Interior design & renovation glossary

100 terms you will meet in projects, estimates and conversations with builders — in plain language, with prices and practice from our projects in Almaty and Astana.

Style & decor

Accent wall

One wall set apart by color or texture: the room's focal point.

Furniture & kitchen

Backsplash

The strip of wall between the worktop and wall units that takes splashes, grease and steam. The material must tolerate heat and clean easily.

Furniture & kitchen

Bar counter

A seating surface higher than a dining table: classic height is 110-115 cm with tall stools, a half-height counter is closer to worktop height.

Style & decor

Biophilic design

Design that restores our connection to nature: greenery, natural materials, daylight.

Furniture & kitchen

Built-in appliances

Appliances integrated into cabinetry behind matching fronts.

Furniture & kitchen

Cabinet furniture

Panel-built storage — wardrobes, kitchens — made to the room's exact dimensions.

Materials

Clinker tile

High-fired clay tile: brick-look interior walls and durable facades.

Style & decor

Coffered ceiling

A ceiling divided by beams into regular recessed panels (coffers): it adds depth and rhythm and works best in rooms with high ceilings.

Lighting

Color temperature

The shade of white light in kelvins: warm 2700K to rest, neutral 4000K to work.

Engineering

Concealed cistern frame

A steel frame with a concealed cistern inside the wall for a wall-hung toilet: only the bowl and flush plate show. The floor stays clear and cleaning is easier.

Process & documents

Concept design

The first stage: layout, concept and the interior's image before working drawings.

Furniture & kitchen

Countertop

The kitchen work surface: quartz, acrylic, HPL, wood or ceramic.

Lighting

Cove lighting

LED strip hidden in a cove: soft reflected light with no visible source.

Lighting

CRI (color rendering index)

How truthfully light renders colors: look for CRI 90+ at home.

Materials

Decorative plaster

Textured wall finish — silk, travertine or concrete look, with no seams.

Construction

Demolition

The first stage: stripping partitions, finishes and old utilities down to the shell.

Process & documents

Design brief

The document of project requirements: household, life scenarios, budget, wishes.

Process & documents

Design project

The complete interior documentation: layouts, 3D and working drawings for builders.

Process & documents

Designer supervision

The designer's control that construction follows the project.

Lighting

Dimmer

A device for smooth brightness control instead of an ordinary switch. LED needs a compatible pairing of dimmable lamp and suitable dimmer.

Materials

Drywall

A board with a gypsum core in a paper shell, used for framed partitions, niches, boxes and ceilings. Standard, moisture-resistant and fire-resistant types exist.

Construction

Drywall ceiling

A ceiling of plasterboard on a metal frame, filled and painted: any levels, niches and light lines. A monolithic look with no canvas seams.

Engineering

Ducted air conditioner

An AC hidden above the ceiling, delivering air through grilles — no wall units.

Engineering

Electrical layout

Cable routing and outlet placement designed around the real furniture plan.

Materials

Engineered wood

Real wood top layer on a plywood base: the look of solid wood with better stability.

Materials

Epoxy grout

A two-part grout for tile joints (resin and hardener): it does not absorb water or dirt, so it suits showers and backsplashes.

Construction

False wall

A framed plasterboard wall built in front of the main wall: hides pipes and cables, evens out geometry, and houses a WC frame, TV or niches.

Construction

Fine finishing

The final stage: floor finishes, paint, tile, doors, skirting and fixtures.

Process & documents

Finishes schedule

A room-by-room table of finishes: floor, walls, ceiling, with areas.

Style & decor

Flush skirting

An aluminium profile fitted before plastering: a flush skirting or a shadow gap between wall and floor. It must be decided before rough works.

Furniture & kitchen

Furniture front

The visible door or panel — fronts define both the look and the price of a kitchen.

Furniture & kitchen

Furniture hardware

Hinges, slides and lifts: the invisible mechanics that decide how furniture lives.

Materials

Gypsum fibreboard (GVL)

A gypsum sheet reinforced with cellulose fibre and no paper facing: denser and stronger than drywall.

Engineering

Heat recovery ventilator

A ventilation unit with a heat exchanger: heat from the exhaust air is passed to the incoming fresh air without the streams mixing.

Process & documents

Home staging

Preparing an interior for sale: a small budget that visibly speeds the deal.

Materials

HPL laminate

High-pressure laminate made of kraft paper and resins: a hard-wearing facing for fronts and walls; compact board works as a standalone material.

