What's Up, Up There?

Normally, I would say nothing should be up there on top of our refrigerators. It's a spot where things can easily go wildly wrong. Such a tempting wide open surface. Just asking to be piled up with all the stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else. Crock pot. 6-pack of paper towels. Gigantic, warehouse store cereal boxes. But, I implore you, please don't do that*. If your fridge top is exposed (not built into cabinetry), break the "no stuff" rule with decorative objects, not small electrics or groceries. I broke the rule in order to soften all the straight lines and corners that occur around my fridge top. With a metal rooster (I love his curly wire tail feathers) standing on an upturned crock. Together they sit in front of the wine shelves we fitted into the original cabinet during our kitchen remodel.

This post is for La Dolfina who keeps poultry and wine on top of her fridge too and recently posed this question on her blog:

What's on top of your refrigerator?

. . .

This post is my answer. What's yours?

*I understand that in very small kitchens, every inch of available space counts. So if you must use the top of your fridge, get yourself a basket or two, or a vintage wood or metal locker box, and fill those with the random stuff you have to store but don't need to use every day. That way, you've created an attractive display and solved your storage shortage too.

P.S. to Therese: See you at the Rose Bowl!

P.P.S. I'm linking this post to Melissa's "inspired by" party. At The Inspired Room, she talks today about adding fun and whimsy and an authentic sense of our own personalites to our interiors. This little slice of my kitchen highlights exactly those elements of my style. I love color. Chickens make me happy. I appreciate handcrafted, funky, found objects like that painted panel. And I like a clean fridge.