decorative back in the shape of a square or rectangle

Shield

• decorative back in the shape of a shield

Oval• decorative back in the shape of an oval

Heart

• decorative back in the shape of a heart

Ribbon

• A decorative back with intricate curves

Decorative Features

Finial• a crowning ornament

or detail

Motif

• a single or repeated design element• Ex: shell, trefoil, quatrefoil, butterfly

Pediment

• Placed above furniture as a decorative element

Reeding• a decorative carving consisting

of vertical lines that resemble thin reeds or stems of tall grass.

• Built up/raised

Fluted

• a decorative carving consisting of vertical indentations.

• carved out/sunk

Turned (spun)

• Made by rotating wood on a lathe and shaping with cutting tools