The caquetoire became popular in the late sixteenth century Europe. It was also known as the gossip chair. Since women wore voluminous farthingale skirts, they were cumbersome to manage in regular chairs. As furniture's basic function is to make every day life more comfortable and answer lifestyle needs, the caquetoire chair came into being to accommodate these wide skirts
A caquetoire is an armchair with simply turned legs. It has curved arms, but the shape of the seat is what really distinguishes it. It was designed to be very wide in the front, and narrowed at the back, making a triangular shape. The back was high and panelled, and sometimes was decorated with carving and medallions.
These chairs were apparently grouped for ladies to sit together and chat or gossip. Indeed the word caquetoire comes from the word caqueter which means to chat. Somehow the translation favors the word gossip over chat. These chairs first appeared in France but then found their way to other European countries.
