Just as in any other area of our life, there are specific terms used for furniture and interior design which make it easier for the experts to understand each other. However, these terms often mean nothing to a layman interested in sophisticated interior design culture. Although we aim to avoid the technical jargon, we still use some vocabulary that requires explanation. This is why we provide you with the dictionary of technical terms.
Accessories | Fashionable extras for the home. |
Add-on system | Wall combination that can be individually extended and complemented with additonal units. |
Add-on table | A table that is fixed on one side to a panel or similar. |
Ancillary units | Smaller pieces of furniture that match the larger units within a range. |
Bar lock | Lock of a wardrobe door with a bar covering the full height of the door, therefore avoiding warping. |
Base frame | High-quality slatted base of the hülsta sleeping system. |
Bed superstructure | Units and shelves fitted above the headboard of a bed. |
Blue Angel | German certification for environmentally friendly products and services. |
Box bed | Bed with a box-like frame that provides ample storage space. |
Bracket | Metal or plastic part connecting mobile parts of the furniture, i.e. hinges, door locks etc. |
Brand furniture | Furniture with a label that characterises their origin (manufacturer). Brands guarantee consistent quality of goods. |
Carcase | The body of a piece of furniture, i.e. of a wardrobe. |
CEN | European norms |
CFC | CFC Chlorofluorocarbon, ozone-depleting. Only CFC-free furniture are awarded the "Gütezeichen" (quality sign). |
Chest | Low modular unit with drawers (wider than a console). |
Chipboard | Board made from pressed and glued wood particles (also from wood shavings). |
Compensation unit | Ensures perfect wall-to-wall fit of a wall combination. |
Concave corner rounding | Concave rounding of the joint of two vertically joining wood surfaces. |
Console | Low modular unit with drawers (less wide than a chest). |
Construction shelf | Board attached to the carcase, provides stability. |
Container | Box-shaped unit on castors. |
Corner cover surface | Cover shelf for a corner within a furniture combination. |
Corner fillet | Covers the corner joint in the case of corner solutions with wall panels. |
Corner solution | Units of a wall combination fitted around the corner at 45˚ or 90˚. |
Cover surface | Continous cover shelf below eye level. |
Depth transition | Is created by parts of a piece of furniture with different depths. |
DIN-ISO | International standardisation applied nationwide. |
DIN-standards | Standardisation carried out by the German Institute for Standardisation. |
Edge band | A strip of wood or plastic glued to the edge (cut face) of a piece of wood (board). |
Endless add-on system | A furniture system where units (in theory) can be endlessly added on. |
Extension unit | Door-wide add-on unit of a wardrobe system. |
Fillet | Small panel that is used to cover "gaps" in a wall combination; can also be used as a design feature. |
Fitted furniture | Here: standard furniture ranges delivered to customers' specifications. |
Fitted shelf | Shelf that can be attached to a panel. |
Fitted unit | See compensation unit. |
Folding door | Door of a wardrobe or TV-compartment which is folded once in its longitudinal axis when opened. |
Formaldehyde | Pungent smelling gas. Since 1986, furniture in Germany cannot exceed the limit of 0.1 ppm (parts per million). |
Frame | Frame-like surround on doors and windows. |
Full metal bracket | Bracket solely made from metal, without plastic. |
Genuine | This term can only be used if veneers or solid woods of the visible surfaces of a piece of furniture are made from the same type of wood. |
Glass cabinet | Cupboard with glass walls or doors. |
Grain | the pattern of the wood |
GS-sign | A sign for "proven safety" awarded by a national test institute. |
Highboard | Approx. 110 to 130 cm high cupboard. |
Interior corner | Corner solution opening inwards. |
Light panel | Facing of a light source. |
Light shelf | Indirectly lit shelf. |
Mitre joint | A joint where pieces of wood are joined at an angle (i.e. on a frame). |
Modular units | Box-like units that can be placed next to or on top of one another like building blocks. |
Module | Lat. Measurement, here: a unit of measurement. |
Open-pored | When the pores of the wood are not closed (by lacquer, for instance). |
Outer side panel | Outer side section of a wardrobe system/wall combination. |
Panel | Wall cladding made from wood. |
Panel wall | Wall cladding consisting of individual panels. |
Plinth | Subframe of a wardrobe or wall combination. |
Pocket end bearing | The part of the base frame where the slats are attached to the frame. |
Pocket spring core | Mattress with springs, individually sewn in pockets, joined together. |
Precious wood | Wood characterised by outstanding beauty and favourable processing properties. |
Quality label | Also known as RAL-quality label awarded by the DGM (Deutsche Gütegemeinschaft Möbel = German Quality Association for Furniture). |
Raster | A net of lines referring to a basic measurement. |
Raster measurement | The smallest measurement by which a wall combination can be extended in width or height. |
Relief-planing | produces a 3-D structure on the surface in line with the graining of the wood, creating a stunning visual and haptic experience. |
Safety | Plays a major part in furniture and is identified by standards, quality signs etc. |
Side panel | Vertical side section of a wardrobe, wall combination, bed or desk/table. |
Side panel system | System consisting of side panels (vertical) and shelves (horizontal) |
Sideboard | Low cupboard, can consist of several modular units of a range assembled together. |
Single unit | An individual piece of furniture intended for one purpose/stand-alone piece. |
Slats | Strip of wood made from layers of wood (glued together), part of a slatted base or base frame. |
Slatted base | base for the mattress of a bed made of slats attached to a wooden frame. |
Solid wood furniture | A piece of furniture can only be defined as "solid wood furniture" if all parts except for the back panels, drawer bottoms and drawer frames are made from the specified wood and are not veneered. |
Spring core | Mattress springs, often machine-made Bonell spring core. |
Suspended units | wallmounted parts of a wall combination. |
System range | Furniture range consisting of many different parts (units) manufactured along the same principles of shape, material and craftsmanship. |
Telescopic drawer | A drawer running on metal rails. |
Tension-mounted from floor to ceiling | Wardrobe side panels, which are tension mounted floor to ceiling. |
Unit | Part of a furniture system that cannot be further taken apart, starting point of a system range. |
VDE | Abbr. for "Association of German Elelectrical Engineers" |
VDE-sign | Lights (lamps) labelled with this sign comply with the safety regulations. |
Veneer | Thin sheet of precious wood which covers chipboard (DIN 68330). |
Visible back panel | A back panel of a piece of furniture that can be seen (i.e. in a room divider unit). |
Wall mounted shelf | Shelf that can be fixed to the wall with invisible brackets. |
