Hector Michaut (1874–1923) was a French cabinetmaker associated with the École de Nancy, a key movement in the renewal of the decorative arts at the turn of the 20th century. Born on 21 April 1874 in Noyers-sur-Serein (Yonne, France), Désiré Hector Michaut trained as a cabinetmaker before completing his military service in Nancy, where he discovered the artistic vitality of the École de Nancy.

After finishing his military obligations, he worked in several major workshops, notably those of Louis Majorelle and Eugène Vallin, while also taking drawing classes at the Nancy School of Fine Arts. In 1904, he set up his own workshop in Nancy, working successively on rue Saint-Anne, rue Charles III, and quai de la Bataille, where he developed a body of furniture closely linked to the Art Nouveau spirit of Nancy.

The First World War forced him to suspend his activity. From 1919, Hector Michaut settled in Meudon, where he worked for the Letord establishments until 1921, before opening his own workshop in Paris, at 75 rue Chardon-Lagache. In the early 1920s, his style and artistic thinking evolved in anticipation of new directions in modern decorative arts. He died in Paris on 25 March 1923, leaving behind the legacy of an École de Nancy cabinetmaker whose career bridged Art Nouveau and early modernity.