Guide · Glossary
An interior design glossary for homeowners: the words on your quote, explained
Every quote and every drawing you are handed assumes you already know about forty words nobody taught you. Here they are, grouped by the moment you will meet them. The drawings come first, then the quote and the materials. After that come the finishes, the services and the rules. Each one carries a line on why it matters when it is your money.
By Ar. Pooja Kothari, Principal Architect · Updated September 2026
Ceiling, joinery and light
How to use this
Vocabulary is the cheapest protection you can buy
Most homeowners lose money not to dishonesty but to words. You are shown a beautiful render, handed a single number, and asked to decide. The words that would let you question that number sit on the other side of a language barrier. Think of carcass, edge banding, BWP, running foot and variation. The person quoting has no reason to explain them.
This page is the barrier removed. Read the group that matches where you are. Start with the drawings if you are still designing. Read the quote group if you are comparing proposals. Read boards and finishes if you are choosing materials. Every entry says what the word means. Then it says what the word does to your money or your comfort. Where a term deserves a page of its own, we have linked one.
Group one
Reading the drawings
Floor plan
A horizontal cut through the building about a metre above the floor, seen from above. It shows walls, doors, windows, fixed furniture and dimensions. Every other drawing in the set comes from it. Why it matters: if the plan is wrong, no amount of money spent on finishes will rescue the home.
Elevation
A straight-on view of one vertical face, drawn flat with no perspective. Interior elevations are how joinery is described: shutter divisions, handle positions, drawer heights and what sits behind each door. Why it matters: joinery you have never seen in elevation is joinery nobody has yet designed.
Section
A vertical cut through the building. It shows floor-to-ceiling heights, slab thickness, sunken slabs and lofts. It also shows how a false ceiling sits against a beam. Why it matters: heights decide whether an idea fits. A section is where a low beam gets caught on paper instead of on site.
Reflected ceiling plan (RCP)
The ceiling drawn as though mirrored onto the floor. It shows false-ceiling levels and every light fitting. It also shows cove positions, fans, air-conditioning grilles and speakers, all with dimensions. Why it matters: lighting is decided here and nowhere else. Moving a light after the ceiling is closed means cutting it open again.
Working drawing (GFC)
GFC stands for Good For Construction. It is the detailed, dimensioned set a carpenter or contractor builds from. It is not the same as a presentation drawing meant to persuade you. Why it matters: a quote against a 3D view and no GFC set is a price for something nobody has defined.
3D render and walkthrough
A still image or a moving camera made from the model to show what a room will look like. It persuades, and it is not a construction document. Why it matters: renders sell, drawings build. Ask for both, then check that they agree with each other.
Mood board
A sheet of chosen materials, colours, references and finishes. It fixes the direction before anything is detailed. Why it matters: it is the cheapest place in the whole project to change your mind.
Scale
The ratio between the drawing and the real thing. A plan is drawn at 1:50, an elevation at 1:20, a detail at 1:5 or 1:1. The larger the second number, the less detail is shown. Why it matters: if a joinery item is never drawn at a detail scale, nobody has designed the detail. It is left to whoever is standing on site that day.
Finished floor level (FFL)
The level of the floor once screed, adhesive and the tile or timber are laid. It is not the bare structural slab. Why it matters: door heights, thresholds, skirting and the step down into a balcony are all measured from it.
Plinth, lintel and sill level
The plinth is the raised base the building sits on. The sill is the bottom of a window. The lintel is the beam over an opening. It is usually the line at which every door and window in the house stops. Why it matters: between them they fix where a window can begin and where a tall unit can run. They also fix where water is kept out.
Group two
Reading the quote
Bill of quantities (BOQ)
An itemised list of everything to be made or supplied. Each line carries a description, a unit and a quantity, and is priced on its own. The unit is a square foot, a running foot or a number. Why it matters: it is the only format in which two quotes can be compared honestly. Ask for one before you compare anything.
Specification
The written description of what each item is made of. It covers board type and grade, finish, and hardware brand and series. It also covers fabric, stone and glass thickness. Why it matters: the same BOQ line at two very different prices is usually two different specifications, not two different margins.
Per-square-foot rate
A single rate multiplied by carpet or built-up area to give one headline number. It is useful for a rough sense of the band and misleading past that. It hides both the specification and the site. Why it matters: it is the most quoted and least honoured number in Indian construction. Our guide to house construction cost in Bangalore takes it apart.
Turnkey
One agency takes responsibility for design, materials, the build and handover. You receive a finished space instead of managing trades. Why it matters: it is a commercial arrangement, not a quality claim. Read what the turnkey scope excludes. Civil work, electrical and painting often sit outside it.
