Connected Living – Valley of the Moon Retreat by Butler Armsden Architects

Nestled in the hills and resting on a wooded slope, Valley of the Moon Retreat by Butler Armsden Architects is a family holiday home that warmly embraces its owners. The board-form concrete and timber residence is constructed from a series of volumes that allow the surrounding treetops to take centrestage, thanks to the extensive glazing throughout the interior.

Believing that architecture is about creating something permanent, Butler Armsden Architects built Valley of the Moon Retreat to be an everlasting family home. After remodelling the client’s city dwelling, the architect was tasked with creating a family holiday residence in Glen Ellen, a place the clients could retreat to and escape city living. Valley of the Moon Retreat is positioned at the end of a narrow driveway, on a hill that overlooks the picturesque valley below. Designed to be in an open dialogue with the landscape, the home becomes a sanctuary where the family can create lasting memories whilst remaining connected to nature.

Designed to be in an open dialogue with the landscape, the home enables the family to create lasting memories whilst remaining connected to nature.

Nestled between the trees, the residence seamlessly blends into the landscape. However, even as the home disappears into the foliage, the breezeway opens up the home, revealing its true magnificence. From the breezeway, the large courtyard opens up to expansive vistas of the valley beyond. Nature’s splendour is then mirrored by the pool ­­­– its architectural surface reflecting the surrounding treetops.

Butler Armsden Architects ensures the family can both entertain and find moments of respite by crafting separate pavilions that can be opened up or closed. Emphasising this sense of separation is the main building, which can accommodate both large and smaller gatherings without feeling as though there is too much space to spare. Additionally, the main pavilion hosts the kitchen and dining room, which holds everything the owners need. Upstairs is the master suite and office that has been designed to make one feel as though they are living in the tree canopies. The master bathroom, however, features the most incredible views, as well as private indoor and outdoor showers.

Nestled between the trees, the residence seamlessly blends into the landscape. However, even as the home disappears into the foliage, the breezeway opens up the home, revealing its true magnificence.

Built just before the California wildfires, the fate of Valley of the Moon Retreat was unknown to Butler Armsden Architects and the owners for some time. However, since the home was built with a metal roof and board-formed concrete plinth, the residence’s timber structure survived. Located on 37 acres, Valley of the Moon Retreat remains functional, durable and connected to the landscape – a contemporary sanctuary for the family.