Seller Story: Robert Metcalf, Ann Arbor, MI
“My house was the sixth home Bob Metcalf designed and stands only a few blocks from where he lived. From the street, it’s just a little low-profile box in a hill, but you walk in and really get the wow-factor. There’s a lower level and the front kicks out. That’s how Metcalf designed his houses–he knew how to put a house on a site. He mapped out floor plans by pacing lots, incorporating his designs into the landscape which he considered to be an extension of the living space. So it’s like I live in a treehouse–and my friends are all mad I don’t throw more parties.
Metcalf always included furniture in his sketches, often by the mid-century pioneers like Eames, Bertoia, Nakashima. He would purchase pieces at a discounted rate and would sell the furniture to his client at-cost, because the space was built specifically for that chair, table, or sofa. Furnishings were as important as the home’s design. He was a perfectionist that way.
One of the things I loved about him was that he wasn’t out for the profit, fame, or glory. He considered it an honor to build the homes that his clients were going to raise their families in, so there was no cutting corners. He did things right because that’s just how you did them. To live in this house, and to have known him, someone of that character with that much generosity, and pride in his work– I consider myself very fortunate. I wish everyone could have known him. Though I’m sure he’s looking down right now wishing I would move this or that to the left or to the right.” –C.B., neighbor
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
KitchenAid Artisan Series Yellow 5 Quart Stand Mixer With Accessories
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Henredon Houndstooth-Upholstered English Roll-Arm Easy Chair
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
14K Enameled Champagne Bottle Charm
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Drexel Custom-Painted and Parcel-Gilt Media Armoire, Late 20th Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
English Cut Glass Decanters with Sterling Silver Rims and Decanter Tags, 1930s
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Watson Sterling Baby Utensils with Floral Motif and Dog Portrait
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
1950s Rhinestone Miriam Haskell Brooch
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Dee Sudbury Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting Of Flower Field, Late 20th C.
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Hermès "Les Cles" Burgundy and Gold Silk Scarf
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Robert Noble Oil Painting Genre Scene of Man Carrying Ladder, 1878
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Lenox "Holiday" and "Holiday Nouveau" Porcelain Dinnerware and Serving Bowl
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Fred Aris Serigraph After Paul Klee "Figure in the Garden"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Jack Meanwell Abstract Oil Pastel Drawing, Late 20th Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Large Louis XV Style Painted Trumeau Mirror
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Machine-Stitched Fabric 48-Star American Flag, Mid to Late 20th C.
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Swedish Vicke Lindstrand for Kosta Glass "Feathers" Etched Glass Bowl
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Bernhardt Baroque Style Walnut-Stained and Rope-Carved Armchair
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Citizen Two-Tone Eco-Drive Wristwatch
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Painted Wood Rocking Horse
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Josef Albers Serigraph from "Formulation: Articulation" Suite, 1972
Was Metcalf involved in your interior decorating or renovation projects?
When I moved into my Metcalf house, I saw the previous owner had put linoleum floor into the kitchen, and that just wasn’t going to work. So I drove to Detroit a few times before I finally found some concrete-looking porcelain tile I liked, and I showed them to Bob who said, “I think that’s the ugliest tile I’ve ever seen in my life.”
So he would come by during lunch every day to oversee my kitchen floor renovation, and when it was done, he agreed my tile choice looked “kind of nice” after all. He didn’t suffer fools gladly, but he had the most marvelous sense of humor. Very militaristic, but with a twinkle in his eye.
What are you interested to see in the sale?
He had these beautiful dining room chairs by Nakashima. As talented as he was, he really appreciated the craftsmanship of these mid-century furniture designers. I remember him telling me that Nakashima was a guest speaker at the University while he was Dean, and Bob had him over for dinner and they sat in those chairs.