There have been many influencial homes that have found echoes in the rooms at Thrums End. From the houses I grew up in, designed and decorated by my parents, with furniture designed and built by my father; to a charming English Arts&Crafts home perched on a hillside in the Lake District; with many stops in between- I've learned lessons from them all. I am always pleased when someone comes to Thrums End for the first time, looks around and murmurs, "Bloomsbury." Aha, they get it! The mecca for all Bloomsbury lovers is, of course, Charleston Farmhouse in Firle, England; and I have made my pilgrimage. However, slavish imitation isn't for me, so I have used my own palette and absorbed their philosophy of decoration and taken it from there. There is no end to the variety and novelty of effect which can be got with the simplest and most inexpensive means by artists who have inventiveness and a love of the various possibilities of surface quality." Roger Fry, "The Artist as Decorator;" Colour, 1937 My Great Aunt Jean Webb's home had a magical hold over my imagination when I was a child. Her personal palette of blues, violets, purples and aquas will always be associated in my heart with one of her favorite musical compositions- Debussy's "Le Mer." My palette is radically different (or is it?) but I am still inspired by her æsthetic daring. In early 2002, The folks from 'Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion' magazine came to Thrums End for a 2 day photoshoot. The feature appeared in the Sept/Oct issue of the magazine. Below are some of the images from that feature as well as some other views. Photography by John Bessler
	"Kitchen"	"Kitchen Nook"	"Living Room"
	"Bedroom#2"	"Windowseat" (I built this myself)	"Fireplace"
	"Picture Wall"	"Bedroom#1" (J.W. did the screen)
	A friend once said he had never seen a house that so reflected its owner-I'll take that as a compliment. I come by my abilities naturally- some of my father's furniture designs. Is there any other useful object that has inspired so many to flights of fancy, endless explorations of form and function, or to nostalgia for the almost mythical comfort of the cozy hearth? The teapot is all these and more. It is a canvas for the artist, icon for the homesick, company in the darkest hours, boon companion in contentment, care for the ailing in body or spirit, sympathy in grief, conspirator in schemes and gossip, repository for omens of the future. I began collecting teapots in the late 70's after I picked one up at the famed 26th Street Flea Market in Manhattan and fell in love. My collection had swelled to over 400 but I am currently culling the collection to 50 of my favorite pieces. My criteria for a teapot to be worthy of shelf space- in the "one in/one out" scheme of the Thrums End Collection are quite simple: Sincerity* Cost ($40 is my limit, and I usually balk even at that) How tired I am of lugging stuff around at that moment *What makes a teapot 'sincere?' Well, it is best defined by what it's not: Self-conciously cute- this rules out all those contemporary pots that are made to look like tea tables, etc, etc Cheap materials- this rules out all the flimsy stuff made in the past 40 years And the most infuriating to people who try to give me teapots- I know it when I see it. The Thrums End Collection is made up mostly of English pots from the 20's-50's; pots made in Japan for the export market again in the 20's-50's; some miscellaneous European styles; and a few handmade pots that are amazing examples of enthusiasm over skill or taste. Given my price cap, no Limoges or 18th Century gems, more's the pity.

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