The first American furniture, made by 17th-century settlers in coastal New England. Heavy oak construction, mortise-and-tenon joinery with hand-driven pegs, simple geometric carving. Pieces include Carver and Brewster chairs, court cupboards, hadley chests, and trestle tables. Original Pilgrim-period furniture is exceedingly rare in private hands; most pieces are in museums.

The first American style with European influence, named for William III and Mary II. Characterized by trumpet or baluster turned legs, stretchers connecting the legs, ball or bun feet, and the introduction of veneer and inlay. Walnut typical. Highboys and lowboys appear in this period.

Named for Queen Anne of England, the first American style to use the cabriole leg ending in a pad foot. Restrained carving, often shell motifs on the knees and crests. Walnut typical, with pine secondary wood. Highboys, lowboys, side chairs with vase-shaped splats, and tea tables are defining forms.

Named for Thomas Chippendale's pattern book, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director (1754). Cabriole legs ending in ball-and-claw feet, carved knees with acanthus or shells, elaborate carved crests, mahogany typical. American regional schools at Philadelphia, Boston, Newport, and Charleston each developed distinct interpretations. The most flamboyant American 18th-century style.

Named for George Hepplewhite's pattern book, The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide (1788). Tapered square legs, satinwood inlay, bellflower drops, shield-back chairs. Mahogany primary wood with satinwood and holly inlays. Lighter overall feel than Chippendale, post-Revolutionary American style.

Named for Thomas Sheraton's pattern book, The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book (1793). Reeded round legs (lathe-turned and carved), restrained inlay, sometimes carved acanthus or husk motifs on columns. Sometimes considered late Federal alongside Hepplewhite.

Robert Adam's neoclassical style, more common in England than America. Slender proportions, classical motifs (urns, garlands, acanthus), painted finishes. Influential on American Federal-period taste but rarely produced directly in America.

American interpretation of French Empire and English Regency. Heavy mahogany or rosewood, gondola forms, scrolled arms, carved paw feet, brass mounts. Sofas, sleigh beds, and pier tables are defining forms. Tends toward weighty proportions.

Architectural classicism applied to furniture. Klismos chairs (with the saber leg form from ancient Greek pottery), pillar-and-scroll case pieces, dark figured mahogany, restrained ornament. Cleaner lines than Empire.

Medieval church architecture as furniture vocabulary. Pointed arches, quatrefoils, trefoils, oak primary wood. Less common in residential context; more church and library furniture.

Revival of 18th-century French Rococo. Curving frames, elaborate carved foliate crests, rosewood typical. John Henry Belter's laminated rosewood parlor sets are the defining American Rococo Revival production — among the most valuable 19th-century American furniture.

John Henry Belter (1804–1863) developed a laminated rosewood frame construction with carved foliate crests, defining American Rococo Revival. The laminated frame (multiple thin layers of rosewood glued in cross-grain layers, then steam-bent and carved) allowed both strength and elaborate curving carving. Belter parlor sets remain among the highest-value 19th-century American furniture.

Heavy carved walnut and rosewood, architectural pediments, applied ornament. Common in post-Civil-War parlor sets and bedroom suites. Marketed as 'old-fashioned' and reassuring after the upheaval of the war.

Named for Charles Eastlake's pattern book, Hints on Household Taste (1868). Reaction against Rococo Revival excess. Geometric incised carving, ebonized finishes, restrained ornament, often inlaid with mother-of-pearl or contrasting wood. Walnut typical.

British and American movement emphasizing 'art for art's sake,' Japanese influence, ebonized finishes, gilded decoration. Overlaps with Eastlake. Christopher Dresser and Edward William Godwin are key designers.

Reaction against industrial production. Hand-craftsmanship, quartersawn oak, exposed joinery (visible mortise-and-tenon, through-tenons with wedged ends, hand-driven pegs), restrained ornament. American interpretation centered on Mission style.

Gustav Stickley's Craftsman furniture, the defining American Arts & Crafts production. Quartersawn white oak (the tiger oak figure visible on the sides), exposed mortise-and-tenon joinery, fumed oak finish (ammonia-darkened), hand-hammered copper or wrought-iron hardware. Quadralinear post construction (4 quarter-sawn planks joined to form a post with figure on all 4 sides) is a Stickley signature.

Generic term for American Arts & Crafts furniture, often synonymous with Stickley but also covering work by Roycroft, Limbert, Lifetime, and others. Quartersawn oak, exposed joinery, fumed or stained finishes.

