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Designer's Advice Followed Closely By Local Couple

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Parent Issue
Day
26
Month
October
Year
1957
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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Designer’s Advice Followed Closely By Local Couple

Furnishings Match Spacious Phillips Home

Walnut Furniture, Trim Used Widely; Skylights Featured

Spaciousness, the "flowing together" of rooms and selection of furnishings to blend with the design of the house have been achieved in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Phillips of 912 Aberdeen Dr.

The home, selection of furnishings and landscape plan are the work of Robert C. Metcalf, local architect.

The Phillis told their architect they wanted a house designed sufficiently spacious to entertain up to 20 persons easily, a kitchen with an open feeling yet visually closed from living and dining areas. A master bedroom, a guest room and study were also required, along with a basement recreation area for future development.

Continuity Noticed

From the spacious slate-floored entryway there is a noticeable flowing together and continuity between rooms which feature slanted, studio-type ceilings that follow the slope of the gable roof.

To achieve this and co-ordination between house and furnishings, Metcalf used several devices:

1) All the wood parts of the interior — doors, cabinets, trim and furniture — are of walnut with closely matched finishes. One wall of the dining room and the walls for the guest bath are paneled in walnut.

2) Wherever possible, furniture has been built in. In the living room, dining room and master bedroom, legs were removed from factory-made cabinets which were attached to walls.

3) All walls and ceilings are white sand-finish plaster. All floors are gray, including gray carpet in the living, dining and bedroom areas. The gray slate in the entryway is also in the study, while plain gray tile is featured in the stainless-steel kitchen, in which there are walnut cabinets and cupboards.

4) Walls of the kitchen and the hallway connecting the kitchen with the master bedroom and bath are stopped short of the ceiling, giving a spacious feeling to these areas.

Trellis Over Hallway

Unusual is an open walnut trellis over the hallway. It gives the effect of a low ceiling and provides a foil against the white sloping ceiling above, while making the hallway appear to be wide.

A 4x5-foot plastic skylight over the trellis constantly changes the light pattern on the wall beneath it, where there is a cluster of Danish light fixtures.

Metcalf helped achieve spaciousness through high-level natural lighting. There are large floor-to-ceiling panels in each room. In the bedrooms, there are floor-to-ceiling paneled doors that can be opened onto a garden area to be developed.

The central part of the house gets its light from the large skylight above the entryway. It permits a dramatic effect within the house on moonlit nights and during the daytime contributes to the growth of plant life set at the wrought-iron basement staircase.

The two bathrooms of the six-room house on a 255x85-foot sloping site got special consideration by Metcalf. Each bathroom has a hidden skylight that radiates light onto plastic ceilings completely aglow during daytimes and with artificial lighting at night.

A sliding glass door opening onto a sundeck is astride the 25x18 living room and separate dining area.

The kitchen door opens onto a short, canopied walkway to a two-car garage.

Lawrence A. Larson of Ann Arbor was the contractor of the Phillips home.

MODERN DESIGN: The design, building, furnishing and landscaping of the six-room Charles W. Phillips modern-style home at 912 Aberdeen Dr. was under the direction of Robert C. Metcalf, a local architect. Mrs. Phillips believes it is "foolish" for prospective home builders to fail to consult architects before they build.

SLATE FLOOR: The entryway and adjacent study floors are of gray slate, matching gray carpeting and gray floors throughout the house. Walnut cabinets attached to the living room wall may be seen in the background.

STUDIO-TYPE CEILINGS: The ceiling in the living room follows the slope of the gable roof as do the ceilings in each room of the house, giving a feeling of spaciousness.

WALNUT-PANELED WALL: The dining area is highlighted by a walnut-paneled wall that separates the kitchen from the dining area. The cabinets (in background), also of walnut, are attached to the wall. The floor-to-ceiling paned door leads to a sundeck.

TRELLIS OVER HALLWAY: The open walnut trellis gives the effect of a low ceiling and provides a foil against the white sloping ceiling. The kitchen has walnut cabinets but is otherwise of stainless steel. The skylight (top right of picture) highlights the trellis and entryway.