Broken Branch

Chatham, New York — 42.4° N

Less house.
More woods.

Broken Branch Cottage is a one-room timber studio in a clearing in Columbia County. Off grid, under a tin roof, between the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires.

The timber cottage under a corrugated metal roof, with a deep covered porch, in a sunny clearing ringed by trees
The cottage seen straight on: board walls, clerestory windows and a broad low roof against a summer sky
Layout
Studio
Sleeps
2
Power
Off grid
To Chatham
10 min

The cottage

One room of pine, oak and lime plaster. A bed beneath a paper lantern, a big window onto the trees, a kitchen built into the cabinetry, and a covered porch for mornings.

The walls are hand-plastered; the shelves are solid oak. Nothing extra.

  • SleepingOne bed, linens provided
  • KitchenSingle-burner stove, kettle, pour-over
  • BathingCamp shower
  • ToiletComposting
  • PowerOff grid
  • OutsideCovered porch, screened room, clearing
Looking through the window at the bed, with a glowing paper lantern above and trees reflected in the glass
Oak kitchen cabinetry with open shelves, cups, a pour-over coffee setup and a black kettle on a single burner
A plank door set flush into a wall of vertical pine boards, opening onto the porch deck
Inside: a white plaster wall with a weathered wood relief, beside a large window framing green lawn and woods

Off grid, on purpose

Broken Branch isn't connected to the grid. There's a camp shower and a composting toilet, a stove with one burner and a kettle that sings on it.

It's simple by design: come to read, sleep, walk the woods, and notice the light move across the wall.

The black kettle on the stove, with the bed and tall windows beyond
A sliver of sunlight on rough white plaster beside a small niche holding a vase of Queen Anne's lace

The place

The Town of Chatham, in Columbia County — farm stands, back roads and small villages, a short drive from both the Hudson River and the Berkshires.

Exact address shared with guests after booking.

Driving times

Chatham village
10 min
Kinderhook
25 min
Tanglewood, Lenox
35 min
Hudson & Amtrak
40 min
Albany–Rensselaer Amtrak
40 min
Great Barrington
45 min
New York City
3 hr

Reserve
a few nights.

Book on Airbnb