The Brilliant Reason Why Everyone Is Putting Christmas Lights Inside Their Refrigerators This Year

published Nov 19, 2024
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Perishable foods and condiments are kept inside the refrigerator

When it comes to holiday kitchen decor, you might drape garland over your cabinets, hang a few wreaths, or insert candy-cane-inspired towels into your drawer handles, but a new trend gaining popularity could inspire you to rethink how you bring festive flair to your space.

Fridgescaping — a movement that’s amassed a huge following on TikTok and Instagram — involves curating the inside of your refrigerator to create a stunning decorative exhibit. You’ll come across people meticulously placing their herbs in ceramic vases or stacking festive trinkets on the shelves.

@lynziliving Since I’ve decided to make fridgescaping a pillar of my personality, I thought it would be fun to explore some other people with beautiful refrigerators! The fridgescaping foremothers, so to speak. @Jenefertaylor – Absolutely stunning refrigerator and the first person I ever personally saw do this. Her use of produce is art in my opinion. Her refrigerator could inspire painters. I also love that she points out that doing this is for YOU. You’re the person looking at this everyday, which is exactly how I feel about it. I may be sharing this with the internet, but the internet isn’t the one smiling 20 times a day because you can’t quit looking at your refrigerator. @🌿RosemaryFairy🌿 – She doesn’t post fridgescaping, but she has posted what she calls her “girl fridge” and it’s lovely! It’s a great example of how you can beautify your refrigerator using vintage pieces and really make it your own. She’s also who inspired me to put art in my refrigerator, although I have zero understanding of how she hung hers in the back. I tried to no avail. Sorcery! @House of Bishop – Her Fridgescapes are just *chef’s kiss*. So classy! I particularly love her use of the bear glass containers and this little awning she sometimes uses for her butter, but really everything she does is perfection and she does sort of themed designs, which is my new obsession. @GardenofEve She may have been the one who started this all. I don’t really know, but she’s been posting her refrigerators for a very long time. She does really beautiful work and she also cooks (and shows receipts). For some reason people see this and have these responses like “they obviously don’t cook” or “where’s the food” and it’s wild. It’s BECAUSE I cook so often that this works for me. 😂 She’s the same way. Anyway, her refrigerator is chock-full of inspiration and wildly functional and she has me wanting to occasionally remove some shelves so I can add some flowers with height! If you have other favorite creators with beautiful refrigerators, tag them in the comments! #fridgescaping #refrigeratorgoals #refrigeratororganization ♬ Mendelssohn: Octet in E Flat Major, Op. 20, MWV R20: IV. Presto – Emerson String Quartet

Recently one creator decided to deck the inside of their refrigerator with glitzy Christmas lights. If this hack intrigues you, you may wonder how this even works — would the cord hang outside the fridge to plug it in? Well, it turns out they used battery-operated lights, so there are no dangly wires to worry about, and it remains aesthetically pleasing.

The viral appeal of this festive riff on fridgescaping is that it is easy to pull off. If we’re all being honest, while the idea of having a fridge decorated with live plants, ceramic vases and bowls, and trinkets sounds nice, it can become costly and time-consuming to maintain. 

This simple Christmas light hack brings a section of your kitchen to life without all the fuss. One person commented on the Instagram post detailing this decorative tip, saying, “This is so extra, and I’m here for it.” Someone else called out, “This is epic. Our Elf on the Shelf is totally going to do this.”

Some people couldn’t get behind this trend at all. One person commented on the post, “Umm no. I don’t find Christmas lights hanging in the refrigerator interesting.”

Either way, whether you’re here for this festive trend or believe it’s a waste of time, hopefully it inspires you to think outside the box this year when decorating for the holidays. As this Christmas tree light trick demonstrates, there really are no rules for how you should curate your space as long as it ultimately brings you joy.