On July 2, 1955, the museum reopened to the public as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts Museum). After the war, the main rooms of the Hôtel de Lalande were renovated and refurbished under the supervision of Xavier Védère, curator of the municipal archives. The museum’s collections had expanded, ranging from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century and illustrating the applied arts in crafts involving wood, metal, earth and fire. In particular, the ceramics collections, through their extraordinary wealth and variety, were unsurpassed in France. Enriched by successive bequests and donations (the Bonie collection, the Doumézy collection…), they offer a panoramic overview of the production of fine faïence in 19th century Bordeaux.

Appointed curator of the museum in 1972, Jacqueline de Pasquier enlarged the exhibition spaces, opening the attic floor to the public and moving the Jeanvrot collection into the revamped servants’ wing, which was also used for temporary exhibitions.

In 1984, the museum was converted to evoke a wealthy aristocratic residence, typical of the Enlightenment in Bordeaux and its reserves are located in the former prison.