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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 included major foundation work, a rebuilt stone fireplace and a broad porch furnished with two hanging beds; the magazine’s “best porch” wording is an editorial opinion, not an objective ranking.
House Beautiful has profiled textile designer and artist Serena Dugan’s renovated cottage on Shelter Island, New York, showcasing a broad front porch fitted with two hanging beds and rocking chairs. The home tour describes a renovation that also required major foundation repairs and reconstruction of the cottage’s original stone fireplace.
Dugan, a California-based designer and cofounder of Serena & Lily, found the Adirondack-style cottage near Coecles Harbor while looking for an East Coast vacation home. House Beautiful reports that she first noticed it as a small marker on a Zillow map, then asked a local friend to view it. His recommendation prompted her to travel to Shelter Island.
The property needed substantial structural work. Dugan told the magazine that the house required major foundation repair, and the large fireplace that had helped draw her to the cottage had to be rebuilt. It was reconstructed with local stone to match the original, according to the home tour.
The porch is a prominent feature in the published photos and description. Dugan said she wondered whether the space could fit a hanging porch bed; she ultimately chose two hanging beds, alongside rocking chairs. The article also notes a dark-painted ceiling. Its headline calls the porch the best the writer has seen, a subjective assessment rather than a documented comparison with other homes.
A Porch Designed for Gathering
The project shows how the renovation balanced structural repairs with preservation and a lived-in design. The rebuilt fireplace retained a defining feature of the cottage, while the porch’s hanging beds and chairs make outdoor relaxation a central part of the home’s layout. Dugan told House Beautiful she wanted visitors to make memories there, linking the design choices to the property’s role as a gathering place.
The details also offer readers a concrete look at how the designer mixed costly statement pieces with lower-cost choices. Dugan described investing in selected items, including a marble slab and custom lighting, while using online matchstick blinds that cost about $29 per window and adding brass cleats. That contrast is relevant to homeowners weighing where to spend during a renovation, though the article does not provide a full project budget.
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From Zillow Find to Renovation
Dugan had been considering a vacation home on the East Coast when she spotted the cottage listing. In her account to House Beautiful, she first visited at dusk and was struck by the water views, front porch and stone fireplace. She said she feared changing the house’s calm character during the work.
Inside, the renovation opened the family room to the kitchen to create a larger shared space. The home tour describes performance fabrics on the sofas and a kitchen selected for natural textures. Dugan chose Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble despite the possibility of staining, saying she was comfortable with the surface developing a patina. Her own fabric and wallcovering designs appear alongside vintage textiles and furnishings.
House Beautiful presents the property as a completed home tour, not a real-estate listing or a report on a newly announced renovation. The supplied article does not state when the work was completed, the home’s purchase price, or its current availability.
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Project Costs and Timeline Not Given
The home tour does not provide the renovation’s total cost, duration or completion date, and it does not identify the contractor or architect. It is also unclear whether the cottage is used only as a vacation home or how often Dugan and her guests stay there. The source offers no independent assessment of the home’s structural condition or a basis for comparing its porch with others.
The “best porch” description comes from the article’s headline and should be understood as editorial praise, not a measured award or ranking. The supplied material does not mention a formal design prize, sale, or other new development tied to the property.
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The Published Tour Offers the Update
House Beautiful’s home tour is the latest development covered in the source material. It presents the renovated rooms and Dugan’s design decisions, but reports no announced next phase, sale or public event at the property. Any further updates would depend on new information from Dugan, the magazine or another attributable source.
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Key Questions
Where is Serena Dugan’s cottage?
The cottage is on Shelter Island, New York, in the area of Coecles Harbor, according to House Beautiful.
What makes the porch stand out?
The home tour highlights its large proportions, dark ceiling, rocking chairs and two hanging beds. Calling it the “best” porch is the magazine headline’s subjective judgment.
What major work did the renovation require?
Dugan told House Beautiful the cottage needed major foundation repairs. The stone fireplace was also reconstructed to match the original, using local stone.
How much did the renovation cost?
The source does not give a total renovation budget. It mentions selected design expenses and says the matchstick blinds cost about $29 per window, but that is not a project-wide cost estimate.
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