This 1860s Sag Harbor cottage is light and bright, after a renovation by graphic designer Nora Sheehan and her partner Al Ellenberg. They knocked down a wall to open the space up and painted both floors and ceilings white. Sheehan is not a fan of forced decoration. "Your home should make you happy and it should allow you to have fun. But more than that, it should be personal," she says. Atop the mantel is a photograph of The Beatles taken by Harry Benson.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
Wing-backed armchairs and a sofa with pink-and-white striped covers give a little color to the room.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
A chair serves as a display stand for a framed cartoon.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
A collection of fishing rods and a wooden folding chair give the living room a rustic touch.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
A photo of the Jersey Shore seascape where Sheehan's childhood was spent hangs between a pair of lamps and above a Swedish country day bed in the living room.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
A shot of a gaggle of Sheehan's nephews and nieces hangs on an adjacent wall in the alcove.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
A photograph of a peony by Stephen Lewis is the backdrop to a vase of real peonies near the garden door.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
Roses hang above the entrance to the cottage.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
Two dining areas, one red, one blue: Shall we eat indoors or out?
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
The attic bedroom gets some color with a red felted headboard.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
Another bedroom features a candy-striped headboard and a wall decorated with a collection of framed family photographs.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
Seashells are mandatory decoration for seaside cottages.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
A photograph by Jose Picayo hangs above a chair and fishing rods in the living room.
William Waldron/The Interior Archive
