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Furniture Glossary for Furniture Shoppers -W

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The following is a glossary of furniture terms. Click on the appropriate letter to find additional terms.

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Wabi-Sabi: Representing a Japanese worldview, it's a style of perceiving art and beauty that pervades all things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.

Wainscot Chair: Early jointed chair with a paneled back, open arms, and wood seat.

Wainscoting: An application of wood molding up to the middle or lower half of a wall.

Wall Clock: Any type of clock that's made specifically for hanging on a wall. Find a wall clock.

Wall Mirror: Any type of mirror that's designed to be hung on a wall. Find a wall mirror.

Wall Sculpture: A decorative wall hanging made from any material including wood, metal and synthetic materials. Find a wall sculpture.

Wall Units: Large free-standing or wall hung units which can have drawers, shelves, cabinets, desks, entertainment centers or other features.

Wallpaper: A decorative material which is used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices and other buildings. Wallpaper is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Find wallpaper.

Wardrobe: A tall upright cabinet with a door or doors. Designed for storing clothing. Find a wardrobe cabinet.

Warp (or Weft): The yarns running lengthwise in a piece of fabric, i.e., perpendicular to the woof (or welt).

Waterfall Skirt: A skirt on an upholstered piece of furniture that falls from the top of the base below the cushion line to the floor without interruption.

Webbing: Interwoven strips of material attached to a frame; used for support in upholstery pieces in place of traditional spring systems.

Wellington Chest: A tall, narrow, relatively plain type of chest named after the Duke of Wellington. Find a chest of drawers.

Welting (or Piping): A cord wrapped in fabric, which is used to trim upholstery seams and places where the fabric meets with exposed wood.

Whatnot: A mobile stand/cart with open shelves.

Wicker Furniture: Furniture woven from materials such as willow, reed, and rattan. Find wicker and rattan furniture.

William & Mary: This style is named after the 17th century English King and Queen. This style came to America in the early 1700’s. Common pieces of this style included high-backed upholstered armchairs, highboys, lowboys, etc. The elements of this design include features such as curved lines, marquetry, bun or ball feet, inlay and oriental lacquer-work.

Williamsburg Style: A style of decor inspired by the early colonial settlement of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Windsor Chair: A style of wooden chair originating in the early 1700’s, which is still very popular today that features a spindle back shaped in fans, hoops or combs. This style was named for Windsor Castle but gained true popularity in America. Woods used included birch, pine, hickory, ash, maple and oak. Find dining room chairs.

Wine Rack: A rack for storing bottles of wine. Wine racks can vary in size from a small rack used on a kitchen counter to something as large as a big bookcase. Find a wine rack.

Wing Chair (Wing-Back Chair): A high backed upholstered chair featuring rolled arms and wing shaped protrusions that extend over the arms at the head level. Find a wing back chair.

Woof: The yarns running crosswise on a piece of woven fabric that interlace with the warp (or weft).

Worm Holes: Small holes found in wood, considered a defect in many instances and a character-providing element in others such as rustic furniture pieces.

Wrap Group: Bedroom furniture that's usually designed for children's bedrooms to go against the walls so it can wrap around a room. Wrap groups often include small chests, dressers, student desks and hutches. They make a great use of limited space and provide a lot of storage.

Writing Desk: A smaller sized desk or table commonly used for personal use such as writing letters or paying bills. Find a writing desk.

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