Encoignure, pronounced ɑ̃kwɛnyʁ, is a French-derived term that refers to a corner piece of furniture, usually a cabinet or cupboard. Its spelling can be tricky for non-French speakers due to its use of diacritical marks, such as the cedilla and the circumflex accent. The ñ represents a nasalized vowel, while the circumflex accent serves to lengthen and differentiate vowels. Despite its spelling challenges, encoignure remains a valuable addition to any furniture connoisseur’s lexicon.
Encoignure is a noun that refers to a small, usually triangular, space or corner formed by the meeting of two walls in a room or a piece of furniture specifically designed to fit into such a space. It is derived from the French word "encoigner," which means "to corner" or "to put in a corner."
In the context of a room, an encoignure represents the area where two walls converge or meet at an angle, resulting in a small, usually neglected or underutilized space. These corners can be found in various architectural settings, such as hallways, bedrooms, living rooms, or any room with intersecting walls. Due to their typically awkward dimensions, encoignures are often disregarded or considered challenging spaces to furnish and decorate.
Furniture designed for encoignures are specifically crafted to fit into these confined areas. Encoignures can take various forms, including cupboards, cabinets, shelves, or stands, and are often designed to efficiently utilize the tight space while adding aesthetic value to the room. They may feature unique shapes to accommodate the angles of the corner or have specialized features like rounded edges. Encoignures can serve both functional and decorative purposes, providing storage space for books, decorative items, or displaying artworks or photographs.
Overall, encoignures play a crucial role in maximizing the available space within a room while enhancing its visual appeal, often merging functionality and elegance in a compact corner area.
The word encoignure is of French origin. It derives from the Old French term encoin, which means corner or angle. The suffix -ure is a common French morpheme used to form nouns, indicating a state, condition, or result. Therefore, encoignure essentially means the quality or condition of being in a corner or a corner location.