88 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM gentleman’s lounge might look,” Willa says. Visitors should look next in the library. “Apparently at the time, you could purchase a replica of a whole room and they would come and install it for you,” Willa says. Filoli emulates the book haven at Buckinghamshire’s Denham Place. “It’s very striking. You walk in and it’s all-around wood paneling,” she describes. The room boasts showstopping floral borders carved into black American walnut and a fireplace with a Tavernelle marble mantel. Some of the Bourns’ books still inhabit its floor-to-ceiling shelves. Just down the hall is the belle of all ballrooms. “It’s the most glam, glitzy space in the house,” Willa says, describing the chandeliers and Versailles-inspired fireplace. The room also features pastoral wall paintings by Ernest Peixotto. They might look like murals, but they’re actually very large canvases depicting Muckross House. This Irish estate, idyllically situated beside The couple insisted on a modern manor. William, a forwardthinking man, made sure the home was fully wired for electricity. “That was very William Bourn. He wanted the best. He was always looking to be ahead of the game,” Willa says. “The electrical system still is going strong.” Resplendent Rooms You need only peek into Filoli’s rooms to recognize their artistry and attention to detail. Take the Gentleman’s Lounge. Only recently restored based on a blackand-white photo and a scrap of the original wallpaper, the room’s walls display a striking botanical design with large peonies and playful dark wood bowties are inlaid in the oak floor. “Now you walk in and you really get a dose of William Bourn’s personality, I think— which maybe challenges our assumptions of what a PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: JAMIE KINGHAM - ABE FROMAN PRODUCTIONS - FILOLI / JEFF BARTEE - FILOLI / MIKE JAMES - FILOLI
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