"Fight for a just cause - Love your fellow man - Live a good life." 
This was the credo of William Bourn, and the origin of the name he gave to the home that he began building for his family in 1915. Located 30 miles south of San Francisco on 654 acres in Woodside, California, Filoli is one of the finest country estates of the twentieth century.
The grounds include a 36,000 square foot Georgian country home and over 16 acres of gardens. The Bourn family lived here until 1936, at which time the estate was sold to Mr. and Mrs. William Roth. The Roth family lived here until 1975, when they donated the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
My friend Mary and I spent a lovely August morning wandering through the house and gardens. Below are four of the rooms that we explored.
The study, above left, features a painting of Lurlene Roth, the last resident of Filoli, in her beloved gardens. Under her direction, Filoli's extensive gardens gained international recognition. She filled her home with arrangements of garden flowers, a practice which continues today, as all of the floral arrangements in the home come from the gardens and are changed weekly.
