Barty Phillips - How to Make the Best Use of Salvage

Antique: an object collectible or desirable because of its age (usually considered to be over 100 years old), its rarity, craftsmanship and quality of materials.

Architrave: a decorated wooden strip that runs round a door, window or panel.

Baluster : one of the short pillars supporting the rail or stone coping round a balcony or terrace.

Bygones : in the reclamation world this usually means items are in the style of something antique or reclaimed rather than being actually antique.

Came : a strip of lead, zinc or perhaps other metals made into channels to hold glass pieces in a pattern (e.g. in a stained glass window).

Ceramic : made of glazed pottery or china.

Chinoiserie : furniture, fabric or wallpaper inspired by Chinese design (often quite an eccentric Western view of what represents true Chinese design).

Collectors item : an object of great interest, value or rarity.

Console table : a narrow table designed to stand against a wall, particularly useful in narrow spaces or hallways.

Cornice : a decorative moulding strip, usually of wood or plaster, which runs round the wall of a room just below ceiling level.

Dado rai l: a wooden rail fixed horizontally onto a wall, usually about two-thirds of the way down. The area below is usually panelled or given a different paint or wallpaper treatment to the area above.

Eclectic : a mingling of different styles and inspirations.

Escutcheon : an ornamental protective plate over a keyhole.

Fanlight : a window over a door; often semi-circular with radiating glazing bars.

Finial : an ornamental end to a post, curtain pole, etc.

Fire surround : the frame round a grate, usually of wood, marble or stone.

Firebox : the small chamber in the grate where wood and/or coal are burned.

Focal point : an object or arrangement that attracts attention and becomes the main feature of a room or an area.

Galvanised : iron or steel coated with rust-resistant zinc; used for water tanks, troughs, buckets, baths, etc.

Gilding : application of gold leaf, gold paint or cream to a piece of furniture or frame.

Hi-tech ( see industrial)

Industrial : describes something originally designed for commercial use (such as flooring, desking or structural systems) used in the home.

Kilim (or kelim) : flat-woven (i.e. non-tufted) rug usually made in the Caucasus or the Middle East.

Lacquer: a hard varnish applied in many layers and polished into a high gloss.

Linenfold : wooden panelling carved to look like linen hanging in folds.

Mantel shelf or mantelpiece : a horizontal surface fixed immediately above the fireplace or as part of the fire surround.

Mouldings: decorative plaster or woodwork on cornices, arches and ceilings.

Newel post: the vertical post used to support the beginning and intermediate intervals of a staircase railing.

Overmantel : any architectural structure resting on top of the mantel.

Pavers : thin bricks used for flooring and paving.

Paviour : someone who lays pavers.

Provenance: the source of an item and the history of its ownership.

Quarry tiles: unglazed hard clay tiles, traditionally used on kitchen and passage floors.

Reclaimed: something salvaged and reused in its original form with minimal reprocessing. It may be cut to size, adapted, cleaned up or refinished but it is fundamentally in its original form.

Recycled : any materials taken from waste and reprocessed and remanufactured to form part of a new product.

Reproduction: something reproduced in faithfulness to the form, elements and workmanship of the original.

Retro: styles of the 1950s and 60s, sometimes including the 1970s and 80s or copies reminiscent of those eras.

Sconce : a bracket lamp fixed to the wall.

Shellac : resin secreted by female lac bug in India and Thailand. It is processed into dry flakes, dissolved in denatured alcohol to make liquid shellac, a tough high gloss varnish. In the 1800s it replaced wax finishes and became the dominant wood finish until the 1920s and 30s.

Skirting: a wooden strip running along the bottom of a wall, where it meets the floor.

Spindle: a short, narrow upright piece of wood or metal supporting the rail of a staircase.

Terraced house : one of several houses joined together in a row.

Trumeau: an extra sculpted stone chimney breast that sits over the mantel. It often has a mirror.

Vintage : rather loosely taken to mean an object that is fifty to 100 years old, often applied to an item made after 1900 and before 1980.