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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 project required major foundation repairs and rebuilding the stone fireplace; its broad porch, fitted with two hanging beds and rocking chairs, became a defining feature. The source does not provide a publication date, renovation cost or a claim that the porch is objectively the best.
House Beautiful has published a tour of Serena Dugan’s renovated cottage on Shelter Island, New York, detailing how the textile designer and artist addressed serious structural work while retaining features that drew her to the property, including its broad front porch and stone fireplace. The porch, furnished with two hanging beds and rocking chairs, is presented as a major gathering space, though the headline’s “best porch” wording is an editorial opinion rather than a measured comparison.
Dugan, a California-based designer and artist who cofounded Serena & Lily, first spotted the Adirondack-style cottage as a small mark on a Zillow map. She was considering an East Coast vacation home and asked a local friend to look at it. After seeing the property, he urged her to fly out. Dugan recalls arriving at dusk and being struck by the water’s reflection, the stone fireplace and the sprawling porch.
The house needed more than cosmetic changes. Dugan says she discovered it required major foundation repairs and a complete rebuild of the fireplace. The fireplace was reconstructed with local stone to match the original, according to the report. The renovation also opened the family room to the kitchen to create a larger shared living area.
The porch was planned around its scale: Dugan initially wondered whether one hanging porch bed would fit, then chose two. The interiors combine designs from her own fabric and wallcovering line with vintage pieces and contemporary furnishings. Practical choices appear alongside custom details, including online matchstick blinds reported to cost about $29 per window, finished with brass cleats. The report does not give a total renovation budget.
A Porch Designed for Gathering
The project’s appeal lies in how the porch connects the house to its harbor setting while serving as a usable room. The hanging beds and rocking chairs provide places to sit or rest, while the dark-painted ceiling gives the covered area a distinct visual treatment. House Beautiful’s account frames the porch not just as an exterior feature but as part of Dugan’s aim to make the home a place for visitors and shared memories.
The renovation also illustrates a common challenge in restoring older homes: preserving the qualities that make a property appealing while addressing structural needs. In Dugan’s case, the work included foundation repairs and rebuilding a prominent fireplace, not simply updating finishes. Her choices offer readers a specific example of balancing personal design decisions with practical repairs, though the source gives no cost or construction timeline from which to judge the project’s broader affordability.
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From Zillow Listing to Harbor Cottage
The source describes the home as an Adirondack-style cottage in a quiet corner of Coecles Harbor on Shelter Island. Dugan had been contemplating a vacation property on the East Coast while based in California. A friend’s recommendation prompted her to visit in person, and the setting made a strong impression.
Rather than strip away the house’s character, Dugan says she worried that renovation could damage its calm, distinctive atmosphere. The reported approach paired repair with selective redesign: the fireplace was rebuilt to resemble the original, while rooms were adjusted for daily use. For example, the family room was opened to the kitchen, and performance fabrics were selected for sofas because, as Dugan put it, “The house is meant to be lived in.”
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Costs and Construction Details
The supplied report does not state when the renovation was completed, how long construction took or what it cost. It also does not identify the contractors or provide technical details about the foundation repairs. The account describes the fireplace as rebuilt to match the original, but does not specify the condition of the old structure or the methods used.
The “best porch” language in the headline is a subjective description; the source offers no ranking, survey or comparison with other homes. It is also unclear whether the property is used exclusively as a vacation home, rented to guests or made available for public visits. Those details are not established by the material provided.
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No Further Project Plans Reported
The source is a completed-home tour rather than an announcement of upcoming work. It reports no planned additions, future renovation phases or public events at the property. Readers can expect the current account to remain the available description unless Dugan or House Beautiful publishes further information about the home’s use or the project’s construction history.
For now, the reported takeaways are the completed renovation, rebuilt local-stone fireplace and porch arranged for sitting and gathering. Details such as the project budget and timeline remain unreported.
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Key Questions
Where is Serena Dugan’s cottage?
The cottage is on Shelter Island, New York, in a corner of Coecles Harbor, according to House Beautiful.
What makes the porch a standout feature?
The report highlights its broad scale, two hanging porch beds, rocking chairs and dark ceiling. Calling it the “best” porch is the headline’s subjective judgment, not the result of a published ranking.
What major repairs did the house need?
Dugan said the cottage needed major foundation repair and a complete reconstruction of its stone fireplace. The rebuilt fireplace used local stone and was made to match the original, the report says.
How much did the renovation cost?
The source does not provide a total renovation cost. It reports that the matchstick blinds cost about $29 per window, but that figure is only for those blinds, not the overall project.
Is the cottage open to visitors?
The supplied report does not say whether the home is available for rental, public visits or any other guest access. It describes Dugan’s intention to make a place for visitors, but does not establish a public-access policy.
Source: rss
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