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Illustration of a boudoir, furnished in the style of Louis XVI, by Frederick Litchfield, from Illustrated History of Furniture, From the Earliest to the Present Time (1893).

A boudoir is a lady's private bedroom, sitting room or dressing room. The term derives from the French verb bouder, meaning "to pout"^[1].

[edit] In Architecture

Historically, the boudoir formed part of the private suite of rooms of a lady, 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 entertaining intimate acquaintances.

In Caribbean English, a boudoir is the front room of the house where women entertain family and friends.

[edit] In Furniture

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. They have, in recent times also been used to describe the 'country cottage' style with whitewashed-style walls, large and heavy bed furniture, and deep bedding.

[edit] In Photography

A great deal of "boudoir" is now created in the photographer's studio, where it has become very fashionable to create a set of sensual images for ladies of all ages, shapes, and sizes in the "boudoir style". This often takes the shape of partly clothed images or images in lingerie, and has become more than just a passing fad for brides to surprise their future husbands. Although in the past there were many negative connotations associated with boudoir photography, in recent years the trend has begun to gain momentum, and the entire look of boudoir photography has begun to change.

[edit] See also

• Harem

[edit] References

[edit] External Links

• Fotografia de Boudoir Estúdio especializado em Fotografia de Boudoir,Intima,Sensual e Erótica. Porto|Lisboa|Coimbra|Algarve