Robert Hutchinson

Robert Reynaud Hutchinson was born in Denham Springs, Louisiana.  He had two older brothers, Norman and Harry, and two younger sisters, Lynne and Margie.  He loved music and could play piano by ear.  He played for his local baptist church until the church banned dancing for all its parishioners.  Robert chose dancing over the church, a decision he never regretted.  He would also sneak away, in his teenage years to New Orleans, which was only 50 miles away.  New Orleans provided a vision of life that couldn't be found in the tobacco fields of Denham Springs.  He attended Louisiana State University for a short time until his English professor recommended moving to a larger city far away from the South.  Luckily he was brave enough to leave everything he knew and hitchhiked to San Francisco in 1955.  He loved telling friends that it only took three rides.  He stayed with his brother, Harry,  who was stationed in the Presidio for a short time.

Mr. Hutchinson took to San Francisco easily.  He quickly found an apartment and a job selling shoes in Union Square.  He was great at charming customers and he always asked if they needed an alligator purse to go with their alligator shoes.  The owner thought he had found a great successor and a husband for his daughter.  Robert had other ideas.  The gay movement, which would take the world by storm,  had already begun to foment in the city by the bay.  Mr. Hutchinson was out and proud.  

After being in town for a couple of years he attended Rudolph Scffaer's School of Design in North Beach.  He loved learning about the art of design and upon graduation landed a penthouse remodel in the Tenderloin.  The commission from the project allowed  Mr. Hutchinson to purchase 1228-32 Sutter in 1960.  He lived in the building, on the second floor, for almost 50 years.  His home and design studio were used to experiment with design concepts.  His home underwent many fantastical changes over the decades, the walls and ceilings went from Chinese lacquer red to flat black.  Mr. Hutchinson also made the building a landmark in 1977 when he created a middle eastern inspired facade for his home.  1232 Sutter has a 1,000 sq ft deck where Hutch cultivated a beautiful rooftop oasis.   

Mr. Hutchinson did not go shopping with his clients.  He sketched and designed furniture, talented draftsmen created final architectural drawings and the designs were excecuted by created by master craftsmen.  He schooled his clients on the art they might purchase to compliment his interiors.  Many of his greatest interiors were carved into existing buildings.  Mr. Hutchinson was involved in all aspects of his projects.  The first part involved understanding the needs of his clients.  Then his design studio would create exquisite renderings of the project.  Lastly, the best craftsmen in their field would create a fantastical, unique living environment. Mr. Hutchinson believed that life and art were intertwined, never separate.  His published work captures his brilliance, exactitude, and creativity.