Mistakes We Made in Our Beach House Kitchen

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This week I’m owning up to a kitchen decision at our beach house that I once insisted on but now admit was a mistake. Fortunately it’s an easy fix, so we’re sharing what went wrong, why we changed our minds, and how we corrected it. We also discuss a surprisingly polarizing design trend that seems to spark intense reactions, plus our perspective on why it gets people so worked up. You’ll also find tips for recreating that cozy, magazine-worthy bed—what works, what to skip, and which finishing touches are worth leaving to a pro. And yes, we finally answer the question: does Young House Love have a board game?

You can download the podcast episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, or Spotify, or listen to it on the platform you prefer. Use this post to follow up on any links, photos, or notes we mention. (If you’re reading in a feed reader you may need to click through to the full post to access the player.)

What’s New

The photo above shows how close the mini fridge was situated to the pantry, which contains our full-size refrigerator.
We originally debated a two-fridge solution for the beach house. If you want the backstory on that decision, it’s covered in our earlier podcast episode about the house planning process.
When we bought appliances we seriously considered leaving a full-sized refrigerator out of the main kitchen and turning the breakfast nook into a walk-in pantry. That thinking informed our original layout.
This weekend we swapped the mini fridge and the pantry cabinets, and the space already feels much more practical. We still need to add hardware and finish some baseboards, but the change is night and day.

We also built pantry shelving around the full-size fridge to make the area more usable and cohesive. It’s amazing what a few custom shelves and thoughtful organization can do.

Can We Just Talk About…

There’s a hot debate about styling books with their spines facing backward. It’s one of those trends that divides people: some see it as a sleek visual choice, others find it maddening and impractical.
We read an impassioned take on the subject and ended up deciding on a middle ground for our shelves: we group books by general color family, but we don’t force a rainbow or obsess over perfection. The result feels intentional without being contrived.

On another note, here’s a shot of the other side of our living room captured around the holidays—tiny ceramic Mr. & Mrs. Claus included for scale and charm.

Listener Question

We get asked all the time how to make a bed look irresistibly cozy without turning it into a styling exercise. Catalog shots from stores like West Elm, Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs and Annie Selke show different takes on the “lived-in but luxe” bed: layers, oversized pieces, and purposeful imperfection.
Here’s the simple formula we use on a queen bed: a king-sized duvet and insert, two king-sized shams in front of the sleeping pillows, one central accent pillow, and a king-sized throw folded at the foot. That gives the bed volume, proportion, and an inviting look without overdoing it.
Sizing up the duvet and pillows is the key trick—bigger covers create the plush, gathered effect you see in catalogs. We discuss more about sizing, mixing textures, and choosing headboards in the podcast episode if you want deeper guidance.

We shared a headboard tutorial in a previous post, and the upholstered headboard shown in our photos is one we made and later recovered in a more neutral fabric. If you enjoy DIYs, that tutorial is a great starting point for a custom look.

If you want specifics on paint colors, furnishings, and sources from the beach house, we’ve compiled a dedicated shop page with all of that information. We’re also assembling a Before & After page to showcase the reno timeline—hopefully that goes live soon.

We’re Digging

Board games have been a recent source of joy. We documented a game night on Instagram Stories—check the archived story labeled “YHL Game?” on our profile to see the highlights and the chaos that followed one particularly silly dream idea.
Favorite game picks right now include light, quick options like Exploding Kittens (and its expansion) and Bears Vs. Babies. We’re always open to game recommendations from listeners, so tell us what you love to play.
On the home front, Sherry has been into a basil-scented hand soap that also comes in dish soap form, and the special-edition seasonal soaps remain a fun little treat for the sink.