Furniture & kitchen

Kitchen island

A freestanding central unit: worktop, storage and the family gathering spot.

Furniture & kitchen

Kitchen plinth

The panel along the bottom of a kitchen that hides the adjustable cabinet legs. Usually 100-150 mm; made of melamine board or aluminium.

Materials

Laminate

HDF-based flooring with a decor layer: affordable wood look, but sensitive to water.

Construction

Layout change

Changing the apartment configuration — legally, with permits.

Process & documents

Layout plan

A scaled plan with partitions, doors and furniture: the core of the project, where it is decided how you will actually live in the space.

Lighting

Light lines

Linear fixtures recessed into ceilings or walls: graphic modern lighting.

Lighting

Lighting scene

Pre-designed light combinations for tasks: work, evening, movie, night.

Construction

Load-bearing wall

A wall carrying the floors and weight of the building. It cannot be demolished; an opening needs an engineered reinforcement design and approval.

Style & decor

Loft style

The industrial-space style: concrete, brick, exposed services, high ceilings.

Engineering

Low-voltage networks

Internet, TV, intercom, alarm: data lines routed before finishes.

Lighting

Magnetic track

A low-voltage busbar (usually 48 V) to which fixtures attach by magnet and can be moved by hand, with no tools and no power-off.

Engineering

Manifold plumbing

Star-pattern water supply from a manifold to each fixture.

Materials

MDF

Medium-density fibreboard: the base for painted fronts and wall panels.

Process & documents

Measured survey

A drawing of the real space based on on-site measurements: dimensions, diagonals, heights, openings and utility points. The first document of any project.

Materials

Melamine board (LDSP)

Laminated particleboard with a melamine face: the base of carcass furniture. Quality depends on emission class, décor and edging.

Materials

Microcement

Thin seamless cement-based coating for walls, floors and even showers.

Style & decor

Molding

An applied decorative profile: frames, wall articulation, classical relief.

Style & decor

Moodboard

A collage of the project's mood: colors, materials and imagery on one board.

Construction

Niche

A recess in a wall: both functional storage and a decor device.

Materials

Non-woven wallpaper

Wallpaper on a non-woven base: paste the wall, not the sheet; hides hairline cracks.

Furniture & kitchen

Overhead cabinet

The top storage tier under the ceiling for seasonal things.

Materials

Paintable wallpaper

Dense textured wallpaper painted after hanging: reinforces walls, easy to refresh.

Style & decor

Panel (filenka)

A recessed decorative panel in doors, fronts or walls.

Materials

Parquet board

Three-layer wood board with click joints laid as a floating floor.

Style & decor

Pattern repeat

The repeating unit of a wallpaper or fabric pattern that drives waste and matching.

Construction

Plaster beads (guides)

Guides (plaster beads) set to level before plastering or screeding: the straightedge runs along them to produce a flat plane.

Materials

Porcelain tile

Tile fired at 1200°C with near-zero porosity: stronger than regular ceramics.

Process & documents

Procurement (FF&E)

The studio buying everything for the project: sourcing, orders, logistics, control.

Materials

Quartz (engineered stone)

Slabs of about 90-95% natural quartz bound with resins and pigments: a dense countertop that does not absorb liquids, but dislikes heavy heat.

Engineering

RCD (residual current device)

Cuts the line on current leakage, protecting people from electric shock.

Process & documents

Render (3D visualization)

A photorealistic image of an interior calculated from a 3D model with real materials and light, so you can see the project before work starts.

Process & documents

Renovation budget estimate

The costed plan of works and materials before construction starts.

Materials

Rigid vinyl (SPC)

Rigid stone-plastic flooring: fully waterproof, great for kitchens and hallways.

Construction

Rough finishing

The hidden stages: screed, plaster, wiring and plumbing before finishes.

Construction

Screed

A leveling cement-sand layer: the base under any floor finish.

Materials

Self-leveling floor

Self-spreading compound: a thin layer that levels the floor to perfection.

Engineering

Shower drain

A floor-built drain for a curbless walk-in shower.

Materials

Slat panels

Vertical MDF or wood slats on a wall: rhythm, depth and softer acoustics.

Engineering

Smart home

Automation of light, climate and security: scenes instead of a dozen switches.

Furniture & kitchen

Soft-close mechanism

Damped closing for doors and drawers: silence and longer-living fronts.

Materials

Solid surface (acrylic)

A composite of acrylic resin and mineral filler (Corian, Hi-Macs): seamless joints and scratches that can be sanded out, but softer than quartz and wary of heat.

Materials