A drawing room is a formal living room in a house where families traditionally gathered to relax, receive guests, and socialize. The name comes from “withdrawing room,” because after dinner, people would withdraw (leave) the dining room and move to this more comfortable space.

In grand homes of the 1800s and early 1900s, the drawing room was often the nicest room in the house, with elegant furniture, fine decorations, and perhaps a piano. Families would entertain visitors there, hold conversations, play music, or read together. It was meant for leisurely activities rather than formal dining or sleeping.

Today, most people just call this space a living room or sitting room, but you'll still encounter the term “drawing room” in older novels and historical accounts. In some large houses and hotels, these formal rooms still exist. The word also survives in the phrase drawing room comedy, which describes witty plays set in elegant homes where characters engage in clever conversation.

On trains, a drawing room means something different: a private sleeping compartment that is more spacious than a regular roomette, named because it offers the comfort and privacy of a home's drawing room.