Alison Woolley started her career as an apprentice in a traditional Florentine ‘bottega’ decorating furniture in the Renaissance style. Over the years she specialized work blossomed into expertise in creating luxuriously decorated surfaces of many kinds, from interior murals to fabric and stencil design. Today, you can see the artist’s refined and meticulous hand on works such as two hand-painted harpsichords for the Opera of Versailles and designs for Salvatore Ferragamo. Alison is a professional artist and decorator specialized in Italian painted furniture, owner of Florenceart.net, a painting and decoration studio in Florence Italy.

Alison graduated with honours after winning two scholarships from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Canada. She moved to Florence and worked for more than 15 years under the guidance of Florentine master artisans before opening her own bottega in Via San Bartolo a Cintoia 97. Her bottega produces fine furniture finishes and decorative art for the interior design industry worldwide.

‘I came as a student in 1987 to Florence and was captured by the special beauty of this city and the Florentine people. The atmosphere inside a true old style Florentine bottega is something rare that I view as a gift that was given to me, and that I would like to share. These artisans taught me a way of working, a set of skills, and an appreciation for fine European antiques and decorative work that remains the basis of my daily work.’

Alison’s work has been exhibited in various international decorative design shows: