Born in 1877, Paul Follot is the son of the wallpaper manufacturer Félix Follot. After studying with Eugène Grasset, he devoted himself to the decorative arts. In 1901, he worked for the gallery La Maison Moderne (of Julius Meier-Graefe), for which he designed jewelry and tapestries. Paul Follot then met Maurice Dufrène who also worked for Julius Meier-Graefe. This meeting will strongly influence Paul Follot, in the artistic continuation of his career.

After co-founding the artists' group L'Art dans Tout in 1903, his career as a decorator took off when he set up his own business in 1904.

Paul Follot was a founding member of the Society of Decorative Artists and participated in the 1908 and 1909 salons, opening a new path for French decorative art.

It was around this time that he decided to have his own mansion in Paris, at 5 rue Victor-Schœlcher (14th district), which he wanted to make a place to live for himself and his family, a studio (designed by the architect Pierre Selmersheim in 1914, based on Follot's drawings) for his creations and a place to exhibit his work.

In 1911, he designed ceramics for Wedgwood, textiles for Cornille et Cie, and silver objects for Christofle. In 1920, he started a course in applied art at the school on Rue Madame, before finding himself in 1923 directing the Pomone workshop (the interior decoration workshop of the Parisian store Le Bon Marché).

Paul Follot retired to the South of France in 1939. He died in Paris in 1942.