Filoli; Gardens, Roses, and a Georgian Mansion in Woodside

A historic brick building with elegant white columns at the entrance, surrounded by lush green trees, potted flowers, and a well-maintained garden under a partly cloudy sky.

Filoli is a historic estate located in Woodside, California, about 25 miles south of San Francisco. Built between 1915 and 1917 for William Bowers Bourn II, heir to one of California's richest gold mines, the Georgian Revival mansion was designed by San Francisco architect Willis Polk and sits within 16 acres of formal gardens on a 654-acre estate.

The name Filoli comes from Bourn's personal credo, the first two letters of Fight for a just cause, Love your fellow man, Live a good life. After the Bourns' deaths, the estate was purchased by the Roth family in 1937, who added to the botanical collections and cared for the gardens for decades. In 1975, Mrs. Roth donated the entire estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is now considered one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century in the United States.

I visited on a spring weekend and spent most of the time outside among the roses (242 varieties in bloom) and then inside moving through the rooms of the house.

A woman with long dark hair, wearing a black jacket and white skirt, stands in front of lush green bushes and trees outside a brick building with decorative architectural details and small balconies with black railings.
A lush garden with various green plants, trees, a pond, and a brick building with a tower topped with a weather vane in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
A swimming pool in a garden with trees and shrubs, a gazebo in the background, and a partly cloudy sky overhead.
Water lily pond with floating green lily pads and pink water lilies, reflections of clouds and trees on the water's surface, and a cobblestone edge on the right.
A smiling woman with dark hair and sunglasses on her head, dressed in a light-colored dress and black shawl, standing in a lush garden with a brick path, potted flowers, green bushes, trees, and a fountain, with a brick building and clock tower with
A large landscape mural showing a tall pine tree by a river, with mountains in the background. There are people walking and children playing in front of the mural. The room has ornate green and gold trim on the walls and ceiling, with gold accents an
A smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a black sweater and flowing white skirt, standing on a garden pathway surrounded by neatly trimmed green hedges and potted plants, with a partly cloudy sky overhead.
An ornate room with light green walls decorated with gold accents, featuring a large landscape mural of trees, water, and mountains, with a window draped with patterned curtains on the right side.
Two people stand on gravel next to potted plants with green leaves, one contains colorful flowers, and part of a person's legs and shoes are visible.
A vibrant garden with various colorful blooming roses, neatly arranged in rows separated by trimmed hedges, with greenery and trees in the background.
A hand with pale skin holding a pink rose with multiple petals in front of green foliage and other pink roses in the background.
A beautifully decorated living room with antique furniture, a large ornate rug, a fireplace, and artwork on the walls.
A woman with dark hair sitting on a park bench surrounded by potted plants, in front of a large tree and a brick building with arched windows.
Colorful pink, red, and white roses with green leaves and mulch ground covering.
An elegant, multi-story interior space with a staircase, large window, vintage furniture, and decorative elements.
Wood-paneled library wall with built-in bookshelves filled with various colored books, a decorative gold-framed portrait of a child, a metal step ladder, and a small ornate table.
A formal dining room with a polished wooden round table set with fine china, glassware, and silverware, and a large floral centerpiece. The room features pink upholstered high-back chairs with intricate patterns, wood-paneled walls, a Persian rug, an
Decorative wall with a landscape painting of a castle and trees, framed in green with gold accents. Below the painting is a marble mantelpiece featuring a sculpted lion's head and ornate gold floral decorations. On each side of the mantel stand tall,
A luxurious sitting room with wooden paneled walls, filled with bookshelves, vintage furniture, and decorative items. There is a floral-patterned sofa, a small wooden table with a framed black-and-white portrait, a vase with pink flowers, and a golde
A room with wooden paneled walls and a bookshelf filled with books. There's a side table with framed photographs, a large ornate vase, a lamp with a yellow shade, and a small decorative chest with gold accents.
A room with floral wallpaper, a window with white curtains, a small table with pink flowers, and a pool table with a green felt surface. On the table, there is a silver tray with glassware, including a decanter and glasses. The room has dark wood tri
A round wooden table with scattered Mahjong tiles, surrounded by four matching chairs with burgundy cushions, in a room with floral wallpaper, wood trim, a lamp, and framed pictures on the wall.
A woman with long brown hair wearing a black top and beige skirt is standing in front of an ornate wall with a large landscape painting. The wall is painted in pastel green with gold trim and detailed moldings. There is a chandelier with crystals and
A cozy living room with pink velvet sofas, a patterned Persian rug, and a white marble fireplace. The mantle holds decorative vases and figurines. An ornate gold-framed mirror hangs above the fireplace, reflecting a large window with drapes. Two wall
A living room with wooden paneling, tall arched windows with yellow curtains, a chandelier, a sofa with floral pillows, a table with a tablecloth, a television, and various decorative items.
A vintage interior with floral wallpaper, a dark wood fireplace mantel, a table with stacked red books, a table lamp, and decorating objects including a sculpture, dried plant arrangement, a glass bottle, and assorted books.
Interior view of a room with an ornate vintage grandfather clock, framed paintings on the wall, a decorative railing on the upper level, and a table lamp with a black lampshade in the foreground.

What stayed with me most about Filoli is the combination of the gardens and the house. Outside, the garden and all the roses were extraordinary, we spent a long time just walking slowly through them, stopping to smell them, taking in the colors. The gardens are large enough to get lost in, which is exactly what we did.

Inside, the house feels like someone still lives there. The rooms are furnished as they were when the families were in residence, the kitchen, the library, the bathrooms, the closets with clothes inside. It is not a museum in the traditional sense. It feels more like stepping into a real domestic life from another era.

My two favorite rooms were the Library and the Ballroom. The Library has that particular atmosphere of a room built around books, wood paneled walls, a fireplace, a sense of quiet. The kind of room where I felt I could get a lot done if I had something like this at home.

The Ballroom is the place I kept coming back to. It is a huge room with pale green walls, gilded moldings inspired by the Palace of Versailles, big chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling murals painted in 1921 by American artist Ernest Peixotto. The murals depict the Lakes of Killarney and the Muckross Estate in Ireland, the estate Bourn had gifted to his daughter as a wedding gift. After Bourn suffered a stroke in 1921 and could no longer travel, his wife Agnes commissioned Peixotto to paint the Irish landscape he could no longer visit, so he could see it from his home in California. Peixotto traveled to Ireland to make sketches before painting the enormous canvases in his New York studio, which were then shipped by train to Filoli and installed in the ballroom. I did not know any of this when I was standing in that room. I was simply trying to figure out what landscape the murals were depicting, there was something so quiet about them, something that made the room feel more personal than just a beautiful space.

Filoli is one of those places that is easy to spend a whole day in without noticing the time pass.

A landscape painting featuring trees, mountains, a river, and people in boats near a stone arch bridge.