Common architectural and interior design terms
Arcade
A series of arches supported by
columns or piers, either free standing or attached to a wall
Balustrade
A railing with supporting
balusters (small closely spaced posts)
Capital
The top part of a column or
pillar
Cupola
A small domed structure on top
of a roof
Dentils
Are decorations on the sides of
a building. They look like teeth. They can also be found underneath mouldings.
Dormers
Are small windows set in a gable
projecting from a roof.
Eaves
Are the undersides of an
overhanging roof
Fanlight
Is a semicircular window over a
door like a fan
Festoons
Ornamental garland usually
suspended from both ends
Finial
A sculptured ornament fixed to
the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
Gable
Triangular shaped part of a wall
at the end of a sloping roof
Lintels
Long pieces of wood or stone
above a door or window
Quoins
Large stones used to make the
sides of a house stronger
Mouldings
Shop moulding
A piece of horizontal sash,
window trim or casing applied to the wall immediately below the window stool;
the apron serves to conceal the joint made by the sash or window frame sill and
the interior wall surface
Cased opening
An interior opening without a door but finished with
jambs and casing
Casing
Moulded or surfaced four-sides (S4S) trim used around
door and window openings; exterior casing is used to trim the exterior of
windows and doors, and interior casing is used to trim the interior perimeters
of windows and doors
Chair rail
Interior moulding applied on the wall about 1/3 of the
way up from the floor, paralleling any base or crown moulding, and encircling
the room; originally used to prevent chairs from damaging the walls, it’s now
used more for decorative purposes.
Corner blocks
Square blocks used in place of mitering the side and head
casings. These design elements are decorative embellishments to the sides of
the head casing.
Crown molding
Moulding used to cover the intersection where the walls
and the ceiling meet; usually applied wherever a large angle is to be covered;
also called cornice moulding.
Wainscot
A lower-interior wall surface
that contrasts with the wall surface above it and is generally 3 to 4 feet in
height, often with a chair rail added to its top perimeter
Base board
A moulding applied around the
perimeter of a room along a finished floor; also called baseboard, mop board or
skirting
Palladian windows
Have a central window with a
round headed archway and a narrower compartment on either side
Parts of a column
Abacus
The abacus is a
square slab that sits on top of the column's capital and supports the architrave. The
function of an abacus is to broaden the support provided by the column.
Architrave
The architrave is
the lowest element of the entablature and rests on top columns.
Entablature
In classical
architecture, the uppermost elements supported by columns are referred to as
the entablature. Components of the entablature include: the architrave the frieze and the cornice.
Frieze
Sitting below the cornice and above the architrave, the
frieze is the central element of the entablature. The frieze may be left plain or decorated in relief.
Cornice
Top, horizontal
decorative element of the entablature
Modillion
Ornamental motif placed under the corona of a cornice
Pediment
Triangular
section above the entablature
Volute
Ornament sculpted
in spirals
Flute
Flute vertical
groove along a column
Fillet
Flat surface
within the flutes
Astragal
Molding that separates the capital of the column from the
shaft.
Rosette
A
painted, carved, or sculptured ornament having a circular arrangement of parts
radiating out from the center and suggesting the petals of a rose. Can be used
in the ceiling as a fan ring or in furniture design.
