A chair can be reupholstered and a table’s decor can change, but a piece’s personality comes largely from one place: its legs. To get the most out of your furnishings, consider what makes it unique by understanding and learning to identify these furniture leg styles.

Furniture Leg Styles

Turned or Ornate

Created by spinning wood against a stationary carving tool (hence the name “turned”), these furniture legs can showcase a wide range of intricate details. Turned legs are often long, thin and elaborate, making them well-suited to traditional or coastal style homes.

Tapered

This leg style (picutred in the dining chairs) is versatile and works with glam, traditional, transitional, and modern style homes.

Modern

Midcentury design is making a comeback, and the clean lines minimalist styling that characterizes the era’s furniture extends to the legs. Silhouettes tend to be straight and simple, and legs are often attached to the main body of the furniture at an angle. The hairpin leg was a wartime invention, created using readily available materials such as iron, but the style stuck, and you’ll often find them on pieces in contemporary and industrial-inspired homes.

Square

Looking for something that’s neither traditional nor 60’s era mod? Square legs&mdash offer a versatile, timeless look that works with nearly all design styles. The look skews more casual, however, so consider mixing square-legged seating with pieces boasting curvier turned or cabriole legs if you’re outfitting a more sophisticated space.