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House Beautiful profiled textile designer Serena Dugan’s renovation of an Adirondack-style cottage on Shelter Island, New York. The project required major foundation repairs and a rebuilt stone fireplace; its broad front porch is furnished with rocking chairs and two hanging beds. The article presents the home as Dugan’s personal retreat and a place to gather guests.
House Beautiful has published a tour of textile designer Serena Dugan’s renovated cottage on Shelter Island, New York, featuring a wide front porch fitted with rocking chairs and two hanging beds. The project also involved major foundation repairs and rebuilding the house’s stone fireplace, making the home a substantial renovation rather than a cosmetic refresh.
Dugan, a California-based designer and artist who cofounded Serena & Lily, first spotted the Adirondack-style cottage as a small dot on a Zillow map while considering an East Coast vacation home. A local friend visited the property and urged her to see it. Dugan booked a flight after his recommendation, according to House Beautiful’s account.
The house sits near Coecles Harbor, in a quiet part of Shelter Island. Dugan said its setting, water views and porch made an immediate impression. But inspection and renovation work revealed that the existing structure needed significant attention: the foundation required major repairs, and the large stone fireplace had to be reconstructed.
The porch is the home tour’s signature space. Dugan wondered whether it could accommodate one hanging porch bed; the finished design has two, alongside rocking chairs. Inside, the renovation opens the family room to the kitchen, creating a larger shared living area. The rebuilt fireplace uses local stone intended to match the original.
Dugan used fabrics and wallcoverings from her own design line alongside vintage pieces and new furnishings. House Beautiful reports that the kitchen includes Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble, which Dugan chose despite its potential to stain, saying she welcomed signs of use. She also used performance fabrics on the sofas and made economical choices in some details, including online matchstick blinds reported to cost about $29 per window.
A Porch Designed for Gathering
The home tour offers a detailed example of how a renovation can preserve a property’s character while adapting it for everyday use. Dugan described the house as a place to make memories with visitors, and the design choices reflect that aim: the large porch creates an outdoor gathering area, while the connected kitchen and family room support shared use inside.
The project also shows the practical decisions behind a polished design. The structural repairs and fireplace reconstruction addressed major needs, while durable upholstery and materials that can develop patina suit a home intended to be lived in. The reported mix of custom, vintage and lower-cost pieces gives readers a clearer picture of how the finished rooms were assembled, rather than presenting them only as a set of decorative images.
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From Zillow Map to Renovation
Dugan’s search began as she considered buying a vacation home on the East Coast while based in California. House Beautiful reports that a local friend checked the cottage after she found it online. He encouraged her to visit, and she traveled to Shelter Island after hearing his reaction.
On arrival, Dugan recalled driving along a narrow road at dusk and seeing the fireplace, porch and water. Those features became part of the renovation’s guiding character. She said she feared that the work might damage the house’s distinctive calm, a concern that shaped the effort to preserve or recreate key elements rather than simply replace them.
The resulting interiors mix Dugan’s own textiles and wallcoverings with vintage furniture, contemporary fixtures and custom elements. For example, she adjusted colors in one of her wallcovering designs to complement the salmon-colored hallway, while the pantry’s patterned tile floor draws on textile motifs. The source describes the finished home but does not provide a full construction timeline or renovation budget.
Project Costs and Timeline Unreported
House Beautiful’s report does not state when the renovation took place, how long construction lasted, or what the project cost. It also does not give engineering details about the foundation repairs or explain the fireplace reconstruction process beyond noting that local stone was used to match the original.
The article is a design-focused home tour, not an independent inspection or assessment of the property. Its descriptions of the home and Dugan’s intentions are based on the report and her attributed comments; the source does not provide separate contractor or structural-engineer accounts.
No Further Project Plans Listed
The source material does not announce additional renovation phases, a sale, or another scheduled milestone. House Beautiful’s published tour documents the finished design and Dugan’s approach, but it does not say whether the cottage will be available to visit or whether further work is planned.
For now, the reported development is the publication of the home tour itself. Any updates about the property’s future use, additional work or public access remain unconfirmed in the material provided.
Key Questions
Where is Serena Dugan’s cottage?
It is on Shelter Island, New York, near Coecles Harbor, according to House Beautiful.
What stands out about the porch?
The expansive porch has two hanging beds and rocking chairs. Dugan initially wondered whether one hanging bed would fit, then chose two for the space.
What major repairs did the house need?
The cottage required major foundation repairs and reconstruction of its large stone fireplace. The fireplace was rebuilt with local stone to match the original, the report says.
Who designed the interiors?
Dugan, a textile designer and artist and cofounder of Serena & Lily, used designs from her own line alongside vintage furnishings and other pieces.
How much did the renovation cost?
The source does not provide a total project budget. It reports that matchstick blinds cost about $29 per window, but that figure covers only that design detail.
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