Borrowed from French, where it means "smoking room." In modern
English usage the mood is the whole point.
1. The vibe room. A dark, low-lit, plush room in a house or
bar built for slow conversation: leather chairs, heavy curtains, dark wood, one warm lamp.
2. The venting space. A corner, a back room, or a digital channel where people go to fume, i.e. blow off steam about
work, life, or whoever they are dating. Every group chat has one.
3. The aesthetic. Interior-design shorthand for the speakeasy look: velvet, oxblood leather, dark wood,
amber lighting, and no overhead fluorescents under any circumstances.
"We'
re turning the spare bedroom into a fumoir. No tobacco, just deep leather chairs, bookshelves, and one
lamp."
"Let's move to the fumoir corner so we can actually hear each other talk."
"Give me five minutes, I need to go to the group chat fumoir and complain about my
day."