Design fee and execution cost
These are two separate things. The design fee buys drawings, the specification, lining up the trades and site checks. The execution cost is what materials and making cost. Why it matters: where a firm shows no design fee, it is buried inside the build price. You can no longer see what you are paying for advice.
Running foot and square foot
Joinery is priced in one of two ways. A running foot is the length of a run at a fixed height and depth. A square foot is the area of its elevation. Why it matters: the same wardrobe priced both ways gives different numbers. Check which unit each line uses before you decide one quote is cheaper.
Contingency
A named reserve held back for what the site reveals once walls, ceilings and floors are opened up. Why it matters: a quote with no contingency has not removed that risk. It has moved the risk to you without telling you.
Variation or change order
A written record of a change to the agreed scope. It states the cost and the effect on the programme, and is signed before the work happens. Why it matters: changes agreed by word of mouth on site are the most common reason for this. A final bill arrives that nobody recognises.
Retention
A small share of each payment held back until snags are closed and the defects period has passed. Why it matters: it is the only leverage you have left once the last delivery van has driven away.
Snag list
The itemised record of defects and unfinished work, made at handover. A shutter that fouls or a scratched laminate goes on it. So does a socket that will not sit flush, or a door that does not latch. Why it matters: walk the home with a torch and this list in hand before you release the final payment.
Group three
Wood and boards
Plywood grades: MR, BWR and BWP
Thin veneers glued in layers, graded by the adhesive. MR (moisture resistant) is for dry interiors. BWR (boiling water resistant) copes with humidity. BWP (boiling water proof) uses a phenolic glue and belongs in kitchens and bathrooms. Why it matters: marine ply is a marketing phrase more than a grade. Ask for the brand, the IS marking and a written warranty.
MDF
Medium density fibreboard: wood fibre and resin pressed into a dense, perfectly flat sheet. It machines beautifully. That is why fluted and CNC-cut panels are made from it. It also hates water. Why it matters: excellent for a dry feature wall, wrong for a wet area or a long shelf with no support.
HDHMR
High density high moisture resistance board. It is a denser engineered board sold as a plywood substitute, and it holds a screw better than plain MDF. Why it matters: a reasonable middle option. Judge it by the brand and the warranty, not by the acronym on the quote.
Particle board
Wood chips and resin pressed into a sheet. It is the cheapest of the boards and the weakest at holding a screw. It swells and crumbles once wet. Why it matters: it is common inside flat-pack furniture and low-cost modular carcasses. Ask what the carcass is made of before you compare a price.
Blockboard
A core of softwood battens faced both sides with veneer. It is light and stiff across long spans. Why it matters: good for shutters and long shelves. It is not a substitute for BWP ply anywhere that gets wet.
Veneer and laminate
Veneer is a thin slice of real wood glued to a board and finished on site. It has grain, it varies, and it can be polished again years later. Laminate is a printed decorative sheet, pre-finished and consistent. Why it matters: veneer is a material, laminate is an image of one. Both are fair choices. The choice sets both the character and the upkeep.
Solid wood
Timber used in section: teak, mahogany, rubberwood, pine. It is used for frames, legs, beading, slats and doors. It is rarely used for large panels, because solid timber moves with humidity. Why it matters: a solid wood wardrobe almost always means solid frames with board panels. Ask which parts are which.
Termite treatment
Anti-termite chemical applied to the boards. It must also go on the wall and floor behind the joinery before it is fixed. Why it matters: Bangalore has termites. Treating the wall behind a wardrobe is a short job before it goes in and a demolition after.
Group four
Finishes and hardware
PU (polyurethane)
A sprayed two-part finish built up in coats and cured hard. It comes in matt through to gloss, in a colour or clear over veneer. Why it matters: the most durable finish applied on site, and the one most sensitive to dust while it cures. It needs a clean, sealed area to be done well.
Duco
A sprayed nitrocellulose or acrylic paint finish, hand-sanded between coats, usually over MDF. It is softer than PU, easier to repair and less resistant to knocks. Why it matters: it is the usual route to a seamless coloured surface. Expect to touch it up over the years.
Acrylic
A pre-finished high-gloss sheet bonded to a board in a factory. It is mirror-flat, it shows every scratch, and it cannot be repaired on site. Why it matters: it is the finish that looks best on the day it is fitted. By the next morning it shows every fingerprint.
Laminate finishes
Matt, gloss, textured, suede and anti-fingerprint are the same product with different surfaces. Why it matters: textured and matt surfaces hide far more daily wear than gloss does. That counts in a home with children, or a kitchen with pale shutters.
Edge banding
The thin strip that seals the raw edge of a board. Factory work uses a machine and a PVC or acrylic tape, sometimes laser-bonded. Site work is done by hand with adhesive. Why it matters: it is where water gets in and where quality shows. Run a fingernail along it before you accept the work.
