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House Beautiful profiled textile designer and artist Serena Dugan’s renovated cottage on Shelter Island, New York. The renovation repaired the home’s foundation and rebuilt its original stone fireplace, while the expansive porch became a defining gathering space with two hanging beds and rocking chairs.
House Beautiful has published a tour of textile designer and artist Serena Dugan’s renovated cottage on Shelter Island, New York, featuring a broad front porch furnished with rocking chairs and two hanging beds. The project also addressed major foundation work and rebuilt the home’s original stone fireplace, showing how the owners paired structural repairs with a design centered on relaxed gatherings.
Dugan, a California-based designer and cofounder of Serena & Lily, first spotted the Adirondack-style cottage as a listing on Zillow. According to House Beautiful, she was considering an East Coast vacation home when a local friend visited the property and urged her to see it. She flew to Shelter Island and was drawn to the porch, harbor views and massive stone fireplace.
The renovation proved more extensive than she initially expected. Dugan said the cottage needed major foundation repairs, as well as a complete reconstruction of the fireplace. The rebuilt fireplace uses local stone and was made to match the original, according to the magazine. The report does not provide a renovation timeline or budget.
The porch was designed for lingering, with two hanging porch beds and rocking chairs. Inside, the family room was opened to the kitchen to create a connected living area, while performance fabrics were chosen for the sofas. Dugan also used patterns from her own textile and wallcovering line alongside vintage furniture, textiles and artwork. For the kitchen, she selected Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble, saying she accepted that it could stain and develop a patina.
A Porch Designed for Gathering
The porch is more than the most eye-catching feature of the house tour: it reflects Dugan’s stated aim of creating a place where visitors could spend time together. Hanging beds and rocking chairs make the outdoor space usable for resting and conversation, while its scale gives it a strong presence in the home’s design.
The project also illustrates a practical tension in renovating an older cottage: preserving its character while addressing structural needs. The foundation repairs and fireplace rebuild were substantial interventions, but the report describes the fireplace as a recreation of the original and the finished home as a blend of preservation and updates.
For readers planning a renovation, the tour offers examples of choices that prioritize everyday use as well as appearance. Dugan said the house was meant to be lived in, and she selected durable sofa fabrics while accepting that the marble could show wear. The article does not establish how well those materials perform over time, but it documents the design choices behind the home.
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From Zillow Listing to Renovated Cottage
The cottage sits near Coecles Harbor, in what House Beautiful describes as a quiet corner of Shelter Island. Dugan recalled arriving at dusk and being struck by the water’s reflection, the fireplace and the front porch. She said she wanted a vacation home on the East Coast and saw the property as a place to bring together her work and collected furnishings.
Rather than remove the fireplace after discovering its condition, Dugan had it reconstructed to match the original with local stone. Other interior choices connected rooms through color and material: the pantry’s patterned tile was designed to relate to the kitchen, and Dugan said she adjusted a wallcovering design to complement the salmon paint in the hallway. The article also notes lower-cost decisions, including matchstick blinds bought online for about $29 per window, paired with brass cleats.
Project Costs and Timeline Not Reported
House Beautiful’s tour does not state when the renovation was completed, how long it took or what it cost. It also does not detail the extent of the foundation repairs, identify contractors or provide engineering information. The source describes the fireplace as rebuilt to match the original but does not give further construction specifications.
The article presents the porch and interior through Dugan’s design choices and recollections. It does not include independent assessments of the renovation or report on how the materials have held up. The phrase “best porch” appears in the source headline as an editorial judgment, not as a measured ranking or award.
No Further Project Updates Listed
The source is a completed home tour, and it names no upcoming renovation phase, event or follow-up announcement. Readers seeking additional details about the home can refer to House Beautiful’s original report and photo tour. Any further information about the cottage’s construction, costs or later changes was not provided in the material available for this article.
Key Questions
Where is Serena Dugan’s cottage?
The cottage is on Shelter Island, New York, near Coecles Harbor, according to House Beautiful.
What was changed during the renovation?
The project included major foundation repairs and a complete rebuild of the stone fireplace to match the original. The family room was also opened to the kitchen.
What makes the porch stand out?
The porch has room for two hanging beds and rocking chairs. House Beautiful’s tour presents it as a central space for relaxing and gathering.
Who designed the cottage’s interiors?
Serena Dugan, a textile designer and artist who cofounded Serena & Lily, led the design choices described in the House Beautiful report.
How much did the renovation cost?
The report does not give a total renovation budget. It mentions one individual purchase: matchstick blinds bought online for about $29 per window.
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