Sculptor Elena Colombo used her ingenuity to create a lively getaway in a turn-of-the-century Long Island beach cottage, packed full of found objects, eye-popping colors, and occasional sparks of pure genius.

Colombo sensed there was a very special communal atmosphere in her neighborhood of Breezy Shores, a 31-cottage beach community in Greenport, New York.

Elena now owns the cozy getaway house and a part of the 90 acres it is surrounded by near the shores of the Peconic Bay.

Elena brings nature's elements indoors and turns them into pure decorating gold: The stools, for instance, are tree stumps from a nearby field that she coated with a latex primer and five layers of fire-engine-red porch-enamel paint. The Manila clamshell light, red coral pillow, and bamboo-inspired glass-topped table are all outdoorsy touches.

A pair of clamshell pendants (above and previous slide) started out as table lamps Elena had no table for, so she snaked their wires through the bases and hung them upside down. She even customized the paint on her living-room walls, adding a water-based polyurethane top coat to get a mirrorlike finish that reflects the ocean. Greenport's mayor designed and built Elena's stylishly staggered corner bookshelf.

About six years ago, Elena remembers wishing she could flip on a fire. So she started a business designing propane-fueled, no-logs-required firebowls.

Elena stuck to subdued hues throughout the house. Her only exception was the kitchen where she alternately layered on coats of yellow, white, and spring-green paint until she arrived at this radiant result.

The blue cabinet was the result of leftover paint from another project.

As are the red muffin tins propped above the faucet and the red racing stripe Elena applied to the base of her vintage sink. The ribbon detail hides pesky rust spots and the tins provide a pop of color.

Elena's art-hanging strategy is simple: Put up one painting you love, surround it with a few you like, and they'll all look great.

Elena is also adept at arranging tabletop vignettes of yard-sale finds, but she doesn't keep everything on display.

Linens are tucked away in an antique cabinet, with glass doors that Elena painted the same blue as the doors.

Elena bought this pair of faux-bamboo armchairs because they made her laugh. The chain above the windows is another collecting score: It's actually a piece of folk art made of thousands of bottle caps sandwiched together. Objects like these do the decorating work for you, so Elena left her windows uncovered, giving her a clear view of Shelter Island, across the bay, and the unruly tufts of seagrass just outside.