Musee des Arts decoratifs

If you're a design lover like me, head to the Musee des Arts Decoratifs on rue de Rivoli (opposite the Louvre). This small museum is full of gorgeous furniture, art, crafts and decorative interiors, each rich with history. After seeing a wrought iron candelabra in one of the Musee's beautiful period rooms, months later I found a tabletop model of the same design at a brocante just west of Paris. Turns out my candlestick - like the one in the museum - is 17th-century and worth a mint! The museum also has a fantastic bookshop, with design and art books from around the world. And the gift shop features everything from silver jewelry to handbags to felt hats to porcelain to smooth sculptures, hand-crafted by modern artists, but inspired by centuries past.

I especially enjoyed the temporary exhibitions, such as the Louis Vuitton exhibition. I also liked the permanent exhibitions. They had interesting pieces of decorative art.

If you should decide to visit this museum, you should keep in mind that it is heavily design oriented - do not come here expecting paintings - tis a wonderful museum for the purpose it serves. I thought the evolution of design from 40s all the way to 2000s was very interesting, and not at all excessive. The temporary exhibit was odd but often modern art is the unexpected. Also really cool gift shop.

I felt that they reserved a lot of space and effort to host specific collections and really didn't think about building a permanent collection of the history of fashion itself - which I believe Paris would have a lot to add to, way back to the Marie Antoinette days, so that was a disappointment. If you must go, just make sure you check out the program for the date you are planning, to see if it is worth the trip.

The Decorative Arts Museum in Paris is a professional museum that displays Parisian art and design. There are many well-known French brands in the design halls. Whether it is clothing or home decoration, there are very avant-garde and elegant designs. It is definitely worth the money to appreciate Learn from it.