Boulle, André Charles (1642-1732) , French furniture designer, who developed what came to be called the Buhl style of furniture inlay. As cabinetmaker to King Louis XIV, he created an ornate baroque style, producing desks, cabinets, clocks, chests, and even parquet floors. In addition to highly colored inlays of precious wood shaped to depict geometric arabesques, landscapes, or flowing draperies, he also used inlays of tortoiseshell overlaid with designs in brass, pewter, or copper. After Boulle's death, Buhlwork came to signify any style that used metal inlays on a colored ground