Elbert Hubbard's Roycroft Community in East Aurora, New York. Hand-built oak furniture with similar Arts & Crafts vocabulary as Stickley but typically heavier proportions and Roycroft-specific motifs (the orb-and-cross mark).

Reproduction of earlier American styles (Pilgrim, Queen Anne, Chippendale, Federal) made for contemporary consumption. Quality varies enormously — from museum-quality Wallace Nutting and Israel Sack reproductions to mass-produced furniture-store pieces. Antonio works on all of it; the period-correctness conversation is shorter for reproductions.

Streamlined geometry, exotic veneers (zebrano, burl walnut, ebony, satinwood, shagreen), curved fronts, often integrated metal accents. American interpretation includes Donald Deskey and Paul Frankl. Hollywood Regency (1940s–1950s) extends the visual vocabulary into mirrored and lacquered glamour.

Post-WWII American design emphasizing function, organic form, new materials (molded plywood, fiberglass, steel, aluminum). Knoll, Herman Miller, Heywood-Wakefield, Henredon, Drexel, Eames, Saarinen, Nakashima, Wegner, Wormley, Milo Baughman. Increasingly collectible; reproduction lines now exist alongside vintage pieces.

Furniture company founded 1938 by Hans Knoll, expanded by Florence Knoll. Iconic mid-century catalog: Saarinen Tulip and Womb chairs, Bertoia Diamond chair, Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair, Breuer Wassily chair. Still produces from the original molds.

Furniture company founded 1923 in Zeeland, Michigan. Iconic mid-century production: Eames Lounge & Ottoman (Charles and Ray Eames, 1956), Eames DCM and DCW chairs, Nelson Coconut and Marshmallow chairs, Aeron office chair. The Eames Lounge is the single most reupholstered mid-century piece we work on.

American furniture company (1897–1979) producing 'streamline modern' birch furniture in the 1940s–1950s. Distinctive blonde or champagne finish on solid birch, curved silhouettes, decorative bowed drawer fronts. Increasingly collectible; warm-modern American mid-century at its best.

American spindle-back chair with a wooden saddle seat and splayed legs joined by stretchers. Seven major variants: bow-back (continuous bent arch back), sack-back (separate top rail capping spindles), comb-back (comb-shaped top rail), fan-back (tall back fanning out), low-back (no upper back), continuous-arm (single rail forming both arms and back), brace-back (extra braced spindles), and writing-arm (wide arm-tablet extension). Made 1730–present; period American Windsors (1760–1820) are most valuable.

Tall upholstered chair with vertical side panels (the 'wings') framing the head, originally designed to block drafts in unheated rooms. Queen Anne wingback has cabriole legs with pad feet; Chippendale wingback has cabriole legs with ball-and-claw feet; Georgian wingback is taller and more squared.

Side chair or armchair in the Chippendale period (1755–1790). Cabriole legs ending in ball-and-claw feet, carved knees with acanthus or shells, elaborate carved crest rails. Pierced splat backs in various patterns (ribbon-back, Gothic, Chinese). Mahogany typical.

Side or armchair with horizontal slats forming the back, resembling a ladder. American country construction from late 17th century onward; Shaker ladderbacks (1820s onward) are a defining American interpretation. Rush or splint seats typical.

Side chair with split-turned vertical 'banisters' forming the back. American 18th-century, similar context to William & Mary turnery.

Greek chair form (revived in the Neoclassical period 1800–1850) with sabre-shaped legs curving outward from the seat. Recognizable from ancient Greek pottery. Influential in American Greek Revival period.

Chippendale-period sofa with a single arched back (the 'camelback'), exposed mahogany frame, cabriole or straight legs. 1755–1790. Defining 18th-century American sofa form.

Federal-period sofa (1780–1820) with reeded or tapered arms, square back, restrained inlay. Distinct from Camelback in the straight or square back rather than arched.

English sofa form attributed to Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, in the 1770s. Rolled arms equal in height to the back (giving the sofa a low U-profile), deep-button tufting across the back and arms, low seat height. Originally hand-stitched leather over horsehair; later reproductions use foam.

Two-part case of drawers — an upper case (the 'top') resting on a lower case ('the base') with cabriole legs. Defining American 18th-century form. Bonnet-top (curved swan-neck pediment with finials) or flat-top variants. Philadelphia, Boston, and Newport schools each developed distinctive interpretations.

