LITTLE ROCK — Christmas always comes early for Tom Chandler. As a longtime Little Rock interior designer, he starts seeing green (and red and gold and silver) even before the trick-ortreaters are making their doorbell-ringing rounds on All Hallows Eve.
Each fall, Chandler and his employees at Tom Chandler and Associates in Little Rock’s Riverdale area take a break from their usual year-round interior design work to set their sights on trimming the trees and decking the halls of local businesses and numerous private residences.
“We start on Oct. 22 and do one to two houses a day, six days a week, and we’re usually finished by Dec. 10,” Chandler says, adding that’s when he returns to his full-time interior design work.
So does he find time to decorate his own home?
“I normally do it on Halloween weekend,” he says. “But this year, I’m in the process of moving so I haven’t gotten it done yet.
“It’s usually one of the first homes I decorate, but this year it will be the last one,” he says, chuckling. “But I will have a tree before it’s all over with,” he assures.
His favorite Christmas decorating element?
“The Christmas ornaments. They’ve gotten so much larger and become so much more readily available,” he says.
Last year, Chandler’s home was not only decorated early but was also one of the six homes showcased on the Wildwood Park for the Arts annual Holiday Tour of Homes.
This year, Chandler is serving as chairman of the fundraiser along with co-chairman Chris Olsen, a local garden and home designer and TV personality, whose home is included on this year’s tour of some of the finest homes in Chenal Valley, Pleasant Valley and the Heights neighborhoods.
“Last year, I was asked to open my home for the tour and after that I became more seriously involved in the event,” Chandler said recently, taking a break from his work in one of the many homes he decorates each Christmas season.
The Jonesboro native, who graduated with a degree in business administration from Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, has worked in the design business in Little Rock for more than 30 years. He also owns Chandler School of Interior Decorating, which holds classes in Little Rock and in Jonesboro.
Prior to founding his interior design business, Chandler worked in the shoe business, ladies’ readyto-wear clothing, designing commercial display windows and cosmetology.
As co-chairmen, Chandler and Olsen began working in August to solicit others to open their homes for this year’s tour.
“It comes down to finding the right houses and the right number of houses,” he says, adding that homeowners have been very gracious and it has been an easy sell.
“It’s so nice that we have people here who decorate their homes for Christmas and are so communityminded and want to share them for this fundraiser. It is the season of giving andmost people have a good energy about doing that.”
The tour kicks off with a private preview party from 7 to 9 p.m., Friday and the tour of homes being held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday .
The featured homes include the residences of Kim and Stephen Carleson, 12 Liveree Lane in Chenal Downs, Monica and Clay Wahlquist, 15 Spring Valley Lane in Valley Falls Estates; Sharon Adkins and Steve Duffel, 9 Bella Rosa Court; Terry and Gary Barket, 449 Valley Club Circle; Marga and Steve Ratcliff, 5019 Country Club Blvd.; and Olsen’s home at 7 Woodbrook Court. Olsen will hold the first public signing of his new book, Five Seasons, during the tour.
The private preview party the evening before the Saturday daytime tour will be held at the home of Susan and Dr. Ken Martin at 5 Platte Court in Maumelle. The Martins’ home will only be open for the preview party and not be included on the daytime tour.
Tickets for the preview party are $65 in advance and include admission to the Saturday tour of homes. Tickets for the Saturday tour of homes are $25 in advanceand $30 on the day of the tour.
Tickets can be bought online at www.wildwoodpark. org or by calling (501) 821-7275. Tickets are also available at Botanica Gardens at 1601 Rebsamen Park Road and Silks A Bloom at 12315 Chenal Parkway, and will also be available at the door of any of the participating residences on the day of the tour.
Proceeds from the preview party and the tour support Wildwood Park’s educational programming, which includes an Arts in Education residency withChenal Elementary and Robinson Elementary schools and a statewide tour of Lily and the Apple Seed running February through April.
Last year, the tour of homes raised $10,000.
High Profile, Pages 37 on 12/04/2011