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A House Beautiful home tour profiles 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 fireplace, while retaining the home’s character and centering daily life around its expansive porch.
Textile designer Serena Dugan renovated an Adirondack-style cottage on Shelter Island, New York, after discovering that the property needed major foundation work and a full fireplace reconstruction, according to a House Beautiful home tour. The report puts the home’s broad front porch at the center of the design, with two hanging porch beds and rocking chairs arranged to make the space usable for gathering and watching the weather.
Dugan, a California-based artist and cofounder of Serena & Lily, first spotted the cottage as a small marker on a Zillow map while considering an East Coast vacation home. She asked a local friend to look at it. After he urged her to visit, she flew in and saw the house at dusk, with its stone fireplace, porch and view of Coecles Harbor. Dugan said the setting made her feel that the property was “a slice of life I need.”
The renovation proved more substantial than she initially expected. The existing structure needed major foundation repair, and the fireplace had to be rebuilt. House Beautiful reports that the replacement used local stone to match the original. Dugan said she worried that the work could damage the home’s distinctive atmosphere, which she described as an “indescribable sense of calm.”
On the porch, the design combines a dark-painted ceiling with two hanging beds and rocking chairs. Dugan said she wondered whether the space could accommodate a hanging porch bed when she first saw it; she ultimately chose two to suit the porch’s proportions. Across the home, her own fabric and wallcovering designs sit alongside vintage furniture and textiles. The living room includes performance-fabric sofas, while the kitchen features Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble, a material Dugan accepted could stain over time.
A Porch Designed for Gathering
The porch is more than a striking feature in the tour: it reflects how Dugan says she wanted the house to work. She described her goal as creating a place “where memories were made for everyone who visited.” The hanging beds and rocking chairs offer seating for different ways of spending time outdoors, while the covered space can be used to watch rain, a purpose Dugan specifically associated with the chairs selected for it.
The project also shows the trade-offs involved in preserving an older vacation property. Major structural repairs and rebuilding the fireplace were necessary, but the choices described in the report aim to retain the cottage’s original character. For readers considering a renovation, the account offers a concrete example of design ambitions being shaped by the condition of the building and by decisions about which materials may show wear.
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From Zillow Listing to Renovation
Dugan was looking for a vacation home on the East Coast when the Shelter Island cottage appeared on her map. After her friend’s recommendation, she traveled to see it in person. Her first impression centered on the setting and the house’s existing features: a sprawling porch, a large stone fireplace and the water’s reflection nearby.
House Beautiful describes a renovation that paired structural work with interior changes. The family room was opened to the kitchen to create a connected living area, and a bookshelf was added above the windows. In the pantry, patterned tile relates to the kitchen’s palette. Dugan said she wanted the home to show “a little wear and tear,” explaining her willingness to use marble that could acquire stains and patina. The tour documents her design decisions; it does not provide a construction timeline or project budget.
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Project Costs and Timing Not Reported
The House Beautiful feature does not state when construction began or finished, how much the renovation cost, or who carried out the foundation and fireplace work. It also provides no independent assessment of the building’s structural condition. Dugan’s comments about the porch and the renovation are firsthand descriptions, while the article’s praise of the design is the publication’s framing rather than a measured or comparative finding.
The headline’s claim that the porch is the “best” is subjective. The source offers photographs and design details, but no ranking or comparison with other porches. The feature also does not say whether the home is available for rent or sale, or whether the public can visit it.
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No Further Project Update Listed
The source is a home tour rather than an announcement of a new construction phase or upcoming event. It does not identify a next milestone for the property or say whether Dugan plans further work. For now, the report documents the completed design as presented by Dugan and House Beautiful; any later update on the home’s use, maintenance or renovation plans has not been provided in the supplied material.
stone fireplace outdoor renovation
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Key Questions
Who owns or designed the Shelter Island home?
Serena Dugan, a textile designer and artist and cofounder of Serena & Lily, is the homeowner and designer featured in House Beautiful’s tour.
What makes the porch a central feature?
The broad front porch has a dark ceiling, rocking chairs and two hanging porch beds. Dugan said she selected two beds to suit the space’s proportions and chose chairs for watching the rain.
What major renovation work did the cottage need?
According to the report, the house required major foundation repair and a complete reconstruction of its stone fireplace. The rebuilt fireplace used local stone to match the original.
Does the report give the renovation cost or completion date?
No. The supplied House Beautiful report does not list the project budget, construction dates or contractor details.
Is the porch objectively ranked as the best?
No ranking or comparative assessment is given. “Best porch” is a subjective headline description; the article presents the design and Dugan’s choices rather than evidence of a formal comparison.
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