The lower case of a highboy used alone (with no upper case) as a dressing table or side table. Often has the same cabriole legs and carved knees as a highboy base. 18th-century American typical, walnut or mahogany.

Tall single case of drawers on cabriole legs. English origin; less common in American production. Distinguished from a highboy by being a single integrated piece rather than two-part.

Two-part case piece — both parts are chests of drawers, stacked, no legs. Variants include the chest-on-frame (where the lower piece is a low frame rather than a chest). 18th-century American typical.

Chest of drawers with an S-curve across the front (one section curving in, the middle curving out, the third curving in again). Chippendale and Federal-period American. The carved surface and drawer fitting are technically demanding.

Chest of drawers with a single continuous arc across the front (curving outward from the case sides). Federal-period American typical, often Hepplewhite or Sheraton.

Chest of drawers with three blocks across the front — the outer two pushed forward, the center recessed (or vice versa). New England signature (Newport Goddard-Townsend family especially). One of the most valuable American case forms.

Chest of drawers curving outward in three dimensions — the front and sides both bulge outward toward the middle. Boston, mid-18th-c., extremely rare and high-value. Technical mastery required to construct.

Desk with a writing surface that tips up into the case when closed, supported by lopers (sliding arms) when open. 18th- and 19th-c. American typical. Often part of a secretary with a bookcase top.

Slant-front desk below a glazed bookcase top. Defining 18th- and 19th-c. American case form. Provides writing space below, book storage above, often with a central pediment.

Desk with a curved tambour (flexible-slat cover) that rolls back into the case when opened. Victorian and Edwardian typical, 1880s–1920s. The mechanism is often the failure point — the canvas backing on the tambour wears out.

Small Victorian writing desk with a sloped writing surface and drawers along one side. Sailor's-chest origin (named for Captain Davenport who commissioned the first). Compact, often with a small upper compartment.

Flexible-slat closure (curved wooden strips glued to a canvas backing) that slides on tracks. Used on roll-top desks (vertical) and tambour desks (horizontal sliding doors). Hepplewhite and Sheraton tambour desks (1790–1810) are an elegant Federal-period form.

Rectangular table with drop leaves on the long sides and a single drawer at one end. Late 18th-century Federal-period typical. Named for Henry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke.

Any table with extending side leaves on rule-joint hinges. Pembroke tables, gateleg tables, and many country pieces all use drop-leaf construction. Most common antique table form.

Small round table on a tripod base where the top tilts vertically for storage against a wall. Often has a 'birdcage' — a small mechanism between the column and the top allowing both vertical tilt and horizontal rotation. 18th-c. American typical.

Large dining or extension table with hinged 'gate' legs that swing out from the base to support extending drop leaves. 17th- and early 18th-c. typical.

Low rectangular table with stretcher base, used in colonial inns and country homes. Pine, oak, or maple typical, simple construction. Pilgrim period through Federal.

Small round-top tripod table for holding candles or accessories. Period candlestands (1750–1820) range from austere country pieces to elaborate carved mahogany. Often confused with tilt-tops.

Federal-period dining-room serving piece (1780–1820). Typically 5-6 feet wide, central drawer over cabinet doors flanked by drawer banks, tapered or reeded legs. Hepplewhite or Sheraton most common.

Cupboard top over a chest base. Country construction common; Pennsylvania-Dutch hutches (often painted with stenciled or freehand decoration) are a defining American country form. Federal-period high-style hutches also exist.

Wine-storage cabinet with bottle racks and (typically) a lead-lined interior. Hepplewhite and Sheraton cellarets are elegant Federal-period forms; later Victorian cellarets are common.

High-back deep-seat 17th-c. bench, often originally painted, used as the central seating in colonial New England homes. The high back blocked drafts and trapped heat from the fireplace. Hand-pegged joinery, oak typical.

Narrower upholstered or wooden bench for entry halls, Victorian typical. Used for sitting to remove shoes or as decorative accent.

Small table with mirror and drawers for grooming. Queen Anne lowboys served this purpose in the 18th c.; Federal-period dressing tables were purpose-built. Art Deco vanities (1920s–1930s) extend the form with exotic veneers.

The most prized historical mahogany, harvested from the Caribbean and Florida Keys 1700–1850. Dense, deep reddish-brown color, takes finish exceptionally well. Largely exhausted by the late 19th century. Used on the finest American and English 18th-century pieces — Chippendale armchairs, high-style Federal sideboards. Distinguishable from Honduran mahogany by tighter grain and deeper color.

