I confess that I don't know much about decorative arts, and I went to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, in a wing of the Louvre (separate entrance) on the Right Bank in the center of Paris (map) with a mix of curiosity and discomfort.

I was in for a treat! This fascinating museum provides a fun and interesting look at the decorative arts from the middle ages to the contemporary period.

One floor consists entirely of chairs from the mid-1900s, with a huge variety of shapes, colors, and designs. Another is devoted to art déco. Still another houses beautiful Renaissance pieces.

The museum offers visitors a free audio guide that provides background on selected pieces.

	Decorative statue of a woman...

There's a bonus too. The museum, which you enter from the Rue de Rivoli, is actually in the Louvre Palace! Floors 5 through 9 are in the end Pavilion of the Louvre, on the Rivoli side. There are lovely views from the windows in all directions, so be sure to look out as well as in. I was thrilled to discover I was in this Pavilion—I always wondered why I never got there when visiting the Louvre.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is one of several museums that form Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris. You can also visit the beautiful Musée Nissim de Camondo, with its gorgeous 18th and 19th century domestic decoration. The Musée de la Mode et du Textile offers temporary exhibitions about fashion, and the Musée de la Publicité has temporary exhibitions on advertising, graphic arts, and brands.

Métro: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre

Paris Museum Pass accepted. Closed Monday. Open Thursday evening.

Les Arts Décoratifs
107, rue de Rivoli (map)
Paris 75001
+33 1 44 55 57 50

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