Interior Design Glossary: P

P

Pad Foot (or Club Foot): A basic foot design typically found at the end of a cabriole or Queen Anne leg, often seen on dining and living room tables in these styles.
Pad Seat: Upholstered furniture constructed without springs.
Padding: Soft materials, such as foam, used between the frame and the upholstery of furniture to enhance comfort and shape.
Palladian Style: A furniture design influenced by the works of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio from the mid-1500s. This style is characterized by grand cornices, pediments, and ornate decorations featuring motifs like scallop shells, eagles, and acanthus leaves. Elements of this style, such as windows and columns, still bear the Palladian name today.
Palladian Window: A large window consisting of three sections, with an arched center section flanked by two smaller ones.
Palmette: A term for a carved or painted decoration that resembles a palm leaf.
Panel: Typically a thin, flat piece of wood or a similar material framed by rails and stiles, as seen in doors, or fitted into grooves of thicker material with molded edges for decorative wall treatments.
Papier (or Paper Mache): A material created from paper pulp, molded into various shapes, and suitable for painting and varnishing once dry.
Parquet: A style of wood flooring arranged in blocks laid at angles to each other, forming decorative patterns.
Parquetry: Furniture inlaid with geometric designs similar to parquet flooring.
Parsons Leg: A long, fully upholstered leg commonly found on Parsons dining chairs.
Parsons Table: A straightforward, square table with legs and an apron of equal width, named after the Parsons School of Design where it originated in the 1950s.
Passementerie: Elaborate decorative trimmings like tassels, tiebacks, and ribbons.
Pastel: A soft, light color.
Paterna: A decorative link ornamentation often created in bas-relief on a frieze.
Patina: A sheen or luster that develops over time with use, commonly associated with fine antiques, vintage furnishings, and leather items.
Patio Furniture: Furniture specifically designed and treated for outdoor use.
Pattern: The decorative or ornamental design present in fabrics, veneers, etc.
Pattern Repeat: The distance between repetitions of the same pattern.
Pedestal: The base that supports a table, vase, sculpture, etc.
Pedestal Desk: A flat desk, usually featuring a leather top, supported by two sets of drawers.
Pedestal Table: A table supported by a single central base or column.
Pediment: An ornamental crest that runs across the top of a tall piece of furniture, such as a highboy chest, curio cabinet, or grandfather clock.
Pegged Furniture: Early joined furniture made using a system of slots and tenons, secured with dowels.
Pelmet: A wooden or fabric border used to hide the top edge of a curtain or blind.
Pembroke Table: A drop-leaf table with leaves that almost reach the floor, named after Lady Pembroke.
Pencil Pleat: A drapery heading that is tightly gathered.
Pencil-Post Bed: A bed featuring four slender posts that typically rise six to eight feet high, with a simple, straight-line design. These beds can be used independently or with a canopy.
Pendant: A hanging ornament, often in a matched or parallel arrangement.
Pennsylvania Dutch: A furniture style developed from the late 1600s to mid-1800s by German families in New York and Pennsylvania, mistakenly referred to as Dutch for "Deutsch." This style features simplicity and rustic utilitarianism, with squared forms and minimal rounding or turning. Common decorations include floral and animal paintings, human motifs, and German script, using woods like walnut, maple, fruitwoods, and pine.
Percale: A finely woven cotton fabric typically used for bedding.
Persian Rug: A hand-tied Oriental rug produced in Iran, with notable examples including Kirman, Kashan, Shiraz, and Tabriz.
Pickling (or Pickled Finish): Refers to wood that has been limed; it can also describe a painting technique where furniture is painted and then wiped before it fully dries, leaving some paint on the edges.
Picture Rail: A molding that runs along the upper wall near the ceiling, used to hang pictures with hooks.
Pie Crust Table: A round occasional table supported by a three-legged pedestal base, featuring an ornamented edge resembling a crimped pie crust.
Pier Glass: A large mirror that reaches window height, suspended above a table located between two windows.
Pier Group: Typically consists of two tall, narrow chests (pier cabinets) positioned on either side of a bed, connected by a headboard that may include a mirror, shelves, or a light bridge.
Piercing: A decorative cutout or carved detail found in chair splats and other furniture from the 1700s.
Pigment: A substance used to impart color to paint, stain, dye, etc., sourced from both natural and synthetic materials.
Pigmented Leather: Leather that has been coated with a pigmented finish to ensure uniform color and texture, often used to conceal imperfections and provide additional protection.