The successor to Cuban mahogany after Cuban stocks were exhausted. Lighter color, more open grain, still high-quality but distinct from Cuban. Used on 19th- and 20th-century mahogany pieces. CITES-listed since 2003 with sourcing restrictions.

Modern substitute for true mahogany. Not a true Swietenia. Lighter color, more porous, less stable. Used on 20th- and 21st-century 'mahogany' furniture; rarely on antique pieces.

Native American hardwood, deep brown color with darker streaks. Primary wood on Queen Anne and Pennsylvania-German pieces, secondary wood throughout 18th- and 19th-c. American furniture. Takes oil finishes beautifully; less common than mahogany on high-style pieces.

Lighter than American black walnut, more figure variation. Used on William & Mary and early Queen Anne pieces (1690–1740) in both English and high-end American production. Often appears with crotch figure (the dramatic V-shape from where a branch meets the trunk).

Quartersawn white oak showing the distinctive medullary-ray figure (the 'tiger stripe' pattern across the grain). Defining wood of American Arts & Crafts furniture (Stickley, Roycroft, Limbert, 1895–1920). The figure is visible only when the oak is cut radially through the log.

Dense ring-porous hardwood with closed grain (cells filled with tyloses make it water-resistant, used for whiskey barrels and ship construction). Primary wood on American Arts & Crafts, secondary wood on many other periods. Quartersawn = tiger oak.

Distinct from white oak — open grain (no tyloses, can be blown through with air), pinkish-red color, less dense. Less prized for furniture than white oak; common in 19th- and 20th-c. country and Victorian pieces.

Native American hardwood, pinkish-amber color that darkens with age and light exposure. Country furniture wood throughout 18th- and 19th-c. New England; high-style pieces in Federal-period Connecticut Valley and Hudson Valley. Takes finish well; characteristic dark mineral streaks.

American maple with figured grain. Curly maple (wavy stripes across the grain) and tiger maple (intense stripe pattern) are defining woods for American country furniture (Shaker chairs, Pennsylvania-German pieces). Bird's-eye maple (small circular figures throughout the grain) is more rare, often used as veneer.

American softwoods used extensively as secondary wood in 18th- and 19th-c. American furniture (drawer bottoms, case backs, frame components hidden under upholstery). Eastern white pine for northern New England construction; yellow and longleaf pine for southern Federal and country work.

The most prized rosewood, native to coastal Brazil. Dark reddish-brown to almost black, with dramatic figure. Used on Belter parlor sets (1844–1863), Rococo Revival pianos, and high-style Federal-period pieces. CITES-listed since 1992 with strict sourcing restrictions.

Substitute for Brazilian rosewood. Slightly lighter color, less dramatic figure, but similar density and finish capability. Used on 20th-century furniture and modern reproduction pieces.

Dense, jet-black hardwood. Used as inlay (string inlay, contrasting banding), small fittings (key escutcheons), and as veneer in Art Deco furniture. Macassar ebony (with brown striping) is highly figured; Gabon ebony is uniform black.

Light golden-yellow hardwood with a silky finish. Used as inlay on Hepplewhite-period American furniture (bellflower drops, banding) and as veneer panel on high-style Federal pieces. East Indian satinwood and West Indian satinwood are distinct species; both are now CITES-restricted.

Burlwood: dramatic swirling grain from tree growths (burls). Crotch: the V-shape figure from where a branch meets the trunk (most dramatic in walnut). Figure refers to any non-straight grain pattern that adds visual interest. Federal-period American case pieces often use crotch mahogany or burl walnut as drawer-front veneer panels.

A drawer or case joint cut by hand with a saw and chisel. Characterized by uneven spacing, larger pins (the wedge-shaped pieces) than tails (the receiving cuts), and sometimes visible saw kerfs from initial cuts. Pre-1860 construction; the strongest single dating evidence on case furniture.

A drawer or case joint cut by power-driven machinery (the Knapp joint from 1867 onward, later the Charles B. Knapp pin-and-cove and the modern through-dovetail jig). Characterized by uniform spacing, tight identical tails, and no visible hand marks. Post-1870 construction.

Dovetail joint where the joint is visible from one side but hidden from the other. Used at the front of drawers (visible from the side, hidden from the front when the drawer is closed). Both hand-cut and machine-cut variants exist.

