The ABC’s of Kitchen and Bath Terms
Accent lighting
Lighting that emphasizes displayed items, such as artwork or china cupboards.
Accessories
Additional cabinetry items such as overlays, moldings, etc to enhance the appearance and quality of a project. Also includes towel bars, soap dishes, hardware, etc.
Banquette
A built-in table with chairs in an alcove or a built-in upholstered bench along a wall, often used in breakfast areas
Barn door
Hardware that allows the door to slide along a wall. Useful when a pocket door is too costly or not possible.
Blind base cabinet
A base cabinet usually incorporated into a design to turn a corner with an appliance or other cabinet perpendicular to it.
Beakfront
A large cabinet or bookcase whose center section projects beyond the two end sections
Chair rail
A trim piece that runs horizontally on a wall at the height of a chair back and is used to make the transition between a wainscot and upper wall. Originally used to prevent damage to a wall from the backs of chairs.
Chromatherapy
Using color to affect mood and sense of well-being, using colored lights in a bathtub.
Claw foot tub
A tub mounted off of the floor on four legs; the base of each leg is shaped like a claw foot.
Clearance space
The space required for a safe and clear use of an appliance, cabinet doors and safe passage.
Compartmentalized bathroom
A bathroom where individual activities, like toileting or showering, are separated by walls into individual compartments.
Concealed hinge
A hinge that is attached to the door and the inside end panel or stile of a cabinet, making it not visible from the exterior of the cabinet
Console sink
A sink basin supported by legs. The legs can be metal or wooden.
Convection
The transmission of heat through a liquid or gas. The cooler feeling you experience in front of a fan in summer is due to convective air movement over your skin. It is also a form of cooking.
Decorative overlay
Overlay – A piece of carved, scrolled wood which is usually fastened to the face of a panel or custom hood.
Diagonal corner cabinet
A cabinet used to span across a corner; another term for this type of cabinet is wall angle.
Downdraft ventilation system
A kitchen ventilation system that pulls air with the by-products of cooking down through a vent and exhausts it to the outside; typically the ventilation system is integrated with the cooktop or installed immediately adjacent to it
Eco-friendly
Having little or no impact on the native ecosystem.
End panels
Accessory cabinet part used to finish the end of a cabinet run or the side of an appliance or unfinished cabinet.
Energy Star
The Energy Star program, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, helps consumers identify energy-efficient products for their homes.
Exposed hinge
A hinge attached to the door and the front frame of the cabinet, making it visible from the exterior of the cabinet
Face framing
A method of installing joists or rafters, where they attach to the face of the beam rather than run over the top.
Fixture
Any fixed part of the structural design, such as tubs, bidets, toilets, and lavatories.
Grab bars
Safety bars installed in bathtubs and showers to prevent falls. A device, usually installed on a wall, that provide support while rising from, sitting in, entering, or exiting a bathtub or shower.
Green design
A design, also referred to as a sustainable design or eco-design, which conforms to environmentally sound principles of building, material, and energy use. A green building, for example, might make use of skylights, recycled building materials, and energy efficient appliances.
Halogen
A variation of incandescent lighting whereby the filament is encased inside a capsule containing halogen gas, produced by iodine vapor.
Hood insert
A liner for a custom made hood for housing the filter system, fan, and lights. Made from sheet metal or other non-combustible material.
Hydrotherapy
Refers to a variety of bathing options that use hot water, water movement, and/or pressure to stimulate or relax the body.
Incandescent
Lighting produced when an electrical current runs through a poor conductor, such as a tungsten carbide filament in an incandescent bulb.
Island
An area of cabinets and countertops which can be accessed and walked around from all sides. Considered free standing.
Knot
A portion of a branch or limb that extends into the trunk of a tree and appears as a darker spot on sawn lumber.
Kosher
In Judaism, the term kosher can be applied to foods that meet a series of dietary laws. The ease of meeting some of these dietary laws, such as the separation of meats and dairy products, can be enhanced by the design of the kitchen
Laminate
Any thin material such as wood or plastic glued to the exterior of a cabinet, countertop or other surface.
