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Anthony Lawrence-Belfair

Anthony Lawrence-Belfair

Upholstery | Long Island City

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Glossary

We created a glossary of terms we use to assist your communication with us when sending or receiving estimate requests.

Arm Styles

Armless

  • A sofa or chair with a seat and back but no arms
  • Usually smaller in scale

Bolster Arm

  • Cylindrical pillow-shaped arm resembling a bolster
  • These arms are generally bolted onto the frame of the sofa and not seen on chairs

Closed Arm or Bergere

English Arm or Bridgewater Arm

  • Rounded, pullover arm where the fabric is pulled over toward the outside, creating pleats across the width
  • The arm dips in the center and has an English edge on the outside

Exposed Arm

  • Exposed wooden or metal arm extending from the upholstered base to the back
  • Smaller in scale and visually light in feeling
  • Both modern and historical styles
  • Often has arm pads

Fitted Arm

  • Fitted with pieces of fabric, cut to the shape
  • Contains a seam or welt defining the edge of the arm shape

Open Arm or Fauteuil

Panel Arm

  • Wood panel covered in fabric and applied to the front of the arm
  • “Inset” if the panel is recessed, and “raised” if the panel protrudes from the front face

Pleated with Button

  • A round arm in which the fabric is pleated on the front face of the arm
  • The pleats meet at the center where a button or rosette can cover the tacks
  • Fabric cut ends in the middle

Pullover Arm

  • Typically a Scroll Arm or English Arm
  • Fabric is pulled to the outside
  • Almost always requiring pleats

Roll Arm

  • General term for any rounded arm shape

Scroll Arm

  • Pullover arm with distinct scrolled shape
  • Fabric is pulled to the outside following the curve of the scroll
  • Almost always requiring pleats, unless fitted

Sloping Arm

  • An arm that slopes downward, starting at the top of the back and curving down to the front of the arm

Splay Arm

  • An arm that flares or splays outward from the body

Square Arm

  • Squared off arm — flat top and sides
  • Can vary in dimensions and proportions

Wing Arm

  • Upholstered panel or “wing” projecting forward from the sides of the back, curving down to meet the arm
Exterior Back Shapes

Barrel Back Chair

  • Curved-back chair with a continuous “U” curve from arm front to arm front

Camel Back

  • Classic style of shaped back
  • Symmetrical shaped back resembling the hump on a camel; curving down from a higher center
  • Usually associated with a historic sofa style

Curved Back

  • Back with continuous outward curve from arm front to arm front
  • Can be symmetrical or asymmetrical
  • Doesn’t always have corresponding curve in front

Curved Sofa

  • Curved back and matching concave curve in the front

Rolled or Scrolled Back

  • Rounded roll or “C” shaped scroll on the top of the back, rolling outward

Shaped Back

  • Free-form shape
  • Usually symmetrical

Splay Back

  • Vertical slant of the back, sloping outward from the base to the top of the back
Interior Back and Seat Styles

Biscuit Tufting

  • Tufting with indentations in a square pattern

Button Tufting

  • Buttons sewn into a back, seat, or cushion causing slight indentations, creating a pattern

Channeling

  • Vertical or horizontal padded sections usually seen on backs
  • Usually of equal width and evenly spaced across the piece

Diamond Tufting

  • Tufting with indentations in a diamond pattern

En Plateau Back

  • Tight back with upholstered detail
  • Padding ends ¾” to 1″ from the top and sides of frame with nail heads or gimp covering the edge of the fabric

En Tableau Back

  • Tight back with faceted and mitered raise
  • Upholstered border on the interior off the back

Fitted Back and Seat

  • Tight seat or back where the fabric is cut to fit the area that is being covered
  • Requiring stitches to create the simple shape

Pullover Back and Seat

  • Tight seat or back where the fabric is pulled over the front seat edge or the top of the back
Leg and Foot Styles

Block Foot

  • Thick rectangular foot with straight or tapered sides
  • Modern

Bun Foot

  • A squat, turned, round foot with a flattened top and bottom

Cabriole (or S-Shaped) Leg

  • Double curved
  • The upper part has a pronounced outward curve (often with carved detail) that continues down to the tapered lower part that flares outward, ending in a foot

Fluted Leg

  • Cylindrical or square leg with ornamental carving of shallow vertical, concave grooves, often rounded in section

Inset Panel

  • Round, square, or rectangular detail that starts ¼” to 1″ from the perimeter edge of the leg or foot
  • Leg or foot is carved to create a framework in relief around the recessed face of the leg or foot

