America’s Top Architects: An Island Home by New York’s Desai Chia Architecture
Key takeaways
- ESSENTIALSFirm Name: Desai Chia Architecture Principals: Katherine Chia, Arjun Desai Headquarters: New York, NYAccolades: Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Top 200 Residential Architects,” 2025;
- The distinctions tend to blur when you’re talking about homes designed by Desai Chia Architecture.
- FRED ALBERT, Forbes Deputy Editor, Architecture: In terms of scale, scope and identity, how does this project fit into your overall body of residential work?
ESSENTIALSFirm Name: Desai Chia Architecture Principals: Katherine Chia, Arjun Desai Headquarters: New York, NYAccolades: Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Top 200 Residential Architects,” 2025; Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Best-in-State Residential Architects,” 2025House Name: Osprey House Location: Shelter Island, New York Site Specifics: Just under an acre of waterfront property bordering a nature preserve Area & Layout: 3,400 square feet, 4 BR, 4 BA Architectural Photographer: Paul Warchol (warcholphotography.com), Jake Balston (jakebalston.com)
s it a house or is it an observatory? The distinctions tend to blur when you’re talking about homes designed by Desai Chia Architecture. Blessed with walls of glass and broad, outstretched roofs, they offer sanctuary from the elements while wrapping their residents in nature. That’s certainly true of this residence in Shelter Island, New York. Dubbed Osprey House for its avian neighbors—and the way it mimics their elevated perches—the structure’s veiled exterior offers a ringside view of the adjoining shoreline and the wildlife that inhabits it.
FRED ALBERT, Forbes Deputy Editor, Architecture: In terms of scale, scope and identity, how does this project fit into your overall body of residential work?