January 18, 2000
Web posted at: 12:16 p.m. EST (1716 GMT)

PARIS (CNN) -- Despite appearances, Marie-Claude Beaud says her Paris apartment is not meant to be a showplace. But as the general curator for the Museum of Decorative Arts, she probably couldn't help it.

Beaud has filled her home with pieces she's either commissioned or collected from artists she's befriended. The result is a blend of the unusual.

In the living room, a one-armed, canary-yellow velvet chair plays against a cherry-red couch with blackbirds. The dining room is filled with undulating chairs and a series of volcano paintings. And textiles from different countries and time periods adorn the walls throughout.

What makes Beaud decide to obtain a work? "Mostly it's the object itself," she says. "It's better if I know the people, or I know the story a little bit."

CNN Style Correspondent Elsa Klensch contributed to this report.

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