Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
francoise47

Ideas or pictures? That space above the fridge

francoise47
12 years ago

Hi GardenWebers:

In the new kitchen I will have room to put a 24" tall/24" deep cabinet over the built-in fridge (fridge is 36" wide and 84" tall). But I'm thinking I might like open storage there to break up the mass of white inset cabinets on the wall. The fridge will be stainless.

Does anyone have inspiration pictures to share of kitchens with an alcove, niche, or open storage over a built in fridge? Advice? Thanks!

Comments (22)

  • francoise47
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Dear grenvale -- Thanks for the tip! Yes, a perfect place for large trays. (Don't worry, I've already made plans for where to store the step stool in the new kitchen.)

  • davidro1
    12 years ago

    large trays, vertical.

    anything else flat that can be stored in vertical position, separated by slats or wires

  • allison0704
    12 years ago

    I have open display above mine. Have a large copper bowl I bought thinking I might make into a sink and three pieces of pottery. 2nd picture down. Not the best picture, but I recently had surgery and not up to taking/uploading today.

    Here is a link that might be useful: above fridge

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    12 years ago

    Mine is not done, but I am doing an open display niche. My trays will be stored above and below the oven.

    Here is a curved display niche that is beautiful. This left my plans when I decided all my cabs would go all the way to the ceiling, but just a warning if you did like something like this that most stock cabinet makers (Medallion, Candlelight were the two I talked to) either can't do this or charge a fortune:

  • Circus Peanut
    12 years ago

    Open shelves! Love them.

  • houseful
    12 years ago

    Here's mine.

  • Sidney4
    12 years ago

    Hi francoise47. I have two shelves with four baskets above mine. I use them for napkins, paper plates, paper cups and light bulbs. The baskets were around $12 per at Target. My last kitchen had a closed cabinet above the fridge and I hated it. Shelves are much more accessible. It's been really useful for those items I don't use every day and other wise would tend to get pushed to the back of drawers and shelves. Having a step stool in a convenient location makes it even handier space. I saw a similar arrangement in Traditional Home and the space was used to display decorative bowls.

  • aokat15
    12 years ago

    houseful - not to hijack the thread... but can you tell me where you got your x-back stools? Do they have leather seats? Thanks!

  • sandn
    12 years ago

    Hi Francoise,
    We like the look of open shelves, but we hate to dust, especially the greasy dust that often collects on surfaces in the kitchen, so we opted for glass doors and side panels in the cabinets above the fridge.
    These photos are from our still incomplete kitchen (the cabinets are just primed at this stage, the trim is missing, the wire for the in-cabinet lighting is still dangling), but we've moved back in after a month of exile!


  • cat_mom
    12 years ago

    Here's ours:

  • sochi
    12 years ago

    We originally intended to keep the space above our fridge open, but I didn't like it in the end, so I asked by cabinet maker to close it in. Our fridge is very tall, so we store rarely used items above the fridge.

  • trailrunner
    12 years ago

    Because I have such high ceiling I can have it all. Open for cookbooks and closed for large things that don't get used often. All of my trays and baking sheets are in the large cab above the ovens in dividers. I also have the pantry pullout to the left of the freezer.

    If you look in the FKB you will see that rhome has a similar space . Good Luck. I love the pics everyone posted...really gorgeous ideas. c

  • empet
    12 years ago

    Somebody here showed a picture of their over-the-fridge, which I immediately lost - but loved! Cabinet door was the top-hinged type (which I've never understood, yet it suddely worked for me here) Cabinet held wine glasses hanging on a wire rack that pulled out for easy access. Elegant efficient use of limited space, I assume. No clue who it was, but they shared a nice picture.

  • houseful
    12 years ago

    Aokat15, they came from Hobby Lobby. Sale price $69 from $99. Sturdy frames, but fake leather seats that all were slightly torn. They knocked the price down to $49 and I couldn't pass it up. With lots of kids, I knew I'd be replacing the seats eventually. I'll be real leather when I am ready.

  • lrmiller
    12 years ago

    We're doing a 30" wide 24" deep cupboard above the fridge and an open shelf above that. Plan attached. They templated for the (absolute black silk) countertops today so I'm looking around for new camera batteries...

    Here is a link that might be useful: West wall of the kitchen

  • francoise47
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Dear Gardenwebers:

    Just home from working and checking out all the wonderful pictures and suggestions you have all made for what to do for open storage above the refrigerator. You've given me much to think about and many beautiful kitchen to drool over.

    Cohomom -- cool idea with the long shelf across the full length of the wall.

    Trailrunner -- love the storage area for books.

    Sochi -- good to know that if we have to ask the cabinet maker to close the space in down the road that we won't be the first to ask for that.

    Sandn -- I want to devour your kitchen. I hope there is still some of it left to gobble by the time I get around to opening your post.

    Sidney -- love the basket idea.

    Beagle and circuspeanut -- thanks for your ideas and pictures too!

    Houseful -- very cool arch.

  • marcolo
    12 years ago

    With apologies, I have brazenly pilfered pics from other GWebbers showing the wonders they have accomplished over their fridges.

    TVs:

    After market vertical storage:

    This is from kris_MA's kitchen but it was originally borrowed from someone else. Really clever:

    For plopping big platters and trays, etc. on top of the fridge without it looking messy.

    Aftermarket pull-outs:

  • boxerpups
    12 years ago

    Here are a few more pictures.
    ~boxerpups

    Built in to look like a pantry

    Chalkboard paint

  • francoise47
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Hi Boxerpups, I think you found the winning inspiration picture: photo #9 in your series, the yellow "Kitchenlab" kitchen. That is very much the look I'm going for -- boxy and not too over wrought or over designed. ( I always love Kitchenlab kitchens.) Thanks!

  • blonde1125
    12 years ago

    Wow lots of great ideas! Here is what we did. Pardon the Christmas decorations.{{!gwi}}

  • formerlyflorantha
    12 years ago

    We have a humble white Kenmore refrigerator at the end of the line of cabs. Our designer wanted us to box it in. So did the cab man. But I said "someday I might want a bigger refrig if this one dies" and "I can always order a box for it later" but 8 months into using our working kitchen I don't miss the framing for the refrig in the slightest. We currently have a distinctive piece of art on the wall at back (seen from from adjacent hall also) and a set of interesting unrelated objects is positioned on the top of the refrig. But...
    There are no refrig magnets on the front of the unit and we're treating it as a serious part of the larger space. No making it into a junk space.