Round Leg

  • Cylindrical from top to bottom

Saber Leg

  • Flares out, tapering slightly towards the bottom

Sabot

  • Fitted metal cup placed at the base of the leg or foot

Straight Leg

  • Same shape and width from top to bottom
  • Round or rectangular

Tapered Leg

  • Gradually narrows from top to bottom

Turned Leg

  • Turned on a woodworking lathe to create various shaped details

Twisted (or Spiral) Leg

  • Tapered leg incorporating spiral tuning

Upholstered Foot or Leg

  • A foot or leg fully covered in fabric or leather

Wheel or Caster

  • Metal mechanism (wheel) placed at the bottom of each leg or foot (or only in the front)
Pillows and Cushion Styles

Box Bordered Edge

  • Front and back faces with 4 sides seamed together
  • Usually covered by a welt or cord

Knife Edge

  • Without sides; the front and back fabric panels are sewn directly to one another, creating a “knife edge”
  • Less formal than a box-edge cushion

Turkish Corners

  • Variation of the knife edge used on back cushions with shirred or gathered corners
  • Welting or cord is often sewn into the seam
Seat or Deck Styles

Curved or Bow Front

  • A seat deck that curves outward from the arms
  • The curve can start from either the outside or inside of the arm

English Edge

  • A rounded, padded detail that protrudes outward from the body
  • Often seen on the front deck of a sofa, under the seat cushion or on the outside of an arm or back

Saddle Seat

  • A dining chair seat with a slightly concave curve from side to side
  • The seat deck bows slightly outward

Scalloped Deck

  • A front deck with a scalloped shape

Straight Front

  • A seat deck with a straight front containing no angles or curves

T-Shaped

  • Fully set back, or recessed arms
  • Tight and loose seats are frequently T-shaped; if the piece of furniture has a loose seat, the sides of the cushion extend in front of the set-back arms, creating a “T” shape; with a three-seat sofa, only the end cushions extend; together, the two end cushions form the “T”
  • The deck can either be curved or straight
Skirt Styles

Box Pleat Skirt

  • Regularly spaced inverted pleats and panels that encircle the entire body
  • The skirt starts from below the seat deck
  • Usually 6 to 10 inches high

Bullion Fringe Skirt

  • A decorative trim of densely twisted threads that vary in size from 1/8″ to 3/4″ in diameter
  • It is sewn tightly together at the top to create a heading
  • Mounted below the seat deck
  • Usually 5 to 10 inches high

Kick Pleat Skirt

  • Single, double, or multiple inverted pleats
  • Usually placed at divisions created by seat cushions or arms
  • Typically 6 to 10 inches high
  • The fabric is mounted below the seat deck
  • This is the most commons skirt style

Shirred or Gathered Skirt

  • Randomly gathered fabric forming a fuller or flaring skirt
  • Mounted below the seat deck
  • Usually for more feminine pieces

Skirt with Double Inverted Corner Pleats

  • All kick-pleat and waterfall skirts have inverted pleats at the corners of a piece

Waterfall Skirt

  • A continuous downward flow of fabric, mounted from under the seat cushion or under the arm
  • Inverted pleats at the corners from panels that fit close to the frame
  • If the piece has a tight seat the fabric simply continues downward from the top of the seat
  • Can also be called a dropover skirt
Trimmings and Passementerie

Braid

  • Flat decorative trim with finished edges and a width varying from ¾ to 3½ inches or larger
  • Gimp is narrower

Brush Fringe

  • Decorative trim of densely packed cut thread lengths
  • Single or multicolored
  • Sewn tightly together at the top to create a heading

Bullion Fringe

  • Decorative trim of densely twisted threads that vary from 1/8 to 3/4 inches in diameter
  • Woven tightly together at the top to create a heading
  • Single or multicolored

Cord and Cod on Tape

  • A cord alone is 1/8″ to 3/4″ in diameter and hand sewn onto a piece
  • Cords are usually twisted
  • Single or multicolored

Fan Edge or Scalloped Fringe

  • Similar to loop fringe but with regularly spaced, shaped edge

Gimp

  • Narrow, flat tape-like trim ¼ to ½ inch wide

Loop Fringe

  • Decorative trim of densely packed uncut threads that loop down on themselves
  • Sewn tightly together at the top to create a heading
  • Single or multicolored

Nail Heads

  • Evenly spaced upholstery nails
  • Side by side
  • Usually of brass
  • Sometimes placed over tape trim

Tassel Fringe

  • Typically used on decorative pillows

Welt, Contrast Welt, or Self-Welt

  • Small cotton core covered with a bias-cut fabric with approximately ½ inch of fabric on each side, creating a fabric flange

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