House Scavenger Hunt
Explore the magnificent Filoli House with a scavenger hunt that will lead you through each of the main rooms on the first floor. As you explore each room, keep an eye out for these historical objects that all have a story to tell! There are 9 objects total — try to find them all!
Curated by Morgan Mantovanti, Summer 2024 Collections Intern.
When you first enter the house, the foyer is flanked by two dressing rooms. Traditionally when guests entered the house, they were led into either the Men’s Cloakroom or the Ladies’ Cloakroom. If you turn right into the Ladies’ Cloakroom, you’ll see a pair of demilune console tables with beautiful gold and floral detailing.
You’ll need to find the Ballroom for this next item! Take a moment to appreciate these paintings—not murals, actual paintings on canvas!—done by Ernest Peixotto in 1925. One of these paintings centers on the Muckross House in Killarney, Ireland. William and Agnes Bourn gave it as a wedding present to their daughter Maud in 1911. When they built Filoli a few years later, they were inspired by the Irish estate and its location near the mountains and lake.
As you exit the Ballroom, you’ll find yourself in the Gentleman’s Lounge. You may have heard of Tiffany & Co., but you won’t find the jewelry pieces you might associate with them. Instead, keep an eye out for this beautiful vintage Tiffany & Co. lamp with its original base!
Head across the hallway into the Family Room. The Bourns designed it as a Study, but it was later used as a Family Room by the Roth family. Can you spot this pair of 18th-century phoenixes that adorn the fireplace mantle?
In the Reception Room, aptly named for receiving guests, you’ll see a bronze sculpture of a snake coiled around a panther. This piece was created by Arthur Putnam, whose bronze sculptures can also be spotted throughout San Francisco. Although this piece is not one of the originals, the Bourn family did own six of his sculptures!
If you see a soft, butter yellow linen adorning the walls, you’re in the Drawing Room. As you walk through the room, it’ll take a keen eye to spot this beautiful wooden sewing kit! Agnes Bourn played a major role in the design and decoration of the House. She enjoyed sewing as one of her pastimes, so a sewing kit was a must-have.
The lamp in the Gentleman’s Lounge isn’t the only Tiffany & Co. piece the Bourns owned. In the Dining Room, you’ll see a large wooden chest that holds their 18-person Tiffany & Co. silverware set, complete with a small “B” on each piece. After holding the Woodside Summit in the Ballroom in November 2023, President Biden and President Xi ate in this room using this silverware set!
Right off the Dining Room is the Butler’s Pantry. You’ll find a number of objects we don’t often see today: an electric callboard, a silver safe, a dumbwaiter, and a peculiar looking appliance. It looks like a giant microwave, but it’s actually a plate warmer! Pretty cool, right?!
After exploring the Butler’s Pantry, head into the Kitchen to find the final item! The Kitchen includes a dedicated pastry room and what used to be an ice box room. This one’s a little tricky, but can you find the General Electric refrigerator? It looks a little different from the ones we have today, but it uses some of the same principles to keep things icy cold.