In the land of bling, a pendant is a type of bauble that hangs around the neck by a chain or cord. Similarly, a pendant lamp is a light fixture suspended from the ceiling. Typically, a pendant lamp is mounted on a base made from metal or another material, and a long cord or rod hangs down from the base with the lamp and light bulb at the end.
Parquet (pronounced "parkay") is a type of flooring made from pieces of wood laid in geometric patterns. Parquet comes in a seemingly infinite number of designs: The individual wood pieces can be squares, rectangles, triangles, and other shapes.
A very basic parquet floor would involve a tile-like pattern, such as the one on the left.
When it comes to buffets, there's the all-you-can eat variety and the furniture variety. The latter is a type of table often found in a dining room and used to hold food platters during a meal. Buffets typically come with compartments and drawers designed to hold plates, utensils, and other serving ware.
I saw the word strié in a do-it-yourself magazine the other day, and since I had to look up what it meant, I thought you guys might appreciate an explanation, too.
Strié is actually a faux finish technique that gives walls or other surfaces a slightly rough-edged striped finish. The name
comes from the French word meaning "streak" or "stripe."
Faux finishing is the art of using paint to create the illusion of texture or depth on otherwise flat surfaces, such as walls, furniture, and floors. The decorative painting technique has exploded in popularity in recent years, and you can now buy many different types of specialized brushes and glazes available to help achieve faux finishes.
There are a number of
faux finish techniques, including sponge painting (above left), "ragging" or rag painting (right), and color washing.
