apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I never liked much on my fridge, though I would throw up a picture or clipping once in a while. The once in a while became more than once in a while. The fridge became cluttered. More to the point, it became ugly. So just a couple months ago, I stripped everything off the fridge, printed out some of my pictures in black and white, placed them in magnetic acrylic frames and covered the fridge in a mosaic of my favorite faces. I'm moving in with my boyfriend soon, and one of the priority steps in merging out lives was adding his favorite people to the fridge-photo-wall. I like it - it's more orderly and stripped-down than the usual fridge clutter, but less sterile than nothing at all. And I can have pictures of the important people in my life around me all the time, without having one of those suburban hallway-o-pics or overloaded desk of unmatched frames.

I work in a Kitchen and Bath Remodeling Design Center--we had an ugly kitchen contest and from the entries, most weren't that bad, if they would have only cleaned up the clutter.

We also have some before and after photos of jobs. I showed the owner our photos and he said, "I need to tell my wife to get that off the fridge. Here we have a nice new kitchen and the first thing you see is the stuff on the fridge."

He was right. My vote is keep the stuff you like somewhere where it's artistic, or the stuff you need to refer to everyday, attach it to the INSIDE of the cabinet door.

I really loved the Cure and the issue of clutter was what really stood out to me.

on my fridge, i have magnets memorializing places i've been... from santa barbara & minneapolis to bangkok & johannesburg. my mom, sister, and some friends also make contributions from their trips. i love that it's a simple, low luggage-impact way to celebrate our many travels and it makes my kitchen feel warmer somehow :)

oh, i don't put any paper--photos, recipes, etc--on my fridge; just the travel magnets... each with a story to tell.

I had just an assortment of interesting magnets until my friends' five-year old decided to make some artwork for my fridge. He was upset that I don't "have any talented kids to draw for" me. The same child also warned his father to be careful on a trip to Kentucky because "Kentucky women are wild". How could I not have this kid's art on my fridge?

My husband also liked to jot phone numbers and other notes on the fridge with a dry erase marker. I promptly scrubbed them away and he was left without the important information. A well placed notepad saved our marriage.

I have a super teeny kitchen and like the "artwork" on my fridge that I don't have any other place to display.

I believe it's okay if it's the same type of object/artwork and that there's similar collections on display around the house.

If not, keep that area clean--avoid junk like convention giveaways or paperwork.

One tip for seeing if something doesn't look right in ANY part of your house: Take a photo of the room/area. When you look it the space as a photograph, you'll immediately see what doesn't seem right.

great idea meltendo!

and swan--what an awesome little kid, send us a pic of his artwork!

Yah want to know more about that kid...smart in a very funny way.

At my old place we had an old, flat, rusty looking fridge which kept being ugly despite our efforts at making the house perfect. We eventually painted the fridge with black chalkboard paint. The chalkboard fridge gave us a valuable creative outlet that changed seasonally and when the mood struck, AND left us room to write notes and phone numbers. When you've got super clean, modern, minimal decor I think it's nice to create one area that's allowed to be a little wild.

Laure - I'll try to remember to send a picture in.

Richie - he's an awesome kid. He says that when he was a little kid (he's five now) he made a band called The Baboon Release Project. Now he's in a band called The Rock-Off Idiots. He sings a song about how he should've known from the start a blue eyed girl would break his heart.

that kid is right :)

Kentucky women are wild!

I think if you have a sleek modern and gorgeous kitchen then the kitchen is the art.

If you have a small white kitchen, as I do, then a 5 year old grand-nephew's love note to me is what I want to look at - all day.