Soft-close hinge
A hinge with a damper that closes the last part of the swing slowly. It is rated by opening angle, and by whether the shutter is full overlay, half overlay or inset. Why it matters: hardware is what you touch every day and the first thing to fail. Ask for a brand and a series, not for the word imported.
Telescopic and tandem channels
These are drawer runners. Telescopic channels mount on the sides and stay visible. Tandem or undermount runners sit hidden beneath the drawer box. They are usually soft-close, and they cost more. Why it matters: the feel of a drawer comes from the runner, not from the shutter on the front of it.
Handle-less and profile handles
There is no knob. Instead there is a groove cut into the shutter (a J-profile), or an aluminium profile fixed between units. Why it matters: it changes how the shutter is built and what it costs. It is decided at drawing stage, not in a showroom later.
Carcass and shutter
The carcass is the box: sides, back, shelves, the part fixed to the wall. The shutter is the door on the front of it. Why it matters: quotes often specify a good shutter over a cheap carcass. The carcass is the part carrying the load and meeting the damp wall.
Loft
Storage above a wardrobe or over a door, running up to the ceiling. Why it matters: in a Bangalore flat it decides whether suitcases end up standing in the corners. Draw it in, and give it a light.
Skirting
The band where wall meets floor. It is made in the floor material, timber or PVC, or replaced by a recessed shadow gap. Why it matters: it covers the movement joint and takes the mop. A recessed detail looks better and costs more, because it has to be built dead straight.
Group five
Ceilings, walls and services
False ceiling: gypsum and POP
A second ceiling hung below the slab to carry lights, ducts and coves. Gypsum board is factory-made and screwed to a metal frame. It is stable and dry to fit. POP is plaster of Paris applied wet over mesh. It allows curves and seamless surfaces, but it is heavier and slower. Why it matters: both work. Neither is a reason to lose ceiling height across a whole room.
Cove lighting
A hidden strip of light set into a recess. It bounces off the ceiling or wall, so the source is never seen. Why it matters: it is general light, not task light. A room lit only by cove reads flat and a little institutional after dark.
Concealed wiring
Cable run in conduit chased into the wall or carried above the false ceiling. Why it matters: it is invisible, so it has to be right before the plaster goes on. Keep the as-built electrical drawing. The next person to drill that wall will need it.
6A and 16A points
These are socket ratings. 6A takes lamps, chargers and televisions. 16A takes air conditioners, geysers, ovens, washing machines and other heavy loads. Why it matters: the most common electrical regret in a new home is too few points. The second is a 6A socket where the appliance needed 16A.
Chimney ducting
The route that takes kitchen exhaust from the hood to an outside wall or shaft. The best run is the shortest one with the fewest bends. Why it matters: a chimney is only as good as its duct. Fix the route at plan stage. A long ducted run is why some new kitchens still smell of last night.
Wet wall and plumbing stack
The wall carrying water supply and drainage, and the vertical stack that a flat's drainage connects into. Why it matters: moving a WC or a kitchen sink away from the stack is never simple. It needs a new fall, a raised floor or a pump. This one line decides whether a layout change is simple or expensive.
Waterproofing
The membrane or coating in bathrooms, balconies, terraces and sunken slabs. It is carried up the wall and tested by ponding before any tile is laid. Why it matters: it is buried and dull, and it is the failure that costs the most to put right later.
Vitrified and ceramic tile
Ceramic tile has a clay body with a glazed face. Vitrified tile is fired until the body fuses. So it absorbs almost no water and is hard all the way through. Why it matters: use vitrified for floors and wet areas. Ceramic is usually enough on walls. Check the surface too: polished vitrified is slippery when wet.
Quartz, granite and marble
Granite is a hard natural stone, granular and forgiving. Marble is softer and veined, and it stains and etches with acid. Quartz is made from crushed stone and resin. It is even in colour and does not like direct heat. Why it matters: an Indian kitchen meets hot pans, turmeric and lime every day. Choose for that, not for the showroom sample.
Grout
The filler between tiles. Cement grout is cheap and stains. Epoxy grout is waterproof, colour-stable and slower to lay. Why it matters: epoxy is the small upgrade you notice every day for the life of the home. Use it in a bathroom and behind a kitchen counter.
Group six
The building and the rules
Setback
The open space you must leave between your building and each boundary of the plot. The local bye-laws fix it by plot size. Why it matters: setbacks decide the footprint before an architect draws a line. They are also where light and air reach the house from.
FAR and FSI
Floor area ratio, or floor space index. It is the total built floor area allowed on the plot, as a multiple of the plot area. Why it matters: setbacks give you the footprint, FAR gives you the total. Between them they fix how much house the plot can legally hold.
