Design Jargon * Escritoire
An Escritoire (roughly pronounced es-kri-twar) is also known as a writing table or secretary. Simply put, it’s a writing desk with a hinged door that provides a writing surface. The majority of us know what a writing table or secretary is, but now you can go impress your friends by using the French word [...]
Design Jargon * Jacquard
(Velvet Jacquard by Anna French)
Jacquard fabric is a weave with a raised design or pattern woven into the fabric (as opposed to being printed on the fabric). Typical designs are intricate and complex. A loom outfitted with a "jacquard attachment" produces jacquards.
Design Jargon * Byobu
A Byobu (Bee-Yoh-Boo) is a traditional Japanese folding screen made from several joined panels. Each screen is typically painted with a continuous scene across the panels; calligraphy and gold leaf are also common.
[Image: minka-ichiku]
Design Jargon * Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie, is a French term used to describe the influences of Chinese art and culture in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century. Sometimes described as "Chinese-esque" it was largely introduced to Europe in the late 1600’s by the large scale arrival of imported goods and pictures from China.
[Image: Affordable Interiors]
Design Jargon * Egg & Dart
[Image: Gutenberg]
Egg and Dart: I’m sure you’ve seen it a million times, but maybe you never knew what it was called or what it meant. It’s really quite simple – Egg and Dart is a decorative molding or “ornamental device” that features a series of egg-shaped figures alternating with an arrow, anchor, or dart [...]
Design Jargon * Broken Pediment
Broken Pediment – a pediment in which a part of the cornice is discontinuous (deliberately missing). If the cornice is discontinuous at its apex then it is called an open topped or broken pediment. Exterior broken pediments are typically found above doors, windows, or roofs. In interiors you can find them on headboards, clocks, [...]
Design Jargon * Vitruvian Scroll
Vitruvian Scroll – also known as a Vitruvian wave, resembles waves in water or a series of parchment scrolls viewed on end. "Vitruvian" refers to the Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio ("Vitruvius") who authored the oldest existing book about architecture and its classical orders.
[Images: 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica]
Design Jargon * Meander
Meander – a decorative border constructed from a continuous line, shaped into a repeated motif. Such a design is also called the Greek Fret or Greek Key design, although these are modern words. The name "meander" recalls the twisting and turning path of the Maeander River.
[Image via M&J Trimming]
Hello!
My name is Kristin and, if the blog name didn't give it away, I'm an interior designer. I'm also a self - proclaimed nerd, a grad student at SCAD-Atlanta, and a big fan of architecture, photography, travel, and iced chais. In a nutshell: I'm a lover of good design of all kinds.
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