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Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Butler Armsden Architects

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Butler Armsden Architects

Architecture Firm

Butler Armsden Architects is an award-winning, high-end residential architecture firm in San Francisco, founded by husband and wife Lewis Butler and Catherine Armsden, in 1985. For over 30 years the firm has specialized in new and renovation homes in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Sonoma, Stinson Beach and Atherton and Aspen. Managing Principals Federico Engel and Glenda Flaim, along with CFO Chandra Campbell, now lead a team of 27 from the firm's office in Lower Pacific Heights.

12/22/2025

On the US Modernist Podcast, our managing principals, Glenda Flaim and Federico Engel discuss a William Wurster house in San Francisco that they restored.

To listen to the podcast, you can visit usmodernist.org and all major podcast networks.

11/17/2025

For too long, the rationale behind design has been lost in the rush of everyday practice. Sunwoo Kim, newly promoted to Director of Design at Butler Armsden Architects, offers a critical perspective you won’t find in academia.
We are proud to share that in his new book, Common Architecture, Sunwoo argues that architecture’s unique role—bridging art, technology, and complex coordination—demands a focus on commonness and rationale over the constant chase for “newness.”
To read more on his philosophy you can purchase his book at oroeditions.com.

10/24/2025

Butler Armsden’s projects emerge from a deep partnership with our clients and the interplay between our firm’s vision and theirs. For every project, we develop a shared architectural language through our work as a team. Each one of our team members brings their own approach, skills, and style to the work. In search of harmony, we come together to coalesce ideas into a singular vision for each project. Our entire team leans on our collective years of experience in architecture to guide our firm and our work and we also like to have a little fun along the way.

10/20/2025

Born in San Francisco in 1957, Lewis Butler lived a life characterized by his joie de vivre, independent spirit, and hard work. Lewis completed his master’s in architecture at Harvard, where he met his wife, Catherine Armsden. Together they cofounded Butler Armsden in 1985 and led the firm for 35 successful years.⁠
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He was truly one of a kind as an extraordinary boss, a superbly talented designer, and a humble and kind spirit to everyone he interacted with. ⁠
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Lewis was passionate about mentoring young designers and served on the board of the Hamlin School, University High School, and the San Francisco Girls Chorus, helping with remodeling projects pro bono. In addition, he was active in building sandcastles at Ocean Beach for LEAP’s sandcastle contest fundraiser, which raised money for art and architecture programs in Bay Area schools. ⁠
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Butler Armsden Architects moves forward with the hope and intention of honoring Lewis’s architectural legacy. One of those ways is through the Lewis W. Butler Foundation, which is committed to education and diversity in the field of architecture and design. The foundation was created in honor of our founder, Lewis Butler, with the goal of advancing opportunities for young people.⁠
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06/02/2025

It was such an eventful month, with the DesignLA panel where Managing Principal Glenda Flaim spoke with other amazing designers, a trip to the Chinatown Night Market organized by our DEI committee, the Decorator Showcase x Lewis W. Butler Foundation event, and an inspiring site visit at one of our Sea Cliff projects.

We are very grateful to be so busy with such wonderful things!!

05/15/2025

A big thank you to Luxe Magazine for featuring our Sibling Reverie project in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood with interior design by Jay Jeffers.

A very unique opportunity came to Butler Armsden when our clients, two brothers, purchased a home with the intent to create two separate living spaces under one roof. They commissioned us to refresh their historical, Arthur Brown Jr. original, Beaux-Arts home that was originally built in 1925. It was a fun and inclusive dynamic that allowed us to explore each brother’s particular design tastes and needs within the framework of a cohesive interior, ultimately achieving a space that honors their individuality while creating a unified sense of home.

Architecture: Butler Armsden Architects
Interior Designer:
Photographer:
Styled by:
General Contractor:
Featured in:

05/02/2025

Come to LA to see Glenda Flaim on May 8th

British moderator Kathryn M. Ireland will guide a discussion with Italian architect Glenda Flaim, Swiss interior designer Eva Bradley, and Bangladeshi interior designer Huma Sulaiman on their experiences harmonizing international styles with California design and how their cultures inform their spatial creations in the Golden State.

04/23/2025

Catch Glenda Flaim in Los Angeles during .losangeles

Moderator Kathryn M. Ireland will lead a conversation with Italian architect Glenda Flaim, Butler Armsden Architects; Swiss interior designer Eva Bradley, Eva Bradley Studio; and Bangladeshi interior designer, Huma Sulaiman, Huma Sulaiman Design, as they share their experiences of navigating the California design world and balancing international influences with West Coast aesthetics, as well as how their cultural perspectives influence the way they shape spaces in the Golden State.

03/31/2025

At Butler Armsden Architects we want to celebrate the women who design, build, and shape the world around us. We take pride in the fact that two-thirds of our partners and over 60 percent of our staff are women. During Women’s History Month, we honor the creativity, resilience, and innovation of women in architecture and design.

02/13/2025

We are thrilled to announce that we will be featured in California Coastal. Architectural styles range from traditional to modern, with added variety in the form of rustic modern, small-format bungalow, and renovations of existing buildings to showcase the California dream. This is epitomized in the architecture and design of eighteen homes featured in this book, which speaks to the coastline’s special qualities.

California Coastal will be launched on June 17. You can pre-order this book on Amazon or on Bookshop.org

03/27/2024

During Women’s History Month, we proudly spotlight the 18 women comprising two-thirds of our staff at Butler Armsden Architects. Across our nearly 40-year history, we’ve championed women, starting with the efforts of our co-founder Catherine Armsden. Today, Managing Principals Chandra Campbell and Glenda Flaim are furthering our legacy as a majority women-owned and operated architectural firm.

03/19/2024

Join our team! We’re looking for an Intermediate Designer. Visit the link in our bio to learn more about the position and how to apply.⁠⁣⁠

Address

1420 Sutter Street, Fl First
San Francisco, CA
94109

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+14156745554

Website

http://www.butlerarmsden.com/

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