Leila Ross Wilburn was born in Macon, Georgia, to Leila A. Ross and Joseph G. Wilburn, a bookkeeper. The family moved to Atlanta. Leila attended Agnes Scott Institute in Decatur, Georgia, and took private lessons in architectural drafting. In about 1907, she toured the country, studying domestic architecture and took a large number of photographs that represented her interest in the Arts and Crafts Movement. She joined Benjamin R. Padgett and Son, architects, as a trainee and by age 22, she had her first commission. Leila never married but supported herself by designing single family homes and apartments in Midtown Atlanta, Ansley Park, Druid Hills, Candler Park, and Decatur, Georgia, where her homes can still be seen today. She also published pattern books of home designs that people could purchase. It is believed that she was granted this license by the state when she was about 35.