Dovetail joint visible from both sides. Used at the back of drawers (where appearance does not matter) and as a decorative element on Arts & Crafts furniture (where the visible joinery is part of the aesthetic).

Joint where a projecting piece (tenon) fits into a corresponding hole (mortise). The foundational joint in chair and frame construction. Often pegged through both pieces for additional strength on antique furniture.

Joints reinforced with hand-driven wooden pegs through the joint. The standard reinforcement on Pilgrim through Federal-period American chair and case construction. Pegs are visible as small circular spots in the wood; their presence indicates pre-industrial construction.

S-curve leg form rising from a knee (curving outward) through an ankle (curving inward) to a foot. Defining 18th-c. American leg form. Queen Anne cabriole legs end in pad feet; Chippendale cabriole legs end in ball-and-claw feet.

Foot detail where a stylized claw (typically 3 visible 'toes') grips a ball. Chippendale-period detail (1755–1790). American interpretations vary by region — Philadelphia ball-and-claw is bolder; Newport ball-and-claw is more restrained.

Flat, slightly-flattened spherical foot. William & Mary period typical. The Pilgrim-period equivalent is the ball foot (more fully spherical).

Foot formed by a flat angled bracket at each corner of a case piece. Federal-period typical; replaces the cabriole leg on later 18th-c. and Federal case furniture.

Bracket foot with an S-curve (ogee) profile in the visible bracket. Slightly more elaborate than a plain bracket foot; Federal-period high-style typical.

Carved leaf motif based on the Mediterranean acanthus plant. Used on cabriole leg knees in Chippendale-period furniture, on classical column capitals, and as general 18th-c. carved decoration.

Lathe-turned cylindrical leg with carved vertical ridges (reeds) along the length. Sheraton-period detail (1790–1820). Distinct from fluted column (where the grooves are recessed) — reeded legs have raised ridges.

Column with vertical grooves (flutes) carved along its length. Greek Revival and Federal-period detail. Distinct from reeded leg by having recessed grooves rather than raised ridges.

Decorative inlay using shaped pieces of veneer to form a pictorial or figurative pattern. More elaborate than simple banding inlay. Hepplewhite-period American case pieces sometimes have marquetry panels; high-style French and English pieces use it extensively.

Geometric pattern inlay (squares, diamonds, stars) using veneer. Distinct from marquetry by being non-figurative. Common on Hepplewhite drawer fronts and case panels.

Veneer panel made from two adjacent slices of the same flitch (the same section of log), opened like a book so the grain pattern mirrors across the center seam. Standard practice on high-style case veneer (Federal-period sideboards, Chippendale highboy drawer fronts).

Inlay strip running along the edge of a drawer front, table top, or case panel. Often satinwood or holly on mahogany; or contrasting wood on lighter primary woods. Federal-period typical.

General term for decorative materials (wood, brass, mother-of-pearl, ivory) inserted into recessed grooves in the primary wood surface. Includes banding, bellflower drops, husks, marquetry panels, and parquetry geometric patterns.

Hardware (brass pulls, escutcheons, hinges, locks) installed when the piece was first made. Identified by hand-cast marks, period-correct style, and patina that matches the surrounding wood patina. Preserve always; clean lightly (no aggressive buffing that removes patina).

Pressed-glass drawer pulls produced by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company (1825–1888) and similar New England factories. Recognizable from the molded pattern and the glass color (clear, blue, green, amethyst). Used on Federal-period American chests of drawers and dressers.

Mottled brown-glazed ceramic drawer pulls produced by the United States Pottery Company in Bennington, Vermont (1849–1858). Common on American 19th-c. country furniture. Sometimes referred to generically as 'Bennington' even when not from Bennington.

Drawer pulls consisting of a curved metal bail (the handle) attached to two rosettes (the back-plate). The standard 18th- and 19th-c. American case furniture pull form. Hand-cast brass on period pieces; hand-forged on replacements.

Drawer pulls where a single circular brass rosette serves as both back-plate and handle attachment. Often used on smaller drawers and on simpler furniture.

Curved brass plates surrounding a keyhole, with the curve resembling a stylized bat wing. William & Mary and Queen Anne period typical.

Replacement brass hardware hammered and shaped by hand to match an original. The right answer when an original is genuinely missing. Distinct from cast reproduction hardware by the hammer marks and slight irregularities. Reads correct against period work.