Pilaster: A flattened, column-like decorative element applied to furniture, such as bookcases and grandfather clocks, serving as a support for a cornice or pediment.
Pilling: A condition affecting textiles like fabric and carpet, occurring when fibers entangle and form hard clusters known as tufts. Some materials are more prone to pilling than others.
Pillow Top Mattress: A mattress featuring additional foam and padding on the top. Higher-quality pillow tops are designed to have padding on both sides, while lower-quality options may lack this extra cushioning.
Pinch Pleats (or French Pleats): Drapery pleats that are divided into smaller pleats and sewn together at the base of the pinch.
Pineapple: A carving detail often used in 19th-century furniture and decor, symbolizing hospitality, and frequently found on bedposts of that era.
Pinnacle: A carved ornament positioned at the top or crest of a piece of furniture.
Piping (or Welting): A fabric-wrapped cord used to trim upholstery seams and areas where fabric meets exposed wood.
Plaque: A term for a flat, thin ornament, typically made of metal or porcelain, that is inserted into wood.
Platform Base: Flat table bases with three or four corners, supporting a central pedestal and resting on scrolled or paw feet.
Platform Bed: A bed designed with a raised, flat horizontal base intended to support a mattress.
Platform Foundation: A mattress base made of wood without metal components, typically covered with foam and fabric to resemble a box spring.
Plinth: The base of a chest or other furniture piece that rests directly on the floor rather than on legs.
Plush: A fabric woven in a velvet style with a long pile.
Plywood: Layers of wood bonded in a cross-grain pattern to minimize contraction and swelling from changes in humidity.
Pole Top: A channel located at the top of curtains/drapery between two fabric sides, designed to allow for a pole or rod to be inserted for hanging.
Poly Dacron Wrap: A cushion construction technique where soft, resilient polyester material wraps around a polyurethane foam core, commonly found in modern upholstered furniture designs.
Polyester: A synthetic fiber derived from polymers, often blended with other materials like wool, cotton, and rayon, known for its durability and wrinkle resistance.
Polyester Batting: Synthetic fiber compressed into rolls or sheets, used for stuffing furniture and mattresses.
Polyurethane Foam: A synthetic material utilized for cushions in upholstered furniture, such as sofas and chairs; higher-quality upholstery often incorporates high-density polyurethane foam.
Pop: A term denoting popularity, used to describe design and artwork from the 1950s and 1960s that drew inspiration from commercial art, such as product packaging and comic strips (think Andy Warhol).
Poppy-Head: A decorative finial often found at the ends of benches or desks in ecclesiastical woodwork.
Portieres: Hinged metal curtain rods designed to hold curtains that eliminate drafts.
Post-Modernism: A movement emerging in the 1950s as a response to Modernism, advocating for the return of bright colors and decorative elements in furniture and home decor.
Posturized: A term coined by the bedding industry to describe enhanced support in the center of a mattress or foundation.
Poudresse: A small table featuring a mirrored lid that conceals storage space for cosmetics.
Press: A tall, broad, enclosed structure with doors, similar to a wardrobe.
Pressboard: A dense, high-strength board used for case backs, dust-proofing, or as the structural base for veneers or vinyl wraps, also known as composition board or particle board. Pressboard is commonly used in even high-quality furniture manufacturing due to its proven strength and durability.
Prie-Dieu Chair: An Italian-style high-backed chair with a narrow shelf or pad for resting arms while kneeling.
Primary Colors: The three foundational colors: red, yellow, and blue.
Printing: The process of creating patterns and designs in one or more colors on fabric, including techniques like application printing, block printing, blotch printing, and direct printing.
Prints: Fabric that features a pattern, also referring to lithographed reproductions of original artworks.
Provincial: Furniture crafted in rural areas, inspired by designs from major urban centers, adapted to local preferences, materials, and lifestyles.
Pub Table: Typically refers to a round table about 40 inches tall, designed for intimate dining in small spaces; often also called a bistro table.
Pull-Up Chair: A term for a small, lightweight armchair, sometimes referred to as an "occasional chair."
Pull-Up Leather: A full-grain leather that is aniline-dyed and treated with oils or waxes, which lightens in the pulled areas, creating a distinctive look associated with high-quality leather furniture.
Pure Aniline Leather: A top-grain leather dyed with aniline, without any additional pigmentation, also known as full aniline.