WORK IN SOME
WARMTH
Thai relied heavily on wood
to warm up his nearly
all-white palette. Far left:
Pine ceiling beams and
a rustic étagère, filled with
timeworn items like
terra-cotta garden edgers
and iron door stoppers,
lend casual charm to the
mudroom; on the floor-
cloth lies the couple’s
Tibetan terrier, Mocha.
Near left: An 18th-century
trumeau mantel (one
with a decorative panel on
top) fits perfectly in
the bedroom, one of the
few rooms that
have floor coverings.05
LESSON NO.CONSIDER YOUR
COLLECTIONS
Utility counts: Thai’s many
pieces of European
pottery are both useful
and decorative.
His choices are also “very
palette-driven,” he
says. Far left: A green-
glazed French
tureen stands out against
a vintage Swedish
cabinet. Near left: Thai’s
collection of iron-
stone (“the Tupperware
of 19th-century England”)
graces a chestnut
sideboard in the kitchen.04
LESSON NO.87