Trained in his uncle's carpentry workshop, Eugène Vallin learned wood sculpture and modelling from Charles Pètre at the École municipale de dessin. He took over from his uncle in April 1881.

After becoming a furniture designer, he worked exclusively on commission. His refusal to industrialise his production sets him apart from the cabinet-makers Gallé and Majorelle. He designed dining rooms, lounges and offices for Nancy's leading patrons, including Corbin, Masson, Bergeret and Kronberg.

After producing Gothic-inspired religious furniture, the artist developed his art by drawing on his dual experience as a builder and a sculptor/ebenist. In collaboration with Georges Biet, Eugène Vallin designed a number of modern-inspired buildings, including his own house on boulevard Lobau, which was the first example of Art Nouveau architecture in Nancy in 1895, and Georges Biet's villa at 22, rue de la Commanderie. In 1896, he designed the door to Gallé's cabinetmaking workshop, now housed in the garden of the Musée de l'École de Nancy.

In 1901, he was one of the vice-presidents of the École de Nancy. In 1909, in collaboration with Victor Prouvé, he designed the École de Nancy pavilion at the Exposition Internationale de l'Est de la France, held in Nancy.

The following can still be seen in Nancy: the Vallin house and studio, boulevard Lobau (1895); the villa Biet, 22 rue de la Commanderie (1902); the apartment building, 86 rue Stanislas (1906); the Masson dining room (1903) and the Kronberg desk in the musée de l’École de Nancy.