Paul Follot

Paul Follot (17 July 1877 – 1941) was a French designer of luxury furniture and decorative art objects before World War I.

After the war he became head of the Pomone decorative art workshop of Le Bon Marché department store, making affordable but still elegant and high-quality work.

[4] Between 1901 and 1903 he made Art Nouveau silver objects, textiles, bronzes and jewelry for Julius Meier-Graefe's Paris showroom La Maison Moderne.

In 1903 Follot was a founding member of L'Art dans Tout (Art in Everything), a group of artists who strongly promoted French artisan work in the face of industrial products, particularly from Germany.

[1] From 1910 Follot headed his own decorating company, catering to a wealthy clientele, and gained a reputation for quality and elegance.

[8] After World War I more of the large department stores began to operate workshops to make furniture and decorative art objects for the middle classes.

[1] Follot's dining room ensemble in sycamore, ebony and amaranth, exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1912, is considered to be one of the first examples of Art Deco.

[2] In 1928 Follot said, “We know that the 'necessary' alone is not sufficient for man and that the superfluous is indispensable for him, otherwise let us also suppress music, flowers, perfumes… and the smiles of ladies!” Writing of Follot's interiors in Art et Décoration (1929) the critic Gabriel Mourey stated that “[O]ne breathes a comfortable and precious atmosphere, sheltered from the noise, agitation, and tumultuousness of the outside world.

Art Nouveau entrance with ceramics of Follot's house built in 1911 at 5 rue Schoelcher, Paris
Tea tray for Christofle , 1903, Musée d'Orsay, Paris