Design Speak lets you in on a some industry lingo so that you will sound oh-so-smart. From abbreviations to acronyms to phrases to trendy words, we’ll do our best to cover it, and we’ll do it in language you’ll understand.
A type of weave that is used a great deal for bedding, percale is made of either 100% cotton yarns or a cotton-polyester yarn blend. The "thread count" of a percale fabric is calculated by counting the threads going in both directions inside one square inch of the fabric. Note that a high thread count percale blend won't be as sumptuous as a lower thread count that is completely constructed of cotton. Furthermore, due to dye saturation, a dark colored cotton percale will feel stiffer than a lighter colored cotton percale with the same thread count.
We all need a healthy does of perspective, but in this case we’re talking about a drawing that is drawn with perspective, which, to confuse you further, is actually referred to as a perspective. This type of drawing is quite common in architectural renderings that one would use as part of a presentation because it gives the most accurate representation of what an interior space or building will eventually look like to the human eye. Techniques include one-point perspective, two-point perspective, and three-point perspective. The “point” refers to a vanishing point. Objects represented in the drawing have edges with parallel lines that converge to vanishing points, which gives the illusion of depth and distance even though the image is drawn on a two-dimensional, flat plane. As you can imagine, the drawing difficulty level grows with each point.
This word can be used in a variety of applications for different industries because the true definition is “an electronic device whose electrical properties are modified by the action of light.” However, in design speak it is used to describe specifically the device used in to detect low levels of light and, thus, cause light fixtures to turn on automatically. Most commonly, photocells are used in exterior lighting applications and nightlights, but sometimes you will find them in units that can plug into a wall socket to control table or floor lamps.
An image produced from a photographic negative transferred to a metal plate and etched in. One can also use the term photogravure to describe the production of said photographs. Though these types of ethereal and often haunting images are still produced today, the technique was more commonly used during photography’s early years.
When subjected to the UV component of indirect or direct sunlight, many very light-colored or white products, such as fabrics, wallcoverings, carpets, and plastic goods, turn yellow over time. Photoyellowing is exacerbated when the items contain fluorescent whitening agents, which are often applied to textiles to improve product brightness. It has been rumored that reason for the new white iPhone’s delay is that Apple is having a difficult time improving over the original version, which turns yellow after time.
We heard this French word used the other day, so we’re including it. It literally translates to “foot to the ground”, but it is commonly used as a name for a second house. It typically refers to an apartment that someone might own who was a frequent traveler to that city. If you are fortunate enough, you might have an estate in the country and a pied-à-terre in town. We can all dream…
If you talk to an engineer, the first thing that will come to mind when hearing the word “pile” are those long, slender columns of timber, steel, or reinforced concrete driven into the ground to carry a vertical load. However, if you talk to a designer about pile, most likely an entirely different image will surface. In fact, the image will actually be that of a surface because pile is a velvety surface produced by lots and lots of filling yarns that form raised loops that are then cut and sheared. The term is most often used when talking about carpets and rugs, i.e. cut pile, pile height, thick pile, etc. Cut pile is a universal favorite on one’s bare feet, particularly if it is extra thick. The denser it is, the softer it is, and the plusher it is, the more expensive it is. Gotta love plush.
Different from the word pique (see SAY WHAT? for that definition), piqué derives from the French past participle of piquer, which means to prick or quilt. Just as this dual-personality word has two pronunciations, it also has two meanings related to the world of design. The less used definition describes the decoration of tortoise shell or an object made of ivory with a pattern of inlaid fragments of gold or silver (a practice that was popular in the 1700s and 1800s). The more common usage refers to a resilient, medium-to-heavy weight knit or tightly-woven, ribbed fabric composed of cotton, rayon, or silk. The outward side of the fabric tends to resemble a honeycomb, and the wrong side is flat and smooth. Keeping with the dual theme, piqué can also describe a weaving style of raised parallel cords, waffles or fine ribbing in the lengthwise direction.
As an adjective, the word “plastic” means pliable or able to be molded and formed. Therefore, plaster is defined as a type of plastic material, but not a material made out of what we now refer to as plastic. Confused yet? To confuse you even further, you can use the term plaster to refer to the material when it’s dry (as a powder), when it’s wet (as a liquid), and when it’s hard and dry (as a solid, of course). And, to make it worse, there are many types of plaster, all dependent on their respective ingredients. FYI: Most things called plaster are actually gypsum plasters. We’re not going to get into all of the details here, but we will name off some other kinds of just so you’ll recognize the names: Gesso; Stucco; Lime Plaster; Whitewash (really more like a paint); Clay Plaster; Calcium Plaster; Venetian Plaster (really more of a surfacing technique); and Plaster of Paris (remember this from summer camp?).
To bridge the gap between the student / educational community and the professional / manufacturer community of the interior design world, and not to die of boredom while we do it.
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Benjamin Moore is pleased to announce their Annual HUE Awards, which honor interior designers and architects who masterfully and innovatively use color consistently throughout their work. Each of the honorees in the four categories will receive a HUEY sculpture plus a $5,000 cash prize. There is no fee to enter, and submissions will be accepted between April 15, 2013 - Friday, July 12, 2013. GO HERE to learn more and to enter.
Enough Said T-Shirts
Created by a couple of Milwaukee interior designers with a quirky sense of humor, a healthy dose of sarcasm and a heaping serving of caring. Check out Enough Said to find fun t-shirts with a message.
