meet photographer ashley woodson bailey

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WALLPAPER Storm $14/square foot, ashleywoodsonbailey.com

photography by ROBERT PETERSON text by CAROLINE BIGGS

Step inside photographer

Ashley Woodson Bailey

’s home full of beautiful blooms.

Bailey at home in historic Marietta, Georgia.

“Flowers are something that should be constantly admired and enjoyed,” says Ashley Woodson Bailey. A former event planner and florist, Bailey began photographing blossoms after a car accident left her homebound for months. “Friends would bring me flowers and I started taking pictures of them for amusement,” she explains, “but soon I realized I was chronicling the evolving stages of their lives—often from start to finish.” Upon her recovery, Bailey was inspired to transform her own hand-plucked arrangements into still-life photographs and fine art prints. More recently, she’s taken to translating those images into other mediums—including her wildly popular line of wallpaper, apparel, and soon-to-be-released bedding—many of which adorn her stylish family home in Marietta, Georgia. “Flowers are so intimate and personal,” Bailey adds. “It’s inspiring to find creative ways to let people actually live in and amongst them.”

BAILEY’S ARRANGING PROCESS

  1. Bailey starts by arranging the largest flowers — in this case, peonies — first.
  2. Then she adds shapely blooms, such as scablosa, for texture and movement.
  3. She finishes by sneaking in a couple os sculptural sterns (like tulips and delphinlurns) to offer some unexpected edge

A bright bunch of feminine flora, including Coral Charm peonies and Italian ranunculus, fills Bailey’s dining room with springtime energy. “They are so full of life and romance,” she says of the flowers. “They bring beauty to everything.”

TABLE AND CHAIRS vintage $2,000 kudzuantiques.com LAMP Sputnik $460 julielansom.com FLOOR MAT Sunchaser in red $98–$198 domestic-construction.com

Bailey cut camellias from a neighbor’s yard for a simple but spirited bouquet. “I love to use local flowers and leave them as wild as possible,” she says.

ART “ANTONIA PEREGRINO” GOUACHE ON PAPER Raymundo Gonzalez,, quetelate.com ART“Portrait of D” etching by Myra Sontheimer, gift of artist

Bailey’s all-black bedroom— where she photographs many of her arrangements— provides a sophisticated backdrop to showcase pieces from her botanical collection.

FLOOR LAMP Crosby Schoolhouse by Threshold, quetelate.com TABLE LAMPvintage,uncommonobjects.com BED Stella in brass by West Elm WALL COLOR Black Panther (2125-10) $6.99/ pint sample, store.benjaminmoore. com FABRIC Mudcloth Bambara in black/white $23.95 africaimports.com

SPECIAL DELIVERY Bailey’s prints are springing up in several florid forms.

Photography:

“I like the idea of capturing a moment in the life of a flower,” Bailey explains, “in a way that you will never see it again.”

Wallpaper:

“They look like murals of huge flowers,” Bailey says of her wallpaper designs, “grandiose and stunning.”

Clothing (Brooke Atwood x AWB):

“Brooke has this really cool and edgy sensibility,” Bailey says of Atwood. “It mingles well with my dark yet romantic work.”

Bedding/Linens: 

“The patterns work at home because they feel both masculine and feminine,” Bailey says of her upcoming collection of linens and bedding.

Objects (AWB + Copper & Torch): 

“Lindsay Troutman (of Copper & Torch) creates such incredible beauty with her bare hands,” Bailey says. “The pink glass picked for the trays refers to my favorite color—and hair.”