Every profession has it's own special language and Interior Design, Architecture and Construction are no different.
Each week I will be giving you definitions for words beginning with letters of the alphabet and will continue through the alphabet until we are done with all the letters.
Here are some definitions beginning with the letter "L".
Laminate floor:
Laminate flooring has been around for awhile. Think of a plastice surface like "Formica" only on the floor. It is durable with a plastic coating on top of a photograph of real wood or stone so it is quite realistic looking. It does tend to make noise when walked on so a sound underlayment is advised. It is installed in squares (to look like stone) or in planks that look like wood flooring.
Lamp:
Lamps are generally thought of as the fixture which houses a "bulb" and sits on the floor or table (ie: table lamp). In the industry however, "lamp" is the word for the actual "bulb". We do still refer to the table type as lamps also so it can be confusing.
LED:
LED is a common word these days as LED lamping becomes more mainstream. LED stands for Light emitting diodes. They have improved tremedously over the last few years and are energy effiecient, cool to the touch, long lasting and can be dimmed. They are used in everything from Christmas lights to computerized show lighting on the exterior of buidings. Ultimately they will become our main source of lighting however, they are still a little expensive for the initial cost.
Lintel:
A lintel is a strange word but it refers to the horizontal piece of framing above a door, window or other opening. They can be made of wood or stone and are sometimes decorative as well as functional as you can see in these pictures.
Lumens and luminaire:
Lumens are measured by the amount of light being emitted onto a square foot of surface. Lumens = light. The amount of light being transmitted from a lamp will deminish over time and is referred to as lumen depreciation.
A luminaire is the actual light fixture or housing for the "lamp" which emits the light. We haven't yet started using the term "table luminiare" but that would be correct instead of "table lamp".
Lyre Motif:
A lyre is a stringed instrument like a harp that was used in Ancient Greece. You will see it depicted in pictures of ancient Greeks. It has been transformed into a decorative shape in furniture and is quite graceful.
Next week I will present words beginning with the letter "M"
Link to previous blogs here
Please call me if I can be of any help!
408-369-9801 or email me
accentondesign@yahoo.com
Lila Levinson, ASID, CKD, CID, NCIQ, IDG
