Formerly called the Central Union of Decorative Arts, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris retains one of the most important collections of decorative art in the world (1.5 million items). Eclectic and international, it extends from the Middle Ages to the contemporary, covering a wide variety of fields: furniture, tableware, fashion and textiles, jewelry, wallpapers, ceramics and glasses, toys, advertisements, drawings and photographs.

From the end of the 1960s, the museum played a key role in promoting design as a method and production.

Museum loans for the exhibition Design in hand. From language to object are emblematic of this abundant typological diversity and this rich history.