If you’re trying to hide unattractive equipment in your laundry room or you’re hunting for examples of a laundry room with a top-loading washer (most online photos show front-loaders with counters), this makeover may help. After months of slow progress, the beach house laundry room/mudroom finally came together over the weekend. It’s a simple space we started planning and shopping for back in December 2017, but it kept getting pushed aside for bigger projects like a walk-in pantry and built-in bunk beds. With those projects finished, we cleared out lumber, tools, and dust bunnies and turned this space into something functional—and roughly 89% more pleasant to look at.
To appreciate the transformation, you have to see how bad it was at the start. This area was once a porch that had been poorly enclosed with interior flooring instead of exterior siding, which led to soggy walls, rot, and even fist-sized holes by the time we bought the house. Coupled with a failing foundation—this side of the house had been set on sand rather than concrete footers and had slowly sunk—it required a full rebuild.
By late summer the room began to take shape after drywall and tile went in. We used budget-friendly slate-look tile with warm-gray grout, and the result was an immediate improvement.
For months the room served as a storage zone for tools and project materials—until our washer and dryer arrived around Black Friday. We chose reliable, top-loading models we already trust, so we felt good using the same units again at the beach house.
The biggest finishing challenge was the tankless water heater tucked to the left of the washer. We wanted to conceal it while keeping it accessible for service and for shutting off the water when the house is vacant. Our solution was an IKEA PAX wardrobe hack that fit snugly between the wall and the washer.
We chose the 24″ deep, 20″ wide PAX unit and the shorter 79″ height so it would visually balance with the window and doorways rather than dominate the room. To allow access to the water heater and its breaker, we cut a large opening in the back panel before final assembly. Cutting holes in the thin back panel preserves the cabinet’s structural sides while keeping the opening tidy and functional.
To slide the wardrobe over the breaker box we made a smaller side cutout and added wooden spacers and blocking to secure the cabinet to the stud wall. These side boards give the unit strength and allow it to be screwed firm to the wall, so the small cutouts didn’t compromise stability.
When cutting openings, we taped the cut lines to reduce splintering and drilled starter holes in the corners so the jigsaw could turn cleanly. For the final installation we added a primed 1×3 filler piece to conceal the blocking and a painted plywood side panel to make the cabinet look built-in. A little caulk around edges finished the seamless look.
Next we added open shelving above the washer and dryer. These shelves hide hookups and the gap behind top-loading machines while providing storage. We installed 12″ deep boards so they don’t interfere with opening the washer lid—placing the shelf just behind the appliance’s rear edge prevents it from obstructing use.
The brackets we used cradle the shelf so the bottom board can be lifted off easily if we need to access the plugs or valves. The shelves are 1×12 whitewood boards stained to coordinate with the home’s existing wood tones, sealed with a clear sealer for durability. We added baskets and a few decorative accents to keep the look tidy while retaining space for practical storage.
On the mudroom side we used a simple wood bench and a row of hooks for coats and towels—enough for now, with plans to add more durable storage later. Once the outdoor pathway and back patio are completed, this door will likely become a main entrance after trips to the beach, so making the space welcoming felt worth the effort.
For anyone curious about finishes: the walls are White Heron and the trim is Stone Isle (both Sherwin-Williams). We kept the palette neutral and coastal-friendly to suit the beach house setting and to complement the slate-like tile, onyx light fixtures, and warm wood shelves.
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