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House Beautiful profiled textile designer and artist Serena Dugan’s renovation of an Adirondack-style cottage on Shelter Island, New York. The work included major foundation repairs and rebuilding the original stone fireplace; the home’s broad porch now holds two hanging beds alongside rocking chairs.
House Beautiful has published a tour of Serena Dugan’s renovated cottage on Shelter Island, New York, showing how the textile designer and artist preserved the home’s character while addressing major structural work. The feature spotlights the broad front porch, where two hanging beds and rocking chairs make the outdoor space a central part of the house.
Dugan, a California-based designer and cofounder of Serena & Lily, first spotted the Adirondack-style cottage as a small marker on a Zillow map while considering an East Coast vacation home. She asked a local friend to visit. After seeing the property, he urged her to come in person, and she booked a flight. Dugan told House Beautiful that the home’s stone fireplace, porch and view of the water made an immediate impression.
The renovation proved more extensive than she initially expected. Dugan said the house needed major foundation repairs, and the fireplace she had admired had to be completely rebuilt. According to the feature, the replacement used local stone and was made to match the original. Dugan said she worried that the work might damage the home’s distinctive atmosphere, which she described as a sense of calm.
The porch was designed around its generous proportions. Dugan told House Beautiful she wondered whether the space could fit a hanging porch bed; the finished design has two hanging beds, along with rocking chairs. A dark-painted ceiling adds contrast, while the porch furniture is set up for sitting outside in changing weather. The feature identifies the rocking chairs as Hollywood at Home pieces and the hanging beds as products from Red Egg.
A Porch Built for Gathering
The porch is more than a decorative feature in the published tour: it helps explain how Dugan wanted the property to function. She told House Beautiful, “I wanted to create a home where memories were made for everyone who visited.” The hanging beds and rocking chairs offer different ways to spend time outdoors, while the sheltered setting looks toward the water.
The wider project also shows the balance between preserving a home’s feel and making substantial repairs. Dugan’s account describes necessary work to the foundation and fireplace alongside choices intended to retain the cottage’s original character. The feature documents one homeowner’s approach, rather than establishing a general renovation method or reporting an independent assessment of the completed work.
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From Zillow Listing to Renovation
Dugan had been considering a second home on the East Coast when the cottage appeared on a Zillow map. She recalled driving to it at dusk along a narrow road toward Coecles Harbor, a quiet area of Shelter Island. In her account to House Beautiful, the water’s reflection and large stone fireplace helped convince her that the property was worth pursuing.
Design choices throughout the home combine Dugan’s own textile and wallcovering designs with vintage furniture and other finishes. The kitchen includes Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble, which Dugan said she chose despite its potential to stain because she was comfortable with wear and patina. She also described cost-conscious decisions, including matchstick blinds bought online for about $29 per window and finished with brass cleats.
The renovation extended beyond the porch. The feature describes the family room as opened to the kitchen to create a larger shared space, and says the dining-room fireplace was rebuilt to match the original. Dugan also used performance fabric on living-room sofas, explaining that “the house is meant to be lived in.”
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Details the Tour Does Not Provide
The source is a design-focused home tour, not a construction report. It does not give the renovation cost, project timeline, contractor details or the extent of the foundation damage. It also does not provide an independent structural assessment or say whether any permits or preservation reviews were required.
The headline’s description of the porch as the best ever seen is a subjective judgment, not a measurable comparison. The feature identifies materials and some furnishings, but does not establish how the home performs in different seasons or whether the porch is used year-round. No additional project update or future plans are included in the supplied report.
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No Further Project Update Reported
The available source does not announce a next construction phase, sale, public event or follow-up. For now, the development is the publication of House Beautiful’s home tour, which records Dugan’s account of the renovation and shows the finished spaces. No later plans are confirmed in the report.
Readers seeking further details on the property or project would need additional information from Dugan, her representatives or the publication. The supplied material does not say whether more renovation details will be released.
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Key Questions
Where is Serena Dugan’s cottage?
The home is on Shelter Island, New York, in the Coecles Harbor area, according to House Beautiful.
What makes the porch stand out in the tour?
The porch has two hanging beds and rocking chairs, arranged within its broad footprint. The feature also notes its dark ceiling and the view toward the water.
What major repairs did the cottage need?
Dugan told House Beautiful that the house required major foundation repairs. The original stone fireplace also had to be rebuilt, using local stone to match it.
Who designed the renovation?
The feature presents the renovation through the perspective of Serena Dugan, a textile designer and artist and cofounder of Serena & Lily. The supplied source does not name a contractor or other project team members.
How much did the renovation cost?
The report does not state the overall renovation cost. Dugan did mention buying matchstick blinds online for about $29 per window, but that is one item and not a project-wide budget figure.
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