A day in the Eighteenth century:
chronicle of a parisian townhouse
From 18 February
to 4 October 2026
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
107 rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs invites visitors into the intimacy of an eighteenth-century aristocratic residence and its inhabitants: masters, servants and household pets.
Over 550 pieces recreating
an 1780s Parisian townhouse
Featuring more than 550 original pieces, drawn mainly from the museum’s own collections and rarely exhibited, the show gathers every field of the decorative arts – wood panelling and wallpaper, furniture, ceramics, silverware, clothing and fashion accessories, toys, jewellery – to bring an 1780s Parisian townhouse back to life.
The route follows a typical day in the life of a French aristocratic family during the Enlightenment: Boilly’s portrait of the Gohin family, enriched through overseas trade, introduces visitors to the heart of the household, from morning prayers to the evening reception, taking in leisure and mealtime habits along the way.
Viw of the exhibition “A day in the Eighteenth century: chronicle of a parisian townhouse”
A sensory immersion,
room by room
In a scenography designed by FREAKS architecture, enhanced with sound and scent, visitors are invited to wander from room to room – dining room, games room, bedroom, dressing room, boudoir – as if they were a close friend or a privileged guest of the family.
Viw of the exhibition
“A day in the Eighteenth century:
chronicle of a parisian townhouse”
In conjunction with the exhibition
“A Day in the Eighteenth Century”
A children’s trail, “Enquête sur les traces de Filou” (investigating the disappearance of Madame’s dog), invites 7- to 12-year-olds to solve the mystery as they explore the exhibition. The museum also offers guided tours and family workshops centred on the furniture and decor of the townhouse.
As part of Paris Fashion Week, the exhibition also hosted the runway show of fashion house ALAINPAUL, a collection born from a dialogue with the museum’s archives. Textile pieces by artist Helena Guy Lhomme, inspired by eighteenth-century still lifes, also punctuate the exhibition route.
