Interior Design Terminology Cheat Sheet to all the updated terminologies in 2021. Since these Interior Design Terms are so widely used, the first problem is figuring out what they actually denote.
Have you ever heard an interior designer say something you didn’t understand? Then you felt mortified since you didn’t understand what they were saying and had to look it up later? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
When it comes to the art of design, there are numerous niche words (such as niche) that have completely distinct meanings depending on the context. While you might think of a “wardrobe” as a term used to describe the stuff in someone’s closet, a wardrobe is the storage device used to manage your clothes in the interiors industry.
In fact, if you want to become a design expert, you’ll need to master every essential Interior Design Terminology. There’s a reason so many people study it in school while you could always go to Google every time you hear a new word you don’t understand. There’s also the option of completing some research ahead of time so you can walk into any remodelling, redesign, or showroom sounding like a pro.
So, are you ready to finally master everything there is to know about interiors, architecture, and design? So, go ahead and look through our Interior Design Terms Glossary. Your design-forward vocabulary lesson is just around the corner.
| Terminology | Explanation |
| AFF | AFF stands for “above finished floor” and is used by designers, architects, and builders. Light switches, electrical outlets, and the height of a chandelier or pendant light fixture are frequently marked with AFF. For example, a chandelier might be hung 60″ AFF. |
| Art Deco | Art Deco is a style of architecture that was popular in 1920
A modernist visual art form that began in France in the years leading up to World War I. The impact of Art Deco may be seen in all types of modern design, from structural building to home appliance design. |
| ASID | The American Society of Interior Designers is abbreviated as ASID. Designers who do not have an interior design degree or who are not interior designers in the traditional sense |
| Achromatic Colours | Black, White, Grey |
| Afterimage | Afterimage is a phenomenon that occurs when complementary colours are exposed to a strong hue for a long time. |
| Bubble diagrams | The first level of planning is represented by bubble diagrams. A graphic in which the bubbles reflect activity zones that are in close proximity to one another. Bubble diagrams can be adjusted to showroom shapes and sizes, as well as space adjacencies and circulation patterns between zones. |
| Bouclé | A thick garment with texture created by nubby, looped yarn—often in two different hues. |
| Bauhaus | A design style named after an iconic German art school that existed from 1919 till 1933. Simplistic modernism and the principle of “form follows function” define the Bauhaus style. |
| Casting | Casting refers to the process of pouring molten metal into a mould and allowing it to harden. |
| Case goods | Cabinetry and furniture built to provide storage, known as case goods. |
| Chevron | A chevron is a large zigzag design that frequently alternates between two colours. |
| Chintz | A chintz is a flowery pattern that is printed on fabric. |
| Chromatic Colours | Any colour that is not white, grey, or black. |
| Chaise | A Chaise is an upholstered piece of furniture that is designed like a lounge chair and is comparable to a sofa. |
| Chair rail | A horizontal moulding that runs along the middle of a wall and is about the same height as a normal dining room chair. |
| Circulation | As a crucial first stage in space planning, after the programming phase, programme data is analysed and circulation routes (traffic flow) between rooms or regions are carefully reviewed. |
| Console Table | A Console table is a standalone table that is generally placed in a home’s doorway and serves as a space for decorative components. |
| Countertop | A horizontal surface used for cooking and eating is commonly found in kitchens. |
| Commercial Design | Interior design for non-residential buildings (Residential Design). Contract Design is another name for it. |
| Complementary Colours | Red and green, orange and blue, yellow and violet are examples of colour combinations that appear opposite one another on the colour wheel. |
| Concept Statement | Initial textual expression of the core concepts and strategy underlying the suggested design solution in response to the design problem. |
| Chinoiserie | Chinoiserie is a European design style that aims to imitate features of East Asian art. |
| Clerestory | A window or set of windows above eye level is referred to as a clerestory. |
| Cabriole leg | A furniture leg with a double curve structure that is decorated. |
| Dining room | A dining room is a distinct room in a house that is used for formal eating and is not connected to the kitchen. It’s usually set up with a long dining table and enough chairs to seat a large group. |
| Dimmable | When the brightness of a luminaire can be adjusted. |
| Diagramming | The act of drawing a two-dimensional or three-dimensional depiction of the planned space on paper. |
| Dull Colours | Dull Colours
Mixing chromatic colours with complementary colours, achromatic colours, or both results in dull colours. |
| Eclectic | Eclectic decorating is a decorating style that combines several forms of décor and furniture to create a unique combination of styles. |
| Economy | One of the design aims. The viability, scope, and quality of a design project are all determined by economic factors. |
| Enfilade | A succession of rooms that are linked by doorways and aligned with one other (commonplace in grand castles, like the Palace of Versailles, or even museums). |
| Etagere | A set of open shelves that can be freestanding or hung to display trinkets or other decorative items. |
