“Fridgescaping” Is a TikTok Trend with Safety Caveats

If you’re pro-“romanticize your life,” you know that every once in a while, a new TikTok trend that claims to help you do just that goes viral. One of the more recent ways is a kitchen habit — specifically, something you can do inside of your fridge — and it’s called “fridgescaping.” 

With the “fridgescaping” trend, people are decorating the inside of their fridges with flowers, picture frames, mirrors, jewelry boxes, and even entire Bridgerton-themed setups, but there are a few things to know before you jump on the trend (and possibly decide to skip it altogether).

“Fridgescaping” introduces nonpractical items into the fridge space to create mini tableaus, as well as finding more attractive ways to display your produce and other food items. Many fridgescaping creators on TikTok called the trend a “creative outlet,” like TikTok user @today_i_really_like_me, who likened the fridgescaping to making “mini vignettes.”

In one of her videos, she’s added wallpaper to her fridge, as well as flowers, jarred chocolates, miniature sculptures, a bust, and a bowl of rocks. 

TikToker @Lynziliving, who went viral in May after she shared a TikTok of her initial fridge transformation, said in a video that the look is not just about aesthetics; one of the benefits of fridgescaping is that she’s able to see all of her produce displayed at once (although she admitted that finding creative ways to fit everything was a little frustrating). 

Since then, her fridgescaping transformations have gotten more elaborate, with the introduction of fairy lights, ceramic mushrooms and hedgehogs, and glass figurines, even prompting some commenters to ask, “where is the food?”

In one of her most recent fridgescaping videos, she decorates her “Practical Magic” themed fridge with a gorgeous glass jug of milk, fresh fruit in adorable mugs and baskets, eggs in a wooden egg holder, tiny little vases of herbs, and framed art.

As aesthetically pleasing as fridgescaping might be, you might want to think twice before arranging all your berries in glass bowls or putting your liquids out in pitchers. 

In response to an email inquiring about the safety of the fridgescaping trend, an FDA spokesperson referred Apartment Therapy to its basic food safety storage principles, which include keeping food covered, while warning that “anything outside of what’s within our posted guidance there would generally not be recommended. The website’s guidance says that you should “store refrigerated foods in covered containers or sealed storage bags, and check leftovers daily for spoilage.” 

In short, you might be reducing the lifespan of your expensive berries and veggies by storing them as part of your fridgescape, versus in these drawers. There’s also always the chance of possible contamination if you’re storing open-air food alongside flowers as well as nonfood items.

Fridgescaping can be a fun trend to flex your creative muscles, especially if an aesthetically pleasing fridge brings you joy whenever you open up the door. However, it’s important to prioritize safe food storage above all else when organizing your produce, protein, and dairy into TikTok-worthy mini-scapes.

Perhaps consider using stylish, colored, food-safe containers. Label your groceries and leftovers (and the date you bought them or cooked them) in cute, sparkly or colorful sharpie. Put your apples in gorgeous glass bowls. Go wild — but consider what will make your groceries last the longest, taste the freshest, and be the most food-safe as possible.