Rooted in Creativity: Emilie Astley and the Family Story Behind a Modern Landscape Designer

Basic Information

Early Life and Family Roots

Emilie Astley grew up in southwest London, the only child of singer Rick Astley and Danish film producer Lene Bausager. Her childhood was creative yet grounded, shaped by two cultures and a household where art and practical craft lived side by side. Her father’s 1990s pause from the pop spotlight meant home life felt more ordinary than gilded, a place where fame stayed in the background and everyday curiosity took center stage.

That curiosity, by many accounts, found fertile ground in the stories of her paternal grandfather, Horace Astley, who ran a garden center. Rick has long said plants skipped his generation; for Emilie, they took root. The influence flowed like a small stream through family memory—quiet, consistent, and ultimately formative. With her mother’s Danish heritage and a British upbringing, Emilie cultivated a dual perspective that would later inform the textures of her design work.

Education and Artistic Foundation

Before the soil, there was the studio. Emilie earned a master’s degree in fine art at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, studying ideas, materials, and the choreography of space. That training sharpened her eye—color gradients, tactile contrasts, the dance between structure and wildness. It also planted the seed of a signature approach: translating artistic sensibility into living landscapes.

The move to Copenhagen in the mid-2010s gave her a new canvas—Nordic light, coastal winds, and a design culture that values quiet rigor. It’s here she began knitting together sculpture, planting, and architecture, preferring gardens that breathe rather than shout, that unfold with seasons rather than merely impress at first glance.

From Studios to Soil: Professional Path

By the early 2020s, Emilie founded Emilie Bausager Landscapes, working between London and Copenhagen. Her practice blends contemporary and traditional elements, inviting art to sit comfortably in the garden. Private clients commission tailored oases; show gardens push ideas into public view; community projects translate elegance into everyday spaces.

In 2023, her work received broad recognition with a Silver Gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for The Platform Garden, a design inspired by the rhythm and restraint of urban train platforms. After the show, the garden’s elements were relocated to public sites, ensuring the concept continued to serve passersby rather than fade as an exhibit. Recent projects in Copenhagen include coastal gardens shaped by salt air and maritime light—resilient planting schemes that lean into movement, texture, and ecological sensitivity.

Choosing Independence: A Name and a Career

Professionally, Emilie uses her mother’s surname, Bausager. The choice is practical and symbolic—an avoidance of assumptions, a declaration of independence. She’s known for focusing on clients, collaborators, and the work itself, rather than the fame orbit surrounding her father. Financially, her trajectory points to self-reliance through commissions, awards, and project-based growth. The message is clear: family support is a foundation, not a shortcut.

Family Ties and Media Moments

Emilie’s relationship with her parents is frequently described as supportive and close. Rick and Lene married in 2003 after years of partnership, and their shared creative lives form a backdrop to Emilie’s path. Public glimpses of the family are occasional, often tied to Rick’s music—stories about “Rickrolling” and light-hearted interviews that nod to home life without turning it into a spectacle.

Glastonbury 2023 offered a poignant moment: Emilie was present as her father performed, underscoring a family tradition of cheering each other on. Beyond that, she keeps a measured public profile. Posts highlight textures of planting, site visits, sketches, and finished spaces rather than personal milestones. Privacy isn’t secrecy; it’s craft-focused clarity.

Design Philosophy: Art Woven Through Nature

Emilie’s gardens aim for atmosphere. Instead of showy bravado, there’s a sense of quiet theater—vistas framed like paintings, materials chosen for how they weather and whisper over time. She favors sustainable, biophilic strategies, treating planting plans as living compositions that evolve through color, seed, and decay. Think perennials with long seasonal arcs, structural grasses that catch wind, and subtle hardscape geometry that guides movement without dictating it.

Her collaborations often bridge disciplines, bringing in floral designers, artists, and engineers. The results are layered: paths that feel inevitable, sightlines that surprise, and planting that trades short-term spectacle for long-term richness. In her hands, a garden becomes a slow symphony, unfolding with patience and purpose.

Timeline of Key Milestones

Current Work and Presence

In 2025, Emilie’s studio rhythm is steady: site surveys, seasonal planting plans, client collaboration, and post-completion monitoring. Her public-facing updates emphasize craft over persona, sharing slices of process—materials laid, beds prepared, and the satisfying before-and-after of a garden’s first year. By focusing on projects rather than profile, she has carved out a professional identity that resists hype and embraces substance.

Family Background: The Wider Circle

• Rick Astley, born in 1966, is a singer-songwriter best known for late-1980s hits and the internet-era “Rickrolling” phenomenon. His career pause in the 1990s reshaped family life; his revival in the 2000s brought fresh tours and new albums.
• Lene Bausager is a Danish film producer whose creative acuity and industry experience influenced both Rick’s career and Emilie’s work ethic.
• Paternal grandparents Cynthia and Horace Astley represent two poles: family grounding and horticultural spark. Horace’s garden center stands as a generational touchstone.
• Aunt Jayne Marsh is part of the extended family network often noted in public records, even if details remain spare.

FAQ

Who is Emilie Astley?

She is a British-Danish landscape designer and artist, professionally known as Emilie Bausager.

Why does she use the surname “Bausager” professionally?

She favors her mother’s surname to establish independence and reduce assumptions tied to her father’s fame.

What did she study?

She earned a master’s degree in fine art at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

Where does she live?

She resides in Copenhagen and works across Denmark and the UK.

What notable award has she received?

She earned a Silver Gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2023 for The Platform Garden.

Is she related to Rick Astley?

Yes, she is Rick Astley’s daughter and the only child of Rick and Lene Bausager.

What kind of projects does she take on?

She designs private gardens, show gardens, and public spaces with a focus on artful, sustainable planting.

Is she active on social media?

Her posts primarily showcase professional work, sharing design progress and finished landscapes.

Did she have a role in “Rickrolling” becoming a meme?

She has been mentioned in anecdotes about introducing the meme to her father, reflecting light-hearted family moments.

Does she rely on her father’s wealth?

Her career points to self-reliance, with success built through commissions, awards, and independent practice.