Boudoir

[1][2][3] A cognate of the English "bower", historically, the boudoir formed part of the private suite of rooms of a "lady" or upper-class woman, for bathing and dressing, adjacent to her bedchamber, being the female equivalent of the male cabinet.

In later periods, the boudoir was used as a private drawing room, and was used for other activities, such as embroidery or spending time with one's husband.

As this multiplicity of rooms with overlapping functions suggests, boudoirs were generally found only in grand houses.

Recently, the term boudoir has come to denote a style of furnishing for the bedroom that is traditionally described as ornate or busy.

The plethora of links available on the Internet to furnishing sites using the term boudoir tend to focus on Renaissance and French inspired bedroom styles.