Gen Z and millennials are showcasing the inside of their refrigerators on social media to thousands, if not millions, of views. Here, ready meals and condiments make way for fresh flowers and framed pictures of pets nestled among market vegetables and bowls of berries. Gone are the days of the fridge restock—this is fridgescaping.
Lynzi Judish, a New-York based home decor content creator, went viral on Instagram in June for her Bridgerton-themed fridgescape. Picture grapes in glass jars next to antique busts and butter dishes, colorful milk jugs positioned beside bouquets of flowers and ribbon-adorned candles. Another popular fridge-fluencer, Tiffany Bishop, transformed her fridge into a shrine to the TV personality Bethenny Frankel. (ApparentlyApparently, a that means Dungeness crab nestled atop a Chanel gift bag next to a stack of bagels.)
The term was actually coined in a 2011 blog post by Kathy Perdue, from Good Life of Design. “I thought, every time you open up your refrigerator—and we do that several times a day—it needs to be pretty, too,” she wrote at the time. Perdue’s version of fridgescaping has more in common with today’s “fridge restocking” videos, in which groceries and storage containers are arranged Tetris-like for a visually satisfying display. In the TikTok era, the term has taken on a new meaning, instead styling a fridge’s contents in relation to a particular theme, whether that be an “enchanted forest” or Lord of the Rings. And there’s clearly an audience for this bespoke approach to refrigeration: On TikTok, there are 30.6 million posts related to the hobby.
For those banging their heads against the fridge in confusion, Judish has responded to critics. Fridgescaping helps her keep better track of her produce, she claims, while also encouraging her to try new foods. She also now cooks more than ever and wastes less food as a result.
However, food safety experts have cautioned that the trend could potentially be harmful to people’s health. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned people not to store their food in containers that have been used for purposes other than produce storage. The FSA also recommends that food should be stored in sealed containers or bags to avoid cross-contamination with harmful bacteria.
It’s also simply not practical. I don’t know about you, but when I stumble bleary-eyed to the fridge for a midnight snack I don’t want any vases or picture frames coming between me and my leftovers, no matter how pretty the display may look.