Blog

We’re excited to show off the newly restored Gentlemen’s Lounge! It now features a poker table, pool table, and armchairs you can relax in. Perhaps the most eye-catching change is the new wallpaper, which was recreated to match the original design of the room.

This historic photo is the only one we have of the room during the time the Bourns lived at Filoli. It shows a leather armchair in front of the original floral wallpaper, which featured large peonies and birds. With the support and artistic talent of Willem Racké, of Willem Racké Studio, the pattern was recreated and custom printed – and gives the room a whole new feel.

Yosemite Valley and Half Dome, c. 1906

Platinum print photograph

William Edward Dassonville

Gift of Brad Parberry

Inked with William Bourn’s initials on the reverse, this photograph was part of his original collection. It showcases a style called Tonalism that embraces the muted natural colors of the California landscape’s foggy atmosphere, craggy mountains, and slate-colored sea. The style was popularized in California by the artists in Bourn’s Bohemian Club circle.

Pine Needle Floor Lamp, early 20th century

Tiffany Studios, New York

Gift of Brad Parberry

While we know the 1936 Bourn inventory for the Gentlemen’s Lounge included a Tiffany floor lamp, it did not identify the design, giving our donor an opportunity to find a unique piece worthy of the Bourns’ collection. This delicate floor harp lamp is an example of the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, known as the master of lamps. The bronze base has a rich patina, and the shade is green opalescent slag glass encased in Tiffany’s “Pine Needle” design. The delicate bronze stem ends in a tripod set of lily pad feet. The base is signed and numbered, matching with its original shade.