| Elevation | A two-dimensional illustration with varying degrees of detail of a wall (or sequence of walls). |
| False Ceiling | A false ceiling is a fitted ceiling that hangs below a room’s or home’s original ceiling. It’s frequently suspended from the ceiling by wooden or metal frames, giving the impression of a lower ceiling. |
| Faux | A design element that is created to look like another type of material or item. |
| Faux Finish | Faux finishing is a finish technique that uses paint to try to replicate a particular finish (such as stone or leather). |
| Feng shui | Feng shui is a classic Chinese design method based on energy principles. Feng shui is a Chinese art form that aims to bring people into harmony with their surroundings. |
| Focal point | The attention is drawn to a focal point in a room or in a design. All other design components in a room derive their cues from the aesthetic core of the room. |
| Floorplan | A floor plan is a diagram that depicts the relationships between rooms, spaces, and other physical characteristics at one level of a structure from above, usually to scale. To indicate room sizes and wall lengths, dimensions are frequently drawn between the walls. Floor plans will include detail amenities such as sinks, water heaters, and furnaces. Notes on the floor plans will specify finishing, building processes, and electrical symbols. It’s also known as a “plan.” |
| Grommet | A grommet is a donut-shaped eyelet, usually formed of metal. Shower curtains and modern curtains frequently have grommets. |
| Hue | The colour or tint of an interior design piece is referred to as its hue. |
| Interior wall | A wall on the inside of a building is used to support structural weight or divide segments of the interior. |
| Jacquard | Jacquard textiles are woven, highly textured fabrics in which the design is interwoven into the weave rather than being stamped or printed on the material. They are named after a type of loom. |
| J-box | The term “junction box” is abbreviated as “J-box.” Electrical cables are housed in J-boxes, which are wall-mounted structures. They can be installed in a stud above large light fixtures and serve as meeting places for a variety of cables. |
| Kitchen Work Triangle | The kitchen work triangle is a design that shows where your sink, stove, and refrigerator should be placed in your kitchen. |
| Kelvin | Kelvin is a unit of measurement for the colour of a light source. The Kelvin number represents how near a device is to reproducing bright sunlight. |
| Laminate | Laminate flooring is a multilayer synthetic flooring that is manufactured through lamination. |
| Light fixture | A light fixture is a device that holds an electrical lamp for illumination. |
| Maquette | A maquette is a precise plan, commonly employed in the 18th-century decorating practice, that depicts the furniture and other objects in top view, surrounded by four elevations representing each room wall. |
| Mid-century modern | Mid-century modern is a modern architectural style typified by open floor plans and wide windows that evolved in the aftermath of World War II. |
| Monochromatic | A colour scheme focusing on a single colour is known as monochromatic. |
| Neutral Colors | Complementary colours are used to create neutral tones. When a chromatic colour (one that isn’t white, black, or grey) is mixed with an achromatic colour (one that is white, black, or grey), the resultant colour is partially neutralised. |
| Niche | A recessed space within a wall or room is known as a niche. |
| Patina | Patina is a thin layer of gloss or film that emerges on a surface due to ageing or synthetic distress. |
| Proportion | Understanding the scale of specific elements on the same item is known as proportion. |
| RID | A registered interior designer is referred to as a RID. |
| Retro | A design that harkens back to earlier design styles and sensibilities is referred to as retro |
| Sconces | Sconces are a form of light fixture that is supported by a wall. |
| Scale | Scale refers to the relationship between the size of one object in space and the size of other objects in the space. |
| Settee | A settee is a long upholstered piece of furniture that can seat two people. |
| Steampunk Style | Steampunk is a retro futuristic aesthetic from the mid-nineteenth century. |
| Torchere | Torchere is a freestanding lamp design (although it can also refer to a wall sconce) that directs light upwards to the ceiling. |
| Trompe l’oeil | Trompe l’oeil is a trick used to deceive the eye into believing that something flat, such as a wall, is truly three-dimensional. Photorealistic painting is frequently used to achieve this. |
| Tufting | Tufting is a decorative technique in which buttons are sunk into upholstered furniture to add interest. Sofa backs and upholstered headboards frequently feature tufting. |
| Upholstery | Upholstery refers to the padding and cushioning seen on furniture. |
| Victorian | Victorian architecture is characterised by ornate details and massive, sweeping facades. |
| Valance | A valance is a decorative window treatment that covers only the upper half of a window. |
| Vintage | An item that is at least 50 years old but not more than 100. It is not the same as antique. |
| Wabi-Sabi | Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese way of looking at art and beauty that embraces all that is imperfect, ephemeral, and incomplete. |
| Welting | Welting (or Piping) is a fabric-wrapped cable used to trim upholstery seams and areas where the fabric meets bare wood. |
| Wainscoting | Wainscoting is a style of interior wall panelling that runs along the bottom half of a wall. |
| Window treatments | Window treatments are window coverings that are used for a variety of reasons, including aesthetics, privacy, and insulation. |
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