Furniture Glossary for Furniture Shoppers - L

Lacquer: A hard, protective varnish that is applied as a topcoat to furniture.

Ladder-Back: Normally a country style of chair with a back that resembles a ladder. Find dining and kitchen chairs.

Lambrequin: A cornice that completely frames a window.

Laminate: Any thin material such as wood or plastic that’s glued to the exterior of a cabinet or other surface.

Lap: A joint of two pieces lapping over one another.

Latex: A natural foam from the rubber tree or a synthetic rubber. Latex is often used in premium foam mattresses. Find a latex mattress.

Lattice: Crossed wood, iron plate bars, etc.

Lawson: An overstuffed furniture style that has square seat cushions, short squared or rectangular backrests, and high rolled or squared arms. Variations of this style are often referred to as transitional.

Lay Off: To brush an unloaded paintbrush across a wet painted surface to create a smooth as possible finish.

Leather: The hide of an animal used in home furnishings. Find leather furniture.

Leather Finishing: After dyeing leather, the finishing may include waxing, buffing, waterproofing, etc. Find leather furniture.

Lectus: A style of daybed or reclining sofa featuring Roman influences. Find a daybed.

Library Storage: Drawers, trays, cabinets or racks designed to store cassettes, CD's or video tapes. They often roll or slide out for easy accessibility. Find media storage units.

Lifestyle: A term to describe an individual’s expression of life. Lifestyle furniture pieces tend to be casual in nature and simple in design.

Limewash: A finish that's made of slaked lime and water, which is used for whitening outside walls.

Liming: A technique of using liming wax to stain wood a whitish color.

Lincoln Rocker: An upholstered high back rocker that has an exposed wood frame and padded armrests. Find a rocking chair.

Linen: A type of cloth that’s made of flax, which is woven somewhat loosely allowing more air through. Linen is known for having a generally cool feel.

Linen-Press: A cupboard with shelves for storing linen and clothes.

Linenfold Paneling: A decorative panel that's molded or carved to look like folded cloth.

Lingerie Chest: A tall narrow seven-drawer chest normally used for storing undergarments and lingerie. Find bedroom furniture.

Lining Paper: A special type of wallpaper that's used as a base for the decorative paper. Lining paper is often used to cover cracks and other imperfections in a wall.

Linoleum: An all-natural flooring material made of linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, tree resins, ground limestone and pigments.

Lodge: Traditionally a rustic house or inn that's located in a remote area such as the mountains of Montana. The word has also become a decor term for a trend of furnishings and accessory items inspired by the rustic elements and objects found in lodges.

Loft Bed: A raised bed like a bunk bed that has drawers or other case pieces such as a desk underneath instead of an additional bed. Find kid's bedroom furniture.

Log Furniture: Western and rustic style furnishings that are made out of actual wood logs.

Loo Table: A large Victorian card or games table.

Loop-Back: An oval chair back without arms. Find a dining room chair.

Loose Cover: A throw or fitted cover that goes over a sofa, chair, etc.

Loose Pillow-Back: A pillow treatment that can be removed from an upholstered piece of furniture.

Loper: A pullout arm used to support the hinged fall of a bureau.

Louis XIII: Popular during the early 1600’s. Louis XIII furniture pieces tend to have a straight line. Case pieces are usually symmetrical and separated into two parts. Panels on cabinets have square panels and have a broken pediment design. Favored details are twisted columns, turned legs, and balusters. The prominent decorations are inlay, marquetry and intricate carvings. Ebony, walnut, and oak are the most popular woods of Louis XIII pieces.

Louis XIV, XV and XVI: Classic French furniture designs ranging from the mid 1600’s to the late 1700’s. These styles grew to be simpler and more refined. Louis XIV style is larger and more ornate. Louis XV is simpler and features curved lines and some ornamentation. Louis XVI features geometric shapes, straight lines and minimal ornamentation.

Louvered Doors: Doors that are made up of horizontal wooden slats.

Loveseat (or Love Seat): A smaller two-seat version of a sofa, originally associated with the Queen Anne style. Find a loveseat.

Lowboy: A short chest or table with drawers, normally set on short legs.

Luggage Stitching: A sewing technique featuring two parallel rows of stitching.

Lurex: Fibers from finely slit aluminum film covered in plastic. The luster of the yarn imitates gold and silver threads.

Lyre Arm: A bow-shaped section of a piece of furniture resembling a harp.

Lyre Back: A chair with a back resembling a harp.

Lyre Motif: Representations of a harp-like instrument used on many French and English designs. The lyre is used extensively in the chair backs and table supports of Duncan Phyfe.

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