Remember the game telephone? Someone thinks of a sentence, then whispers it to the next person, who whispers it to the next. The design process also passes through several stages, only in this game the players are the client, the designer and the carpenter, and if you are not careful, your vision can end up as discombobulated as that message you tried to pass in the game.
Communicating design does take time, no doubt about it. But it will save a lot more time by reducing the backlash that occurs when craftspeople don’t have a clear understanding of what it is they are supposed to build. Using technical language can greatly limit confusion, especially if supported visually with CADs or sketches. Here are some architecture and design terms that are useful to know:
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A curved structure capable of spanning a space and supporting weight.
A molding profile composed of a half-round surface surrounded by two flat planes (fillets), like a repetitive beaded detail
A molded shaft that supports the handrail of a staircase
A railing composed of a series of balusters
A built-in or free-standing bench
A molding detail appearing as a half spherical protrusions, resembling half a bead.
One artisan creates a piece of furniture from start to finish
The sloping edge of a material that diminishes the apparent size of the surface, allowing for light to highlight and shade the material.
Slanted and polished edge detail.
A decorative or structural upside-down L-shaped projection that supports and overhanging structure. See also: corbel
Free-standing or built-in furniture with shelves and drawers for display and storage
Combination of built-in cabinets
Molding carved to resemble a rope or cord. Also: Ropework or Rope Molding
The top of a column
Custom woodwork of all parts that constitute a finished product
Any material in a horizontal trim installed on the wall in a room
A decorative sunken panel in the ceiling
A structural element that carries the weight of the structure above.
A sturctural peice that supports weight above.
A large family of moldings which are designed to gracefully flare out to a finished top edge, usually between the wall and the ceiling.
In classical architecture, one of a number of small, rectangular blocks resembling teeth and used as a decoration under the soffit of a cornice.
A joint formed by interlocking projections and notches shaped like a bird’s tail
An ornamental design consisting of an egg-shaped object alternating with an element shaped like an arrow, anchor or dart.
A decorative finish hardware used as a crowning ornament for furniture or architecture
Refers to the final material outcome or treatment on a surface.
A groove or set of grooves forming a surface decoration.
A classic geometric ornamentation pattern that is repeated within the border
Carved or curved molding used in architecture and interior design as a decorative motif, often consisting of flutes which are inverted and curved.
Elaborate lathe-turned or carved wood structures, including brackets, posts, fretwork, pilasters, popular in Victorian design
Botanical grouping of mostly broad-leafed, deciduous tree
Ornamentation process where one material is set into the surface of another creating a pattern
The interior curve of an arch.
The vertical side pieces of any opening in a wall
The stone at the apex of an arch. In architectural millwork, the design that mimics this stone.
A paneled ceiling, so called from the sunken or hollow compartments composing it.
An ornamental framework consisting of a criss-cross diagonal pattern.
An ornamental design consisting of water plant leaves and arrows applied to the ogee.
A horizontal piece of lumber or stone resting across columns or piers, or upon the jambs of a door or window, or spanning any other open space in a wall or in a columnar construction, and serving to support superincumbent weight.
An angle of 45°; or, in construction, the union of two pieces of molding at an angle of 45°
An architectural ornament projecting from the surface with varying contour.
The part of a column between the capital and the shaft
A recessed part of the wall with a half domed roof.
A molding consisting of two members, the one concave, the other convex, or a round and a hollow, which create an S shape
An egg-shaped molding, a portion of a circle, ellipse or hyperbola
A compartment with raised margins, moulded or otherwise
Geometric wood patterns inlaid in flooring or furniture
A slightly projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall.
A versatile molding profile that is 90 degrees of a whole circle
Round, floral decorative element
A curved shape repeated along the edge of an object.
Mostly evergreen botanical grouping defined by needle-like leaves
A concave molding, often used below eye level
The part of a column extending from the capital to the base
The ceiling on the underside of arches and other architectural elements.
A design commonly used in art nouveau architecture and patterns
The gradual reduction in size of an object
A window or element above a door but withing its vertical frame.
In moldings, having a section which overhangs, giving a deep hollow or dark shadow beneath.
A layer wood applied to the surface
A spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order.
The wooden lining of walls, generally in panels and along the lower portion only of their height.
References*
*Not inclusive, if you feel that we have used a definition without citation, please notify the webmaster.
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