When a couple approached Butler Armsden Architects with a vision for their recently purchased home in Orinda, the challenge lay in how to transform a late-70s building into the client’s vision for a modern nature retreat. Butler Armsden preserved the overall massing of the building, splitting the program into a main, public floor and a lower, more private floor, and worked to consolidate the clusters of windows on its facades into larger openings to frame the verdant surroundings. Inside, the central tension was between creating a home whose spaces could be both large, for hosting guests, and small, for cozier, more intimate gatherings. The home will serve as both an entertaining space and a peaceful retreat for many years to come.