Chatham Residence is a 3,500-square-foot contemporary house by Desai/Chia Architecture, set on an 80-acre hillside site in Columbia County, New York. When the architects first encountered the land, they found a second-growth forest punctuated by historic stone walls, remnants of the area’s agricultural past. Responding to the clients’ wish for a shift away from city life and a deeper relationship with both the natural ecosystem and the property’s history, the design was carefully sited on a crest with wide views toward the distant Catskill Mountains.
The house features floor-to-ceiling glass along the sides facing the forest and mountains, bringing in daylight and connecting the social rooms to their surroundings. An open central section frames the view toward the Catskills from the approach, while the varied roofline—shaped in reference to native oak leaves—extends outward as curved overhangs that provide shelter and cast changing shadows on the facade. The exterior is primarily clad in corrugated metal, a contemporary nod to local agricultural structures, with plain-sawn accoya wood used for accent detailing on outdoor seating areas, overhangs, and within interior passages and the main bedroom.