Lazy Susan
A corner cabinet on which the shelves are mounted on a vertical axle such that items may be retrieved by pushing on the shelves to turn them may also be called a lazy Susan. This type is usually found in kitchens. Closed, this type of lazy Susan appears to be two normal cabinets at right angles to each other. When pushed on, the cabinet “doors” reveal the shelves, which are circular except for the ninety degree cutout where the doors are mounted.
Mudsetting
A method of installing ceramic stone tiles by setting them into a mortar bed.
Needs assessment
In the context of the design process, gathering information about the client and their needs, wants, and desires for the design project as well as the physical characteristics of the jobsite.
NKBA™
National Kitchen & Bath Association
Pedestal lavatory
A free-standing fixture with a wide top and narrow base that conceals the plumbing.
Pendant
A lighting fixture hung from the ceiling containing one or more lamps.
Peninsula
An area of cabinets or counter fastened on one side which can be accessed and walk up to on three sides.
Pocket door
A door that slides horizontally on a track and is typically moved inside a wall for storage.
Powder room
A small bathroom for guest near the public areas of the home. Consists of a sink and toilet.
Primary clean-up/prep sink
The sink used most frequently. If only one sink is planned it will be used for both clean-up and food preparation. A kitchen with primary and auxiliary sinks may separate these tasks.
Pull
Devices attached or built in that enable a person to open a drawer. Pulls are often referred to as stirrup grips and are in the shape of the letter “U.”
R&R
Remove and Replace. A term describing simple remodeling project that involves removing and replacing cabinetry, fixtures and appliances without structural or mechanical changes.
Roll-in shower
Shower without a threshold that is large enough for a wheelchair to enter.
Rough-in
Where the shower head or other plumbing fitting will be placed in the wall or floor.
Sauna
A Finnish steam bath. A room that uses dry heat and steam to cleanse and relax the user Steam is produced by pouring water over heated rocks
Sconce
A light fixture that is fixed to a wall.
Secondary center
A work area established for a specific task, such as baking or salad preparation. It may include an appliance or fixture, storage, and counter space, but is not calculated as part of the work triangle.
Shelf/drawer frontage
Calculation of cabinet size x number of shelves or drawers x cabinet depth in feet. Used to determine adequate storage in a kitchen.
Snack bar
An area of countertop space used for eating or snacking usually 36 or 42 inches off of the floor.
Soaking tub
Extra deep tub that allows the user to submerge to their neck.
Spa tub
A large tub holding warm water having whirlpool action and seating for multiple users, hot tub.
Task lighting
Added lighting for specific tasks, like grooming, dressing, reading, etc. Lighting focused on an work area.
Toe kick
An indented space in cabinetry near the floor to accommodate the feet while standing next to a cabinetry.
Traffic Patterns
The normal walkway or passage a person would go from one place to another.
Transom
A horizontal window set above a door or other windows.
Vanity
Bathroom cabinet with the lavatory on the type.
Veneer
A thin sheet of material bonded to one or more other materials. Plywood is one example of a veneer material.
Vessel lavatory
A lavatory bowl or basin that sits on top of the counter or ledge.
Vichy shower
A seven-headed rain bar with pressure spray treatment used to apply water and warmed essential oils to relax and stimulate the mind and body.
Vitreous china
A ceramic material fired at high temperatures to form a nonporous, glass-like material.
Wainscot
A material used to clad the lower portion of a wall.
Wainscoting
An application of wood paneling up to the middle or lower half of a wall
Water closet
A term for an indoor privy where water was used to wash down human waste.
Whirlpool
A bath with jets that move warm water into a swirling motion, jetted bathtub.
Work aisle
Space needed to work at the kitchen work centers.
Work center
Comprised of an appliance or sink, surrounding landing/work area, and storage.
Work Triangle
The distance between the three primary work centers (cooking surface, clean-up/prep primary sink, and refrigeration). Ideally between 12 and 26 feet in total length.
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Cheryl Sandella, Interior Designer ASID Allied Member, works with her husband and partner of 30 years, Al Sandella, General Contractor. They own Sandella Custom Homes and Interiors in Fountain Hills Arizona and design, remodel and build homes in the valley. To read more about her go to http://www.sandella.net/aboutus/aboutus.html
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Cheryl Sandella
Sandella Custom Homes & Interiors
PO Box 18132
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269
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Posted by Cheryl Sandella / Sandella Custom Homes & Interiors 
