I’d like to say we planned to buy all of the beach house appliances during Black Friday sale season, but honestly it was lucky timing. That timing saved us more than $1,350. The appliances won’t arrive until after Thanksgiving, but if you’re hunting for similar deals, here’s what we chose, how we saved, and how a last-minute floor plan change helped us get better results for less.
sconces / counters / cabinets / pendants / hood / stove / walls: SW White Heron / trim: SW Stone Isle
We almost bought a compact white refrigerator to sit on the same wall as the stove. There aren’t many white fridges that fit the small area we had, so it seemed like a natural choice. Still, we decided to wait until the kitchen came together more, which turned out to be a good call.
As we started building cabinets, Sherry’s concern about that fridge became more apparent. We made a cardboard mockup from island stool boxes and discovered the fridge crowded the doorway molding. More importantly, it would become a visual obstruction from the living room and foyer — interrupting sight lines to the back door and the breakfast nook. Sherry jokes that her tombstone could someday read “Lover Of Balance And Sight Lines,” so this really mattered.
We tried other placements, including between two doorways on the back wall, but that felt even more cramped. The plumber had already run a water line in that area as part of the standard package, which explains the visible connection in some photos.
After debating, we decided to convert the breakfast nook into a walk-in pantry and move the full-size fridge into that space. That change felt like a major functional upgrade for the first floor. The nook was a bit cramped even with placeholder furniture, and with island seating plus a dining table, it felt like overkill. This house will likely sleep eight people, but the kitchen already offers seating for a dozen without a separate nook.
Turning the nook into a pantry gives us plenty of room for dry goods, coolers, and perhaps a microwave. Moving the microwave into the pantry would free up a deep drawer in the island — useful since the kitchen only has eight cabinets. It also allows a larger fridge to fit inside the pantry, which is a meaningful win for storage and layout.
Still, I wanted a small fridge near the prep areas for everyday items like milk, juice, and eggs. That led us to a vintage-inspired mini fridge that matches the stove style and doesn’t interrupt sight lines. It was also far cheaper than comparable retro units.
The mini fridge arrived last week and we plugged it in — ice-cold beverages were a welcome treat. We still need to patch the outlet placement and add baseboards, backsplash, and open shelves, but it already feels like a purposeful addition.
We also needed a washer and dryer for the mudroom, a dishwasher for the island, and a larger fridge for the pantry. We shopped early Black Friday deals at Home Depot and found strong discounts on a Maytag Bravos XL top-loading washer and electric dryer set. Reasons they made sense:
- We have room for a standard side-by-side washer and dryer in the mudroom.
- We already own similar models at home and they’ve held up well.
- They were heavily discounted: originally $899 each, on special for $599 each.
We ended up with higher-capacity machines than we have at home for less money. That extra capacity will come in handy at a beach house where loads are mostly towels and bedding.
The dishwasher was trickier because we wanted a white model to blend with the cabinets and let the pink stove remain the focal accent. White dishwashers are sometimes less common and, oddly, occasionally more expensive than stainless models. We chose a Frigidaire Gallery dishwasher with top controls and a white tow-kick that blends in nicely. It was priced at $499 at Home Depot, but I noticed it was $449 elsewhere, so Home Depot adjusted the price and we got it for $449.
Finding the larger fridge to fit the pantry was the biggest challenge because window placement and doorways limit depth. Most counter-depth fridges start around 30 inches, but we needed something shallower. We found an apartment-sized refrigerator that fit the restrictive space. It’s built by a reputable manufacturer, has strong reviews, and was discounted by more than $500 — a $1,200 model for $698 — which made the choice easy.
One final saving came from a store promotion: buying four appliances at once qualified us for a substantial bundle discount. Discounts varied by retailer, but stacking sale prices with a multi-appliance promotion made a big difference.
All told, we spent about $2,150 on the washer, dryer, dishwasher, and pantry refrigerator. That doesn’t include the pink stove, the mini fridge, or the microwave, but we’re confident in the choices. They’re either models we already love or well-reviewed machines that should perform reliably.
On a related note, we also installed cordless white faux wood blinds throughout the beach house. They’re safer for kids and rent-ready while offering a clean look without dangling cords. Installing blinds across 29 windows was a job — a good tip is to work as a team: one person unpacks and preps each blind while the other drills and hangs. Pre-drilling mounting holes saves time and keeps the process moving. It still took about three hours total, but it was manageable.
floor tile / floor accent tile / marble table / tub color: SW Riverway / walls: SW White Heron
Happy Thanksgiving! We’ll share another update after the appliances arrive and we finish that other kitchen layout change. The project has been a long, rewarding ride, and these adjustments are already improving function and flow on the first floor.
P.S. This update is part of an ongoing series about restoring our beach house over the last year, covering floor planning, drywall, tiling, and more.
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