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Textile designer and artist Serena Dugan renovated an Adirondack-style cottage on Shelter Island, New York, after finding it through a Zillow listing. The work included major foundation repairs and rebuilding the original-style stone fireplace, while the broad porch became a central gathering space with two hanging beds.
Textile designer and artist Serena Dugan has renovated an Adirondack-style cottage on Shelter Island, New York, preserving its sense of place while addressing major structural work. In a House Beautiful home tour, Dugan describes how the property’s broad front porch, water views and stone fireplace shaped the project, which included foundation repairs and rebuilding the fireplace.
Dugan, who is based in California and cofounded Serena & Lily, first spotted the cottage as a listing on Zillow while considering an East Coast vacation home. She asked a local friend to view it; after he urged her to come see it herself, she booked a flight. She recalled arriving at dusk and being drawn to the house’s setting near Coecles Harbor, along with its porch and the reflection of the water.
The renovation proved more extensive than simply refreshing finishes. Dugan said the house needed major foundation repair, and the fireplace that had helped persuade her to buy it required a complete reconstruction. The rebuilt fireplace uses local stone and was made to match the original, according to House Beautiful. Dugan said she worried that renovation work might compromise the cottage’s character.
The porch was planned as a place to spend time and host visitors. Its scale allowed for two hanging porch beds, alongside rocking chairs. Inside, Dugan combined textiles and wallcoverings from her own design line with vintage furniture and artwork. The report also describes an open family room connected to the kitchen, performance fabric on the sofas, and a marble kitchen counter chosen despite the possibility of staining. Dugan said she wanted the home to show signs of use rather than look untouched.
A Porch Designed for Gathering
The home tour offers a close look at how a vacation-house renovation can balance structural repair with the preservation of features that give a property its identity. In this case, the porch and stone fireplace were not treated as decorative details alone: both influenced Dugan’s attachment to the cottage, and the fireplace was reconstructed to resemble its earlier form.
The project also illustrates a practical distinction between spending selectively and saving where possible. Dugan describes investing in certain fixtures and materials while using comparatively inexpensive matchstick blinds, which she dressed up with brass cleats. Her account may interest readers considering renovation choices, though the report does not provide a project budget or a cost breakdown.
For readers drawn to the porch, the design’s appeal is tied to its actual use: seating and hanging beds turn the broad outdoor area into a place for relaxing and hosting. The story presents a specific home and its owner’s choices; it does not establish a general ranking of porches or compare the property with other houses.
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From Zillow Listing to Retreat
Dugan said she had been thinking about a home on the East Coast when she found the cottage online. The property sits in a quiet area of Shelter Island near Coecles Harbor. After her friend encouraged her to visit, she saw it in person and decided its setting and atmosphere were worth pursuing.
House Beautiful’s account focuses on the renovation and interior design rather than giving a full project chronology. It identifies the foundation work and fireplace reconstruction as major repairs, then documents choices across the home: a salmon-painted hallway, a family room opened toward the kitchen, patterned tile in the pantry, and a powder room with a custom amazonite sink. Dugan’s own fabrics and wallcoverings appear alongside vintage pieces.
The source also describes choices made to keep the house comfortable for everyday use. Dugan selected performance upholstery and said she welcomed the patina that could develop on the kitchen’s Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble. These details support her stated aim of creating a home where visitors could gather and make memories.
Project Costs and Timeline Unreported
The House Beautiful report does not state when the renovation began or was completed, how long the work took, or what it cost. It also gives no engineering details about the foundation repairs or the methods used to rebuild the fireplace. The account describes Dugan’s design decisions and the completed rooms, but does not include an independent assessment of the construction.
The article’s headline calls the porch the best the publication has ever seen, but that wording is an editorial judgment, not a measurable comparison. The source does not identify a formal ranking or criteria for evaluating the porch.
No Further Project Milestone Listed
The source presents the cottage as a completed renovation and does not announce additional work, a sale, or another upcoming milestone. House Beautiful’s home tour is the latest development in the material provided, giving readers a room-by-room account of Dugan’s design choices and the repairs made to the property.
Any further information about the construction schedule, project budget, or future plans for the house would need to come from Dugan, the publication, or another source. The report does not say whether the cottage is available for public visits or rentals.
Key Questions
Who owns the Shelter Island cottage?
The House Beautiful report identifies Serena Dugan, a California-based textile designer and artist and cofounder of Serena & Lily, as the person who bought and renovated the cottage.
What was changed during the renovation?
The work included major foundation repairs and reconstruction of the stone fireplace to match the original, using local stone. The report also describes changes to the interior, including opening the family room to the kitchen.
What makes the porch a feature of the house?
The porch is broad enough to accommodate two hanging beds and rocking chairs. Dugan said the space’s scale prompted her to consider adding a hanging porch bed.
How much did the renovation cost?
The source does not give a total budget or itemized costs. Dugan said some early choices were expensive, while the report notes that matchstick blinds cost about $29 per window before she added brass cleats.
When was the renovation completed?
The supplied report does not state when construction started or ended. It presents the renovated house in a home tour but provides no project timeline.
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