The "inner parlour" was located off the cloister next to the chapter house in the east range of the monastery and was used for necessary conversation between resident members.
In the early modern period homes became larger and concepts of privacy evolved as material prosperity was more widely shared.
Rooms were increasingly set aside for the reception of guests and other visitors, screening them from the rest of the home.
Despite its decline in domestic architecture, the term parlour continues to have an afterlife in its second meaning as nomenclature for various commercial enterprises.
[8] The dialect-specific usage of this English term instead of another (i.e., as opposed to "ice cream shoppe" or "pizzeria") varies by region.