Fridgescaping, explained: Why influencers decorate the inside of their fridges with flowers
Gen Z and millennials are showing off the inside of their refrigerators on social media to thousands, if not millions, of views. Here, the right foods and condiments complement fresh flowers and framed photos of pets among market vegetables and bowls of berries. Gone are the days of refrigerating—this is refrigerating.
Lynzi Judish, a New-York-based home decor designer, took to Instagram in June for herself. Bridgerton– themed fridgescape. Look for grapes in glass vases next to antique vases and butter dishes, colorful milk jugs placed next to flowers and candles decorated with ribbons. Another famous fridge freezer, Tiffany Bishop, turned her fridge into a shrine to TV host Bethenny Frankel. (Obviously, that means a Dungeness crab sitting on top of a Chanel gift bag next to a pile of badges.)
This term was actually coined in a 2011 blog post by Kathy Perdue, since Good Design Life. “I thought, every time you open your refrigerator—and we do that a few times a day—it needs to be good again,” she wrote at the time. Perdue’s version of fridgescaping has a lot in common with today’s “fridge makeover” videos, where groceries and storage containers are organized. Tetris-as a visually satisfying display. In the era of TikTok, this word has taken on a new meaning, instead styling the contents of the fridge in relation to a certain theme, whether that is “enchanted forest” or The Lord of the Rings. And there’s clearly an audience for this bespoke freezing method: On TikTok, there are 30.6 million posts related to the hobby.
For those banging their heads on the fridge in confusion, Judish responded to the critics. Fridgescaping helps her keep track of her produce better, she says, while encouraging her to try new foods. Now she cooks more than before and wastes less food as a result.
However, food safety experts have warned that this practice could be harmful to people’s health. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned people not to store their food in containers used for non-manufacturing purposes. The FSA also recommends that food should be stored in sealed containers or bags to avoid contamination with harmful bacteria.
It doesn’t work either. I don’t know about you, but when I’m stumbling toward the fridge looking for a midnight snack I don’t want any vases or picture frames getting between me and my leftovers, no matter how pretty the display may look.
