A Fairy-Tale Beach Cottage in Cherry Grove

Here, their dachshunds, Louie and Teddy (they have their own Instagram), enjoy their perch on the day bed. The curved valence is a trait of the décor of John Eberhardt, who designed this cottage as one of four attached units in the ’60s. The vintage wagon was found in Brooklyn; there are no cars in Cherry Grove, so you need them for transporting groceries and other goods. The seascape painting is an Esty find. Photo: David Land

Back in 2012, photographer Allison Michael Orenstein and her wife, salon owner Simone Saint Laurent, were worried about taking over the lease of a 350-square-foot summer rental cottage on their own after the couple they’d shared it with for a couple of years broke up and backed out. “A wise Cherry Grover told us we would never regret it,” Saint Laurent says. “And it has turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made.”

The house was one of those built by John Eberhardt (who really let his imagination go wild with the Belvedere “Guest House for Men” nearby). “There are many fanciful doors, windows, and cupolas in these houses. It’s a true beach cottage with no insulation,” Orenstein says. This is one of four identical ones that are attached and known as Tradewinds — “our house is called East.”

They rent from May through October and have made the place completely their own over the years. The curvy valences and decorative details are an Eberhardt design signature, along with many of the pieces in the cottage.

“This is our 13th season,” says Orenstein, who has made many portraits of their neighbors. “So, we have all of our things here and did a lot of the details ourselves.”

“This is a barrier island,” Saint Laurent notes, “so to bring things over costs time and money. Anything someone doesn’t want they put in front of their house and someone else usually finds it to be a treasure.” They have repurposed discards into their own treasures — “If it is found here, it needs to stay here,” she adds — and embellished pieces left in the house.

“We repainted and restored all of the walls and all the sloped vaulted beamed ceiling,” Saint Laurent says. “When in doubt, paint it white.”

“This is original to the cottage,” Saint Laurent says of the day bed, seen here covered with vintage Hungarian featherbed covers. “It is a signature John Eberhardt piece.” They embellished the mirror with driftwood. The decorative decal above the mirror and window is also an Eberhardt flourish in all his cottages, still seen in the ones that haven’t been tampered with. The poster by fierce pussy is from the Leslie-Lohman Museum. The vintage anchor sconce light is an Etsy find. Photo: David Land

The dining area beyond has an original Eberhardt tiled table. “He used these tiles in many of the tables in the cottages in Cherry Grove,” Orenstein says. The empty frame on the wall behind it used to have a painting by Eberhardt, as he put his art in all his cottages. The portrait of Louie is by Bonnie Ruben. Two bistro chairs were found on the street in Soho and the others came from RH, “but they don’t carry them anymore,” Orenstein notes. The shelving throughout the house was custom-designed by Sawyer DeVuyst. Photo: David Land

“There are many finds from years of beachcombing,” Orenstein says, describing some of the collection seen here, “driftwood, shells, sand dollars, sea glass, baby horseshoe crabs, and feathers.” Photo: David Land

The photograph of Simone jumping on the bed above the shelf is by Orenstein, taken during a road trip in California in 2002 the year they met. The shelving and light-bulb lamp was installed by Sawyer DuVuyst. The painting above the bed is by Lara Meyerratken. Photo: David Land

Orenstein (left) and Saint Laurent. “We love to cook and have local produce and eggs delivered to the ferry from the Farm on Lakeland,” says Orenstein. “We pick up local seafood at Claws in Sayville; Marlow & Daughters is our butcher in Williamsburg.” The shelving and backsplash are all original. Photo: David Land