Inside a "Studio Barn" Made for Painting—and Partying
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Serena Dugan had always used her time on Shelter Island as an escape from professional life. The painter, textile designer, and entrepreneur typically rented a house in this low-key community near the north fork of Long Island for the summer season, relishing the chance to unplug, relax with family, and take a break from her busy professional life in California. However, in 2021, when it came time to choose her summer spot, Dugan found herself browsing Zillow instead of the rental listings. “It was the first time I found myself itching for a creative outlet space in addition to a place to stay, and I couldn’t find anything that worked,” she explains.
Dugan found the ultimate “creative outlet”: A historic shingle cottage with a magnificent porch that she renovated to her exact specifications. But now that she had made a dream gathering place for her family and friends, a place where she planned to spend more time in the future, the only thing missing was a space for Dugan to do her own work. To get that, she had to start from scratch.
Built from the ground up, the new barn behind Dugan’s vacation home is her true sanctuary. Completed last year, the structure began as just a studio but quickly expanded into a gallery and hosting space on the weekends. “If you’re going to take the time to put a foundation in, why not make it two stories instead of just one,” she says.
Dugan, a cofounder of Serena and Lily, which she left in 2017, knows exactly what environment helps her creativity thrive. “I’m really thoughtful about how and when I produce my best work,” Dugan explains. “The time of day, the scent, the music, all of it was taken into consideration.” There’s a “kicking” sound system, of course, and flexible tables that can be moved around to accommodate a variety of canvas sizes as well as Dugan’s shifting needs to view her work from different angles.
Though Dugan is known for her love of color, the walls of the studio are a crisp white. This allows her to clearly see each paint color she’s using and to channel inspiration without distraction. “I’m very superstitious about how I start a painting, everything has to be perfectly clean and in its proper place,” Dugan says. (Her storage space reflects this: Her paint collection is housed in custom shelving.) But nothing is too rigid—every surface was made to be easily repainted. Dugan wanted to be able to adjust the space to different moods and artistic whims.
Tucked away in an alcove at the back—and painted black—is the area where Dugan stores her completed work. Inspired by libraries and the Smithsonian, Dugan wanted this “archive” to feel hushed and reverent. “I wanted this barn to feel open yet compartmentalized,” she says of the different spaces she carved out. “You have every part of the creative process—ideation, creation, and then the archive.”
Floor-to-ceiling windows (with custom blinds), overhead lighting, and a skylight allow the space to have natural light from three directions. This wasn’t because Dugan is particular about the light in which she paints, but rather so that she could perfectly judge how her paintings would look in their eventual final home. She asks herself, “Do colors appear the same under artificial light as they do under daylight, and does my barn’s daylight reflect general light in most people's houses? Am I seeing this the way most people will see it?”
Upstairs, Dugan’s office doubles as a guest room. Design books and textile swatches line the walls, while her desk is central and clutter-free. Dugan admits that she hasn’t gotten much use out of this room yet; she hopes that the more time her family spends on Shelter Island, the more mental space she’ll have for ideation. “Ideally, this is the room I plan in before I paint,” she says. “This is where I gather inspiration.”
Unexpectedly, the space also serves as a wonderful place for a party. Dugan hosted her birthday in the space and was delighted by how well the barn became a dance floor. “We turned the kitchenette into a bar and wheeled the tables out of the way to dance,” she says. The barn is only a year old, and Dugan says she’s still figuring out how she works best in the space, but so far she’s the most inspired she’s ever been. “What's thrilling about this for me is the goal, which isn’t necessarily to sell, it’s to unearth,” she says. “I want to find out what I have to say next. Only time will tell.”
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