Art Hearts: Paule Marrot's Natural Curiosities

by Kevin Francis O'Gara

Paule Marrot framed floral prints in colorful French-inspired interior design Paule Marrot’s joyful, color-rich prints have become beloved design accents in interiors that celebrate boldness, charm, and artistic heritage.

Paule Marrot was a French artist, textile designer, and pioneering creative whose career spanned over six decades. Known for her vibrant botanical motifs and playful use of color, her artwork has found a second life in modern interiors, where her prints are often spotted in the homes of tastemakers and design legends alike. Even if you aren't familiar with her name – you'll probably recognize many of Marrot's popular prints featured in these images, she is definitely a designer favorite!

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Marrot's artistic career started when she sold a dress pattern and subsequently a fabric design to French fashion designer Paul Poiret. While primarily a textile designer, her distinctive painting style was characterized by vibrant colors, bold patterns, and a whimsical approach to depicting nature. Marrot's ability to seamlessly blend simplicity with sophistication, along with her unique use of patterns, makes her work instantly recognizable.
Paule Marrot colorful art prints in interior design, French artist luxury home decor, Marrot art in designer rooms on Kevin Francis Design
Paule Marrot colorful art prints in interior design, French artist luxury home decor, Marrot art in designer rooms on Kevin Francis Design

One of her most recognizable prints is Les Tulipes, famously used by Jackie Kennedy to decorate a room in the White House. The joyful, oversized tulip motif exemplifies Marrot’s optimistic approach to florals. Another variation of this design, Guermantes, incorporates irises and daffodils and was most recently featured in a Miles Redd-designed home in the Bahamas.

Miles Redd interior design featuring Paule Marrot Guermantes wallpaper in a tropical home (A Bahamas residence by Miles Redd via Architectural Digest)

Renault Dauphine campaign featuring Paule Marrot paint color palette
Paule Marrot collaboration with Renault featured in advertising campaign

One of the most surprising chapters in Marrot’s career was her 1950s collaboration with Renault. At a time when female designers were rarely given industrial commissions, Marrot brought her painterly eye to automobile design—applying custom color palettes and decorative details to the interiors and exteriors of the Renault Dauphine. Her palette included colors like Rouge Montijo and Jaune Bahamas, and she even designed the emblem for the car: three dolphins topped with a crown.

Paule Marrot colorful art prints in interior design, French artist luxury home decor, Marrot art in designer rooms on Kevin Francis Design (via Rebecca de Ravenel's home tour via Domino Magazine)

Today, Paule Marrot’s influence is still deeply felt in design. Her archive has been licensed by brands like Nike and Anthropologie, and original prints continue to be sourced by collectors and designers for their rooms. Her work remains a testament to the power of joyful color, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and timeless pattern. Whether framed in a gallery wall or covering the interior of a 1950s Renault, her legacy reminds us that good design is often rooted in a spirit of play.

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