Interior Design Glossary: R

R

Rabbet Joint: A type of joint used in the construction of furniture and home decor, formed by fitting boards into rectangular grooves that have been cut.
Ragging Off: A paint technique created by rubbing or wiping a painted surface with a rag or piece of leather.
Rail: The horizontal piece that runs across the top of a dining room chair back; this term also applies to the horizontal elements in framing or paneling.
Rail Joints: The locations where the horizontal components of an upholstered frame connect.
Railroaded: A fabric that is oriented with the warp (length) running horizontally across the furniture piece from front to back along the arms.
Rake: The angle or slant of a chair back or non-vertical furniture leg.
Rattan: A climbing palm with long, durable stems often utilized in wickerwork.
Rayon: A synthetic fiber derived from plant cell walls, known for its rich luster, resistance to pilling, and ability to absorb dye colors.
Ready-Made: Draperies that are factory-produced in standard sizes.
Récamier: An elegant sofa or chaise that gained popularity during the Victorian and Empire periods, often referred to as fainting couches.
Receding Colors: Colors that appear more distant, such as shades of blue, gray, or bluish-greens.
Recliner: A chair or rocking chair designed to recline backward.
Reclining Furniture: Furniture equipped with a mechanical system that allows the user to adjust it into a reclining position; also known as motion furniture.
Reeding: Essentially the opposite of fluting, this technique features beaded lines projected onto a surface, commonly seen in designs by Sheraton, Adam, and Phyfe.
Refectory Table: A long, narrow table design originally used in the dining rooms of religious orders, later shortened and equipped with underleaves.
Regal: Generally, a traditional furniture style characterized by majestic forms, often named after the specific monarch or dynasty from the style's era, such as William and Mary or Tudor styles.
Régence Style: A furniture style that flourished from approximately 1715 to 1723 during France's regency, transitioning from heavy straight lines to graceful curves.
Regency: A neoclassical British furniture style that was popular in the early 1800s, featuring adaptations and reproductions of Greek and Roman designs, coinciding with Directoire and Empire styles in France.
Relief: Any sculptural ornamentation that is raised above its background or surface.
Renaissance Style: A furniture design movement that began in Italy in the 13th Century and continued through the 17th Century, often featuring ornamentation inspired by Michelangelo and Raphael. This style frequently incorporates mythological or biblical figures, typically using walnut as the wood of choice.
Rep: A plain-woven fabric featuring a heavy filler thread that creates a corded effect.
Reproduction: New furniture that imitates an antique style or period.
Republic: A variation of the Federal furniture style.
Resiliency: A term describing the ability of foam, fiber, fabric, or a spring unit to return to its original shape.
Restorations: Antiques or collectibles that have been returned to their original condition through reconstruction, refinishing, or part replacement. Restoring significant pieces can reduce their value, which is essential to consider before restoration or when purchasing potentially restored furniture.
Retro: A contemporary style that reinterprets beloved furniture designs from the 1930s to the 1980s, often characterized by a playful and ironic mood. Classic pieces from this era include exaggerated Hollywood sofas, 1950s boomerang tables, and quirky 1970s chairs.
Return: The part of an L-shaped desk that is perpendicular to the main desk unit, providing additional workspace or computer area.
Revival: Reproductions of classic American furniture styles from the 1700s, which may not always be accurate in detail. These pieces gained popularity from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, commonly referred to simply as "Revival."
Ribbon-Back (or Ribband-Back): A chair featuring a back that resembles entwined ribbons.
Ribbon Band: A narrow fabric trim surrounding the edge or base of a sofa, chair, pillow, drapery, etc.
Rice Carved Posters: Tall, heavy bedposts decorated with carvings resembling rice or tobacco plants, symbolizing the wealth of plantation owners in northern Georgia and the Carolinas where this style originated.
Rick-Rack: A wavy braid used as trim.
Rietveld Style: Emerging from the Dutch Arts and Crafts movement in the early 20th century, this style is heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. It incorporates machined forms and manmade materials, aiming to maintain the integrity of the Arts and Crafts movement while embracing modernity.
Rinceau: A classic decorative motif composed of intertwining acanthus stalks or other foliage.
Rising Sun: A carved, fan-shaped ornament that resembles sun rays emanating from a half-circle.
Rocaille: An ornamental style from the Rococo Period featuring abstract shell or leaf motifs.
Rococo: An intricate style of European furniture design that originated in France in the early 1700s, characterized by ornamentation imitating rockwork, shells, foliage, and elaborate scrolls.
Rococo Revival: An ornate Victorian furniture style that became popular in the mid-1800s, best known for its elaborately carved rosewood parlor furniture, balloon-backed chairs, and triple-crested sofas.
Rod Pocket: The hollow space at the top or bottom of a curtain through which a rod is inserted.
Roll-Together: A condition resulting from a worn or defective mattress that sags in the center, causing the body to roll towards the middle.
Roll-Top Desk: A desk featuring a slatted panel front that rolls down to conceal its writing surface.
Rolled Arms: Arms on a sofa or chair that appear ruffled, flaring out and down, returning to meet the sides of the furniture.
Roman Shade: A tailored fabric window treatment that folds horizontally.
Romanesque: Early medieval furniture influenced by Roman styles, characterized by arches and curves, simple geometric designs, and coarsely rendered animal and plant forms, typically painted in decorative colors. This style preceded Gothic and Renaissance furniture.
Romayne: A term referring to a Renaissance ornamentation that features human heads on medallions.
Rosemaling: A folk art form from Scandinavia/Norway characterized by rose painting.
Rosette: An ornament resembling a rose, often seen as a painted or sculptured architectural detail with parts arranged in circular patterns around a bud.
Roundabout Chair: A corner chair with a triangular front and typically a circular back.
Roundel: A circular ornament that encloses various formal designs in medieval and later woodwork.
Ruching: A narrow strip of decorative fabric that is gathered or pleated.
Ruffled Pleat (Sheer Pleat): A skirt treatment where fabric is gathered to create a ruffled effect.
Rug: A thick, heavy fabric, often with a pile, commonly made from wool, mohair, synthetic fibers, nylon, or a blend of materials.
Rule Joint: A knuckle joint between a table top and drop leaf that creates a seamless connection when the leaf is down.
Runner: The curved piece of a rocking chair that allows it to rock.
Rush Seat: A seat woven from a series of rushes, used in America since early times, typically found in simple furniture.
Rush Seat Chair: A traditional rustic chair from America or France, featuring woven rush seats.
Russian Style: A furniture style that blends influences from various European styles, characterized by the production of metal furniture, which was unique to Russia at that time.