Golden Hour: Inside Our Long Island North Shore Beach Cottage Renovation

Golden Hour is our personal beach cottage on Long Island’s North Shore and our most recent ongoing project. Follow along as we document the renovation, design decisions, and everything in between.

Golden Hour | Long Island, North Shore

Beach Cottage Renovation · Primary Residence · In Progress

The Introduction

Settling into a beach cottage with water views and steps to a quiet shore is exactly the life I spent years imagining. When I think about what this space is meant to hold, I think about picnics on the beach, golden afternoon light, and the kind of slow living that reminds you what all the hard work is actually for.

The name Golden Hour came naturally. Not only because of the warmth and natural light that pours through this house, but because we will get to watch the sun set from the beach while we build years of family memories in this place. That sweet moment when the sky turns and everything glows, that is the feeling this home is meant to carry into every room.

The Vision

The Plan

One of the things we are most grateful for going into this renovation is that we are not starting from scratch. We are combining the curated pieces from two loved homes, our current primary residence and Valley View Cottage, our Virginia wine country property, into one space. It feels less like decorating and more like an evolution. Pieces with history, pieces with meaning, finding their next chapter here.

The layout is a cozy and considered one. The living and dining areas share a semi-open concept anchored by an original river rock fireplace at the center of the home. There is one bedroom on each side of the house, one for us and one for our kids, along with one large bathroom. The kitchen is U-shaped with hosting in mind, and the peninsula countertop is the detail I am most excited about. The kitchen will also be seeing some of the most significant updates in the near future.

Before

Updates

All renovation and design updates will be documented here as the project progresses. Check back often.

Takeaway

If you have followed along this far, thank you. It means everything.♥️

Before I close this out I want to leave you with something that matters more than any design decision we will make here. When you purchase a property, for any purpose, always have a backup plan. Could this work as a short-term rental if your circumstances changed? What would it sell for right now if it had to? A beautiful home and a sound investment are not mutually exclusive. Starting with a strategy is always the most important part of the process.

Golden Hour is our dream. It is also a smart investment. That is exactly how it should be.