What Is “Fridgescaping” (And Why Is it Trending)?

Fridgescaping has taken social media by storm. Now, it seems that everyone is doing it as the holiday season approaches. 

But what is this new trend that everyone is hopping on board for?

What Is Fridgescaping? 

Fridgescaping is the art of organizing and decorating the inside of your refrigerator. While the 1950s pushed refrigerators that were multifunctional and highly organized to the point that owners felt obligated to find a purpose for everything, fridgescaping is about arranging food items in the void that is your fridge in a visually appealing and functional way. 

Kathy Perdue, a retired design consultant based in Brentwood, California, coined the term in a 2011 blog post as a riff on “tablescaping.”

“I thought, every time you open up your refrigerator—and we do that several times a day—it needs to be pretty, too,” she explains. But Perdue’s version of fridgescaping looked like today’s “fridge restocking” videos–groceries and storage containers are arranged in a visually satisfying, functional, ASMR-type of way. 

@stephaniehannablog

Hope the kids don’t get hungry.😉 Halloween decor is my favorite and I just can’t resist. 💀Save & Share with a Halloween loving friend. . . . . #fridgescaping #fridgescape #refrigerator #refrigeratororganization #fridgeorganization #kitchenorganization #halloweendecor #halloweeninspo #halloweenfood

♬ why is this lowkey famous – 🎄🍂

Why Are People “Fridgescaping”?

Allison Hester (@rosemaryfairy) is best known for her foraging and gardening content, but something clicked when she stumbled across a fridgescaping video. “I saw a video where someone had an orchid in their fridge, and everything was in an aesthetic jar or picture frame, and it just lit up my dopamine centers,” she tells Food & Wine. 

Home decor content creator Judish posted her first fridgescaping video in May, but it is her Bridgerton-themed fridgescaping on Instagram that gained her the most attention. 

“I’ve been on a journey this year to romanticize my life a bit, to work on pieces of my house that are mundane and [that] I don’t like and don’t bring me joy,” she explains.“I know everything’s going to stay right where I put it. It really is that whole ‘girl dinner’ vibe of, oh yes, this is exactly what I want, and I’m treating myself with it.”

Who Is This Trend For?

If you are someone who likes to cook often, then this probably isn’t the trend for you. That’s OK! But the romanticism of consumerism–albeit groceries or vintage trinkets to chill–is something that validates our need to participate in the “monoculture.”

@lynziliving

Aside from the obvious benefit of the immediate dopamine hit I get every time I open the refrigerator, I have actually found that there are so many more positive things (for me) than I ever would have thought. 1. I can suddenly see all of my produce, which means it’s very easy to take stock of what I currently have and where it is in the ripening process. I can open the refrigerator and see that the strawberries are on their last leg, so I decide to do something with them that day. 2. I used to be a very picky eater. It took me many many years to get to where I am now. I still have moments where I’m scared of trying new things, and this has helped push me to be more adventurous. I love having beautiful produce in my refrigerator and I am excited about something different in the refrigerator, which means I need to integrate it into my meal plan. I’ve never been an eggplant person, but it’s so beautiful, so I bought it recently for a meal and gave it another go. 3. My husband and I are cooking more than ever. We’ve always cooked a lot, and cooking has been something we’ve enjoyed doing together. However, having so many beautiful things in the refrigerator and on display where you can see it well has led to us being more creative with our meals. We’re very excited to try new things with what we have at home. 4. I have less food waste than ever. Long gone are the days of the broccoli that you promised yourself you were going to eat, but you only mildly like it, so it’s been sitting in the back of your crisper for a month and has gone moldy. I’m now hyper aware of what I have and it’s contained in things I really love, so I treat it with care. 5. Lastly, my refrigerator is so clean all the time. I used to absolutely dread cleaning the refrigerator, and that’s 100% because I did it once in a blue moon. Now that I am switching things in and out of my refrigerator and displaying things, I naturally want it to look nice. Because the refrigerator is so clean all the time, all I need to do is wipe down the shelves. It takes 30 seconds. #fridgescaping #fridgescape #refrigeratororganization #kitchenorganization #fridgeorganization

♬ Flowers – SoundAudio

While the idea of romanticizing your fridge might be something you want to try, fridge restocking might be up your alley. But if you don’t put a lot of food in your fridge, add some bowls for your lemons, flowers in the corner, or a trinket that brings a smile each time you open the fridge door. 

The videos of fridgescaping also give people who often forget about certain perishable foods they have in their fridge ideas of how to make those items stand out and go unwasted. 

But what do you think of the trend? Are you ready for it to go out of style, or will you try it yourself? Let us know in the comments below!