Interior decorator Tim Quade transforms his Ashland abode into a visual wonderland where even Santa would feel at home.
By Benita Heath
HQ 53 | AUTUMN 2004
When popular interior designer Tim Quade was growing up in Ashland, the day after Thanksgiving meant enjoying cold turkey sandwiches and finishing up the rest of the pumpkin pie. It was a day to unwind and think about Christmas shopping. And the best part of the day for Quade came when he got to spin holiday magic around the house. It’s a joy he’s never stopped pursuing.
That Friday was a tradition in the Quade household. It was the day the youngster was allowed to drag the family Christmas tree down from the attic and dust off box after box of ornaments the Quades had collected over the years. For hours on end, the young boy would sort through the shiny bulbs, trying out one color after another against the green pine while twisting tinsel this way and that as he and his parents designed that season’s tree.
“We had a really good tradition at home of putting up the tree as a family,” Quade recalls today. “Though as I got older I did get a little dictatorial about the tree. By the time I was 12 years old, I had solely taken over the responsibility.”
These days, the Christmas season is exclusively a Tim Quade production, at least in his beautifully appointed two story Arts and Crafts style home near Ashland’s Central Park District. Room after room will have the Quade touch as the decorator pulls out all the stops showcasing his numerous collections of colorful ornaments and decorations.
His reason is simple. He does it for his guests. Every other year Quade throws an extravaganza open house for at least 100 guests from the area which means weeks and weeks of decorating. In fact, by the time Quade finishes, he will have put up and designed 14 trees throughout his home.
“If there is a horizontal surface in my house, there is a tree on it,” he jokes. “I work in the evenings and sometimes I get inspiration and will be up until 3 in the morning. If the inspiration comes, I had better go with it. It may not come tomorrow.”
Quade begins decorating for the grand holiday party in early November and puts in three to four hours of work every evening for 30 straight days. By the time his guests arrive in early December for the social gathering, he will have spent more than 100 hours getting his home just right. But Quade doesn’t mind the tasks at hand. “It’s a labor of love,” he asserts.
It was 10 years ago when the interior designer began his traditional open house and invitations to this party are always sought after. As he does with everything, Quade works on his guest list with meticulous care because this popular host believes a successful party starts with just the right mix of people.
“At this party it’s such a diverse group of people and that’s what I like,” he explains. “Sometimes you go to parties and all the people there are in the same shop. It’s like going to work. People with different careers, that’s what makes for an interesting party. In the past, I did separate parties — one for friends and one for clients. But then I decided to throw everyone in the ring and see what happens. It works well.”
Probably one of the most impressive displays can be found in the living room which Quade has furnished in an eclectic assortment of English, French and American pieces. Near a magnificent French Empire sofa covered in gold silk damask is a nine-foot Fort Smith pine overflowing with over a thousand ornaments, including prized gems by Wedgwood, Waterford and American glass maker Christopher Radko. It takes Quade at least eight hours to get the 1,100 ornaments just where he wants them placed.
“They are really whimsical, fun ornaments that I received as gifts,” Quade explained. “Everything on the tree is red, gold or blue with crystal to give reflective quality. The color palette of the tree was dictated by the room.”
The living room itself is a magnificent example of the French Empire period, complete with a stunning oil portrait of the driving spirit of the age, the great conqueror Napoleon. Quade bought the prized piece of artwork through a dealer during one of his many trips out scouting for special finds for his clients.
“That painting is the foundation for the room and its color palette,” says Quade, an enthusiast for the period. “I think I could be transported back to the French Empire era. I love the opulent fabrics, beautiful colors, inlaid wood of that time period. I just love the formality of that era.”
Nearby is a two-foot tall tabletop tree that shows off Quade’s collection of official White House ornaments that he cherishes. Since 1981 the White House releases annually a single ornament that has some connection to the great mansion. It may be a replica of one of the historic public rooms or an architectural feature of the house. And Quade, an avowed White House history buff, has every one and always makes sure they are shown in the best possible way. As a matter of fact, the 2004 ornament has arrived and has been added to the collection.
“They are such interesting ornaments and would disappear on a large tree. However, I may have to graduate to a larger tree next year. It is getting crowded,” he said. “I consider myself a federalist at heart and the White House is the epitome of a Federal structure.”
At the open house, friends and clients get to share in Quade’s culinary creations as well. On a buffet laid out in his dining room, he delights his guests with chafing dishes filled with smoked salmon, shrimp, mandarin chicken with orange glaze, specialty cheeses and such hors d’oeuvres as bacon-wrapped apricots and olive bites. Libations are usually mixed drinks and fuzzy navel punch.
“I try to find foods that are an interesting combination of elements. I like unusual flavors,” he said. “And I do keep records so some things are not repeated.”
As guests try out the buffet, they can also indulge their visual senses in the room whose decor is dominated by a Chippendale cabinet filled with the Haviland china of Quade’s grandmother. Adjacent to the cabinet is a black lacquered chest with inlaid brass and stone in the face of it. It’s in this room where Quade puts up his favorite tree with ornaments that are reproductions of stained glass windows in a variety of color schemes and patterns.
“They are great to put a really intense light behind, so the glass is illumined,” he said. “The balance of each tree is done with glass balls painted in silver, gold and copper to give color.”
As the party crowd winds up the enclosed staircase to take in the upstairs rooms, they see on the landing an 18-foot garland that runs from ceiling to floor made up of mixed pine with red glass balls, crystal icicles and red velvet ribbons.
Then right off the hallway is the room that Quade likes to call the animal bedroom because of its exotic African motif right down to the leopard and cheetah prints on pillows and chairs and a zebra skin rug. By the window overlooking Ashland Avenue hill is an eightfoot tree covered with red raffia, dried palm fronds and handcarved wooden birds. Here Quade’s meticulous attention to detail is apparent.
“I have the birds suspended on fishing line so they look like they’re flying,” he says proudly. “On this tree there are lots of ornaments like gorillas, cheetah, rhino and antelope. It’s almost like going on safari putting that tree up. I just get out the pith helmet and get busy.”
Down the hall is Quade’s den which he calls his retreat. There he erects an eight-foot Blue Spruce tree that brings back a flood of childhood memories for the decorator. The reason is easy to understand. It is covered with 600 ornaments, many of them given to him by his grandparents and parents through the years.
“Here you will find all the Santas and snowmen, all the typical Christmas icons,” he says. “This tree is probably the most traditional. It is nostalgia.”
So, when is the holiday season finally over for Quade?
“When the ornaments start getting dusty,” he says with a smile. “That’s when it’s time to take the trees down.”
