Good news came in a recent email from the Musée des Arts décoratifs (MAD). The exhibition, “A Day in the Eighteenth Century: Chronicle of a Parisian Townhouse” is now extended until October 4 (instead of July 5), 2026. If you thought you missed this popular exhibition, no worries, there is still time. And speaking of time, with popular exhibits such as this, the closing is extended until 8 pm on certain days; regular Thursday late opening is until 9 pm; normal closing is 5 pm. This story is in addition to the original post “A Day in the Life of an 18th-Century Parisian Aristocratic Family: Explore a Paris Mansion at the Musée des Arts décoratifs”.
English Guided Visits
Check the ticket page when you choose your date and time. And if you do not have a reservation, go to the waiting area and you can still probably get in. Currently, two English guided visits are available for July and August (only 20 spaces in each).
What You Will See, Hear and Smell
The visit begins in the stairwell with images and a soundscape of horses, carriages, ambiant voices. When you enter you hear birds, more city noises and a church bell in the distance. As you enter the area of the courtyard and garden, more birds and the distant traffic noise. Then suddenly, while in the vestibule, the silence of the of the home. You may have already started your olfactory journey with the scent of horse manure in the courtyard or jasmine in the garden. Be sure to download the pdf version of the Cartels de l’exposition (in English and French). It will guide you through the scents.
“Featured are 550 original objects, drawn from the museum’s collections and for most of them, rarely exhibited, wood panelling and wallpapers, furniture, ceramics, silverware, clothing and fashion accessories, toys, and jewellery – to recreate the life of a Parisian hôtel particulier in the 1780s.”
Tips for your visit
Tip 1:
As mentioned in my first post about the exhibition, sound and scents play a large role. The flight of stairs leading the entrance of the exhibition are filled with the sounds of horses, carriages, people moving about the streets.
Tip 2:
For the scents of the rooms, look for the signage with a black square that resembles a speaker. Stand over it. Ensure no one is near you with strong perfume. A whiff of air, spurts out regularly. You will have the scent of either horse manure in the city (not offensive), jasmine from the garden, perfumed bath in the bath and bedroom, snuff, paper and ink in monsieur’s study, potpourri in the boudoir of Madame (potpourri), and extinguished candles in the reception and small salon rooms. The QR code opens the Cartels de l’exposition if you did not download it.
Tip 3:
Two guided visits in English are currently scheduled for July 18 and August 22. I hope you all have a chance to make the visit.
Check my photo gallery page for a few new photos from the 18th century mansion visit: Household clocks and calendars, the bedroom, Madame’s boudoir, Monsieur’s study and the Oratory along with detailed labels of exhibit items.
Visiting the MAD Boutique/Gift Shop
Some of the items for sale from the textile artist, Héléna Guy Lhomme, are on display in the MAD Boutique/Gift shop. The exhibition catalog can either be a souvenir or a reference guide. The book is written in French, but the images have details where they come from, what they are made of, dates, etc. The book size is compact.
Enjoy!