Sanctioned plan
The drawing approved by the local authority, with its own reference number and validity. Anything built differently is a deviation. Why it matters: banks, buyers and the occupancy certificate all compare the finished house against this drawing. Ask for a copy when you buy.
Khata
The city record of a property for tax and ownership. An A khata property meets the rules in full. A B khata property has a fault in its records. That has, in the past, made sanction and loans harder. Why it matters: it governs what you may build and what a bank will lend against. Our guide to BBMP plan sanction and khata covers the detail.
Occupancy certificate (OC)
The authority's confirmation that the finished building matches the sanctioned plan and may be lived in. Why it matters: an enclosure built without approval, or an extra floor, can hold it up. A missing OC tends to surface at the worst moment, which is resale.
RCC
Reinforced cement concrete: concrete with steel bars inside it. Columns, beams and slabs are made from it. Why it matters: whether a wall can be removed usually comes down to one thing. Does the frame or the wall itself carry the load?
Load-bearing wall and partition
A load-bearing wall carries the structure above it. A partition only divides space. Older Bangalore houses are often load-bearing masonry. Most flats are RCC frames with partitions. Why it matters: in a renovation this is the first thing to establish on site and the last thing to assume.
Cantilever
A slab or beam supported at one end only: a balcony, a projecting sit-out, a floating counter. Why it matters: it was designed for a set load. Adding a stone counter, planters or a wall of books to a balcony is a structural decision, not a furniture one.
Chajja
The projecting ledge over a window or door that throws rain and high sun clear of the opening. Why it matters: the cheapest cooling device in the Indian design language. It is also the first thing a clean modern facade tends to delete.
Jaali
A pierced screen in stone, terracotta, timber, concrete or metal. It lets air and filtered light through while holding back sun, view and dust. Why it matters: a live element, not a heritage motif. On a west wall a jaali does the work of a curtain and a fan at the same time.
Thinnai and verandah
The thinnai is the raised seating platform at the entrance of a South Indian house. The verandah is the covered edge between inside and outside. Why it matters: both are shaded thresholds. In a flat they come back as a deep covered balcony, and they change how the home is used.
Courtyard
An open-to-sky space enclosed by the house. It lights and ventilates rooms that sit far from any outside wall. Why it matters: on a deep Bangalore plot, this is often the only way to get daylight in. It reaches the middle of the plan. See our page on courtyard homes.
Vastu
A traditional Indian system for which way a house faces and where its rooms go. It is still part of many briefs in Bangalore. Why it matters: it can be followed strictly, partly or not at all, and that call is yours. Agree it at the start, because it moves the plan, not the finishes. See vastu-compliant home design.
Questions
The five people ask most
What is the difference between BWP and BWR plywood? +
Both are graded by the glue holding the veneers together. BWR is boiling water resistant and copes with humidity and the odd splash, so it suits wardrobes and dry joinery. BWP is boiling water proof and made with a phenolic glue. A kitchen base unit or a bathroom vanity should be built from it. The word marine on the sticker is not a grade. Ask for the brand, the IS marking and a warranty in writing.
What is a BOQ and should my designer give me one? +
A bill of quantities is an itemised list of everything to be made or supplied. Each line has a description, a unit and a quantity, and is priced on its own. Yes, you should have one. It is the only format in which two quotes can be compared honestly. It forces both sides to say what is included. A single lump sum for interiors tells you nothing about what you are buying or what has been left out.
Veneer or laminate, which is better? +
Neither is better; they are different products. Veneer is a thin slice of real wood, finished on site. It has grain and variation, and it can be polished again years later. Laminate is a printed decorative sheet, pre-finished, consistent and harder wearing at the surface. Veneer suits a room you want to feel like a material. Laminate suits a child's room, a rental or any surface that takes daily abuse.
What does turnkey interiors mean? +
Turnkey means one agency takes responsibility for design, materials, the build and handover. You are given a finished space instead of managing trades yourself. It is a commercial arrangement, not a quality standard. Read the exclusions before you sign. Civil work, electrical, plumbing changes and painting often sit outside a turnkey scope. So do appliances and soft furnishings, and they arrive later as separate bills.
What is an RCP and why does it matter for lighting? +
A reflected ceiling plan draws the ceiling as though it were mirrored on the floor. It shows false ceiling levels, every light fitting and every cove position. It shows fans, air-conditioning grilles and speakers too, all with dimensions. It matters because lighting is decided on this drawing and nowhere else. Once the ceiling is boarded and finished, moving a downlight by half a metre means cutting it open. Then the room is repainted.
Related
Got a quote you cannot read?
Bring it to the video consultation. Ar. Pooja Kothari will walk through it with you, line by line. She will name what is missing, and tell you what to ask for before you sign anything.