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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 home’s broad porch, with two hanging beds and rocking chairs, is a standout feature; the project also included major foundation repairs and rebuilding the original stone fireplace.
Textile designer and artist Serena Dugan renovated an Adirondack-style cottage on Shelter Island, New York, retaining its connection to the waterfront while addressing major structural repairs. In a House Beautiful home tour, Dugan’s broad front porch—with two hanging beds and rocking chairs—is presented as a central gathering space in the vacation home she envisioned for family and visitors.
Dugan first saw the house as a listing on a Zillow map while considering an East Coast vacation home. A local friend drove past the cottage near Coecles Harbor and urged her to visit. Dugan recalled arriving at dusk and being drawn to the porch, the water’s reflection and the large stone fireplace. She later said she wanted the house to be a place where visitors could make memories.
The renovation was more extensive than she initially expected. Dugan said the existing structure needed major foundation repairs, and the fireplace she admired had to be completely rebuilt. The replacement was made with local stone to match the original, according to the House Beautiful report. The published tour does not specify the construction timeline, total cost or the professionals involved.
The porch was furnished for lingering, with two hanging porch beds sized for the space and rocking chairs. Dugan said the idea came to her when she first saw the porch and wondered whether a hanging bed would fit. Elsewhere, the home mixes her own fabric and wallpaper designs with vintage furniture and textiles, alongside selected custom lighting and durable upholstery. The house tour also notes less costly choices, including matchstick blinds Dugan said she bought online for about $29 per window.
A Porch Designed for Gathering
The porch is more than a visual feature in the published tour: it reflects Dugan’s stated aim of making a home that could be used by visitors, rather than treated as a showroom. Its hanging beds and rocking chairs provide places to sit or rest, while the open setting connects the cottage to its waterfront surroundings. Dugan described the house as a place to gather her work and collections and to present her design perspective.
The project also shows how the home’s appearance depended on less visible work. Addressing the foundation and fireplace allowed the design to preserve elements that first attracted Dugan to the property. The report offers a specific residential example of balancing restoration with personal design choices, though it does not provide a budget or an independent assessment of the renovation.
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From Zillow Listing to Renovation
Dugan, a California-based designer and artist, is also a cofounder of Serena & Lily. She had been thinking about buying a vacation property on the East Coast when a friend recommended that she see the Shelter Island cottage in person. The House Beautiful account centers on her recollection of the first visit and the subsequent renovation, rather than reporting a sale or a new project announcement.
In the interior, the design pairs custom and vintage pieces with practical decisions. Dugan chose performance fabrics for the sofas, saying the house was meant to be lived in. She also selected Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble for the kitchen despite the possibility of staining, explaining that she was comfortable with the material developing a patina. The dining-room fireplace was rebuilt with local stone, while the pantry’s patterned tile floor and adjacent kitchen colors were designed to relate to one another.
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Project Costs and Timeline
The House Beautiful report does not give the renovation’s total cost, schedule or completion date. It also does not identify contractors or provide engineering details about the foundation repairs. The article is a design-focused home tour based on Dugan’s account, not a separate inspection of the property or an independently documented construction report.
The headline’s description of the porch as the “best” is an editorial judgment, not a measurable comparison. The available source documents the features and Dugan’s design choices but does not establish that the porch is objectively superior to others.
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No Further Project Update Reported
The source describes the completed home and does not announce additional construction, a sale or a planned expansion. No next milestone is identified. Any further developments—including changes to the property or details about the renovation’s cost and construction—remain unreported in the material provided.
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Key Questions
Where is Serena Dugan’s renovated cottage?
The cottage is on Shelter Island, New York, in a quiet area near Coecles Harbor, according to House Beautiful.
What stands out about the porch?
The broad front porch has two hanging beds and rocking chairs. Dugan said she considered whether a hanging bed would fit when she first saw the space.
What major repairs did the cottage need?
Dugan said the house required major foundation repair and a complete reconstruction of its stone fireplace. The rebuilt fireplace used local stone to match the original, the report says.
How much did the renovation cost?
The House Beautiful report does not give a total renovation cost. It does say Dugan bought matchstick blinds online for about $29 per window, but that figure is only for the blinds.
Is the porch objectively the best?
That wording is the home tour’s subjective headline. The report describes the porch’s size and furnishings but does not compare it with other porches or provide an objective ranking.
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