US studio Desai Chia Architecture has referenced the form of "native oak leaves" in shaping the metal roof on Chatham Residence, a rural house in New York designed for retirement.

Located in the town of Chatham in Columbia County, the house sits on the crest of an 80-acre (32-hectare) property near the Catskill Mountains. The area features rolling hills covered in trees and meadows.

The clients — a couple with grown children — desired a home where they could lead "a new life away from New York City".

While designing the project, Manhattan-based Desai Chia Architecture considered all aspects of the landscape, from the distant mountains to the site's relationship to the surrounding forest.

"Much of the understorey was still clear, allowing tree trunks to extend skyward like columns," the team said.

"The shadows cast by the leafy canopy revealed arcs of light and shadow that playfully shifted with the sunlight."

For the bucolic site, the studio created a single-level home topped with a sculptural roof with deep overhangs.

"The roof was inspired by native oak leaves," the team said.

"Curved overhangs provide shade and protection from the elements while also casting shadows that mimic nature."

Exterior walls are clad in corrugated metal siding, which is meant to appear "as a continuous ripple that traces the curved shapes".

"We decided on corrugated metal for its duality – a rugged material frequently used in contemporary farm buildings, as well as an elegant surface that captures light with minimalist precision," the team said.

The exterior also features plain-sawn accoya wood, which was used for soffits and covered seating areas.

The central portion of the house contains the social zone, with a kitchen, dining area and living room. Curved corners soften the transition between walls and a vaulted ceiling, helping form "a cloud of luminosity".

Floor-to-ceiling glass provides views of the scenic terrain.

"The clients enjoy views from the forest understorey to the tree canopy to the sky," the studio said.

The central zone is flanked by two wings – one contains the primary bedroom, the other holds additional bedrooms.

Beyond large stretches of glass, daylight sneaks in through "hidden" clerestory windows in the primary bathroom and entry hall.

In addition to the main residence, the project included a detached guesthouse, which also holds the couple's home office.

This "sister building" takes cues from the main residence, as it features corrugated metal siding and curved overhangs. Large sliding doors allow the interior to flow onto a pool terrace.

The team also created a greenhouse and barn, designed by Desai Chia in collaboration with New Hampshire-based Rimol Greenhouses.

With polycarbonate walls, the structures absorb sunlight during the day and "glow like lanterns at night".

In terms of the landscape, the team planned grazing pastures for sheep, goats, miniature donkeys and other animals, which frame a pathway to a natural pond.

The project was designed as a second home, but the clients envision living there full-time in the future. They've already begun raising animals on the site and growing plants in the greenhouse.

"What began as an escape from the city has become the start of a second act," the team said.

Other projects by Desai Chia include a house on a secluded New York island clad in charred wood and a multi-structure dwelling in Connecticut that has courtyards for exhibiting artwork.

The photography is by Paul Warchol.

Project credits:

Architect: Desai Chia Architecture
Structural: Gilsanz Murray Steficek Structural Engineers
Mechanical: CES
Lighting: Eileen Pierce Lighting Studio
Landscape: Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architects
Civil: Crawford Associates
General contractor: Structureworks
Millwork: Elephants Custom Furniture
Art advisor: Amy Snyder