Bow & Beam

The drive ends at a wide green lawn, and then the house: shingled, gabled, and quietly substantial, with woods drawing a line behind it and the southern Berkshires rolling out beyond. Bow & Beam is the kind of place that makes a group exhale on arrival. Bow & Beam is a spacious timber-frame retreat on 3.5 wooded acres in Sheffield, designed for families and groups who want a beautiful place to spend time together, with plenty of room to spread out when they don't. Four bedrooms and four full baths, a huge wraparound deck, a wood-stove, a kitchen built for serious cooking, and a downstairs game room make this a house that works as well for a long summer week as it does for a ski weekend or a gathering of friends and family.

Inside, the frame does the talking. Heavy timber posts and beams run overhead through the great room, warm against white walls and deep red accents, with a wood-stove anchoring one end and a piano waiting nearby for whoever's brave enough after dinner. The living room flows naturally to a dining table for eight, and then into to a kitchen designed for people who actually cook. There's a professional range beneath a statement hood, a long butcher-block island, and a level of equipment that surprises even confident cooks --- stand mixer, blender, toaster, coffeemaker, five sets of pots and pans, a knife block, mixing bowls, a second dishwasher, and a mini fridge, plus a bar area with its own beverage fridge. Big holiday meals happen here without anyone tripping over anyone.

The sleeping spaces are spread thoughtfully across the house, with a primary suite upstairs featuring a king bed and ensuite bath with dual sinks, a shower, and a tub, and just outside the door a second full bath --- also dual sinks --- serves the rest of the floor. A queen room and a twin room fill out the upstairs, and a fourth bedroom with a queen sits on the main level near its own full bath, which is the arrangement grandparents and light sleepers always hope for. All told, four bedrooms sleep eight, with a den for reading and an office for the calls that follow you on vacation.

Downstairs is where the trip loosens up. The game room is set for a full evening --- foosball, ping pong, air hockey --- with a laundry room and another full bath on the same level, so wet boots and beach towels never have to make it upstairs.

Then there's the deck, which wraps the house and effectively doubles it. One long table seats twelve under open sky, a smaller four-top sits off to the side for coffee and the crossword, and the grill is right there for the nights nobody wants to be indoors. Red Adirondack chairs line the rail facing the lawn and the treeline, and in fall the whole view turns the color the Berkshires are famous for.

The setting is the quiet, pastoral end of the county, and it puts a remarkable amount within a short drive. The historic Upper Sheffield covered bridge is about five minutes east, and Sheffield's Main Street --- an antiquing stretch people plan whole afternoons around --- is under ten. Hikers have it especially good: the Appalachian Trail crosses just north, Race Brook Falls is a ten-minute drive to a trailhead that climbs toward Mount Everett, and Bartholomew's Cobble, with its easy loops above the Housatonic, is about twelve minutes south. Ski Butternut and Great Barrington's restaurants, bookshops, and river walk are both roughly twelve to fifteen minutes north, with Catamount about twenty minutes west and Bash Bish Falls a scenic half-hour on. Push a little farther and Stockbridge opens up in about twenty minutes for the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Berkshire Botanical Garden, with Tanglewood around half an hour and Jacob's Pillow closer to forty.

Come for leaf season, ski season, a reunion, or a long summer week with nowhere to be. Bow & Beam handles all of it --- and then hands you a deck chair and a view to finish the day on.

AvantStay provides a personalized hospitality experience to elevate your stay. With our Concierge Service, guests have access to our tech-enabled services like fridge stocking, private chefs, massages, transportation, special occasion celebrations, baby gear rentals, ski gear, beach gear, and more. For anything you need, we're at your fingertips via concierge@avantstay.com.

Visiting the Berkshires is a must for anyone looking to pair a gorgeous natural landscape with an exciting cultural and culinary experience. The abundance of mountains, lakes, and woods here makes it easy to enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities, from rafting and fishing to ziplining and hiking. Stunning in any season, this region is famous for its food scene, which values local ingredients, and you'll find many farm-to-table establishments in the southern areas. Explore classic New England architecture, a growing array of performing arts, and dozens of towns and trails. The Berkshires are waiting with variety and beauty you won't find anywhere else.

Local Attractions: Berkshire Botanical Gardens, Bidwell House Museum, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Norman Rockwell Museum, Hancock Shaker Village, Historic Deerfield, Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort

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Parking Details:

All bookings over 30 days require a security deposit to be charged after booking.

STR Permit: C0571542670