Modern hardware mass-produced to resemble period brass. Visible-modern at a glance because of uniform machining, modern brass alloys, and catalog-perfect proportions. Devalues the piece; we do not install.

The complete lock mechanism in a drawer or door — the lock itself (mortised into the wood), the strike plate (on the receiving surface), the escutcheon (the surface plate around the keyhole), and the key. Often original on antique pieces; we preserve and re-fit the mechanism.

Drawer pulls in the shape of a brass tear-drop, hanging from a small mounting plate. William & Mary period typical (1690–1725). Replaced by bail pulls in the Queen Anne period.

Restoration that uses the same materials and methods the piece was originally built with — hide glue, hand-stitched edges, horsehair stuffing, French polish, original or hand-forged hardware. The standard for museum-quality and auction-house-acceptable work.

Restoration techniques that can be undone by a future restorer without destroying the piece. Hide glue is reversible (softens with warm water); synthetic adhesives are not. Reversibility is the foundational principle of conservation-grade restoration.

Animal-protein adhesive made from collagen (hide, bone, or fish). The historical furniture adhesive used continuously from antiquity through the mid-20th c. Soaks into old wood at the cellular level, bonds strongly, and is reversible. Still the only correct adhesive for period furniture restoration.

Finish technique using many thin coats of shellac applied with a cotton rubber pad (the 'rubber') charged with oil. Produces deep, glassy surface with no plastic feel. Slow (many hours per piece) and reversible. The only finish a period antique should wear.

Natural resin secreted by lac bugs, dissolved in alcohol for use as a wood finish. The traditional furniture finish before lacquer and polyurethane. Reversible (re-dissolves in alcohol), repairable, and historically correct for period work.

Top-coat of paste wax (typically beeswax or carnauba blend) over a shellac or oil base. Common on country furniture and Arts & Crafts pieces. Provides protection and slight sheen; easily renewed with additional wax.

Surface character earned over decades or centuries of use — soft sheen, wear at touch points, color shifts, oxidation. Visible only on original surfaces; cannot be reproduced on refinished wood. Preserving patina is the single most important judgment call in antique restoration.

Restoration of internal corner blocks that reinforce the joints of upholstered furniture frames. Block failure is the most common structural failure on antique upholstered pieces; re-blocking restores frame rigidity.

Restoration of failed wooden pegs in pegged mortise-and-tenon joints. Common on Windsor chairs and other 18th-c. American chair construction. We drive new hardwood pegs (typically hickory or oak) to replace failed originals.

Upholstery edge constructed by hand-stitching jute twine through the edge of the seat platform to form a firm, raised perimeter. The standard 18th- and 19th-c. American upholstery edge. Holds fabric flat at the corners; stapled-only edges bunch within a few years.

Upholstery filling made from animal hair (typically horsetail). The historical filling used continuously through the early 20th c. Springy, breathable, and stable for centuries. Still the correct filling for period upholstery restoration; modern foam is not.

Spring system where coil springs are knotted to each other in 8 directions (front-to-back, side-to-side, both diagonals) using jute twine. The springs flex as a system rather than independently. The standard high-quality 19th- and 20th-c. upholstery spring system; what holds a sofa together for 40 years.

Zigzag wire spring (S-shape) that drops into the seat frame. Faster to install than hand-tied; cheaper. Most mid-century modern furniture was engineered for sinuous springs; converting period hand-tied to sinuous is value-destroying.

Strips of jute (traditional) or rubber (modern) stretched across the seat frame as the foundation for spring or padding support. Jute webbing is original; rubber webbing is acceptable on mid-century pieces where the design specified it.

Upholstery industry term for fabric supplied by the customer (or their designer) rather than purchased from the workroom's library. Logged, photographed, condition-reported, and yardage-confirmed on arrival. No markup.

Hand-woven seat or back from natural cane in a six-way (3 horizontals + 3 verticals + 1 diagonal = 6 directions) or seven-way (adds a second diagonal) pattern. The pattern depends on the chair type. Lifespan when properly done: 30 to 50 years.

Hand-twisted seat material made from natural cattail rush. Pre-soaked, woven by hand, tensioned in place. Used on Shaker chairs, Pilgrim ladderbacks, and country pieces. Synthetic Hong Kong cane is not the same material; period work requires natural rush.

Flat strips of white oak or hickory used for seats on Appalachian, Adirondack, and Pennsylvania country chairs. Pre-soaked, woven in over-under patterns, tensioned by hand.