I’d like to think we purposely timed buying almost all of our beach house appliances during Black Friday season, but honestly it was more luck than strategy. That fortunate timing saved us over $1,350. The appliances won’t arrive until after Thanksgiving, but if you’re shopping sales, here’s what we picked, how we saved, and how one last-minute layout change helped us get more value for less money.
Originally we were leaning toward a narrow white refrigerator to sit on the same wall as the stove. There aren’t many white fridges that fit our small footprint, so that model seemed inevitable — until we waited and started building the cabinets. Once a cardboard mockup of the fridge was in place, Sherry’s fear about the way it would block sight lines started to look real.
The cardboard test revealed two issues. From one angle it crammed the door trim more than we liked, but the bigger problem was the view from the living room and foyer. The fridge would sit squarely in the line of sight to the back door and breakfast nook, and it made the space feel visually obstructed. For a house where open sight lines matter, that was a deal-breaker.
We briefly considered putting the fridge between the two doorways on the back wall, but it looked even more cramped there. So after weighing options, we decided to convert the breakfast nook into a walk-in pantry and put the main fridge in the pantry instead.
Turning the nook into a pantry felt like a major functional upgrade. The pantry will hold all the bulky non-perishables beachgoers bring — cereal boxes, chips, oversized pretzel tubs — and it creates a place to stow coolers and larger items. We’re also considering moving the microwave into the pantry, which would free up a deep drawer in the island for pots or small appliances. With only eight kitchen cabinets on the main run, every drawer matters.
Even so, I wanted a small refrigerator in the main kitchen zone for daily essentials — milk, orange juice, eggs — so we wouldn’t have to go back and forth to the pantry during prep. That led us to an affordable vintage-inspired mini-fridge that complements our pink stove and won’t interrupt sight lines. It was much cheaper than many retro-style fridges, and it arrived last week. Plugging it in and grabbing an ice-cold soda felt like winning a tiny victory.
With the pantry plan settled, we still needed a full-size fridge for that pantry, plus a washer and dryer for the mudroom and a dishwasher for the island. We shopped early Black Friday deals at Home Depot and found marked-down options that fit our needs. We chose a Maytag Bravos XL top-loading washer and matching electric dryer for the mudroom. These were an easy pick: we have similar models at home and love them, the capacity is larger which is ideal for towels and bedding, and they were deeply discounted.
The dishwasher choice took a bit more searching because we wanted it to blend with white cabinetry so the pink stove remains the focal accent. White appliances can be surprisingly harder to find and sometimes cost more than stainless. We landed on a Frigidaire Gallery dishwasher because we liked the discreet top controls and the matching white toe kick. It was on sale, and Home Depot even price-adjusted for us when we found a lower price elsewhere.
Finding the right full-size fridge for the pantry was the toughest challenge because of window and doorway placements. We needed something no deeper than 28 inches. After some searching we discovered an apartment-sized refrigerator from a reputable manufacturer with strong reviews. It wasn’t white, but since it’ll live in the pantry that wasn’t an issue — and the discount was significant.
Another layer of savings came from a store promotion that offered increasing discounts for purchasing multiple appliances at once. Buying four appliances unlocked the larger savings tier, which helped shave more off our total. In the end the appliance purchases add up to a meaningful investment, but we feel confident in the choices: brands we trust, models with solid reviews, and pieces that suit the tighter layout of a beach house.
On a related note, we also installed cordless white faux wood blinds throughout the house. They’re practical for renters (cordless is safer) and make the rooms feel finished. Installing 29 blinds took some coordination: one person unpacked and prepped while the other drilled and mounted. Pre-drilling all mounting holes first saved time and the job took us about three hours total.
We’ll post another update after the appliances arrive and get installed next week, and we’ll share more about the other kitchen plan changes and finishes as they happen. For now, we’re happy with the combination of form, function, and savings — and looking forward to a more functional, less cluttered main floor layout.
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