r/AddingWhimsy • u/ElleMontrose • 4d ago
I got so much negativity when sharing there pictures of my fridge… Someone said you guys would appreciate it here!
All thrifted glassware and fresh produce from the market!
And yes, I know about the tomatoes now lol
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u/arukah_1212 4d ago edited 4d ago
It’s because the fridge looks staged. That subreddit wants you to (rightfully so) open your fridge and snap a photo of a lived in fridge. It’s a look into your personality. When it looks staged, it doesn’t look authentic. Maybe this is how your fridge naturally looks, but they don’t want a fridge that looks like a still life painting. Not ragging on you just telling you why you got a negative response from that subreddit.
I think your fridge looks awesome. As someone who is a stylist and thinks esthetics are very important in my life, I approve and love it lol
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
My fridge always looks staged because of how it’s organised. The only variation is the amount of food, depending on how far we are from the last restocking. It doesn’t get more lived in than this — but your comment is making me appreciate why so many people thought I was being performative!
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u/Bajileh 4d ago
I'm wondering why you have some fruits and veggies in the fridge that last longer not being in the fridge, and also looks like you have uncovered cubed cheese?
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u/pbrandpearls 4d ago
All the uncovered things really stress me out lol. I have no idea if it’s valid but I don’t like it.
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u/AppleNo7287 4d ago
There are little purple flowers on the grapes, that's why (and not only) it is staged.
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u/Devanyani 4d ago
No bro, the fridge fairies do that. The grapes just flowered in their natural environment. /s
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u/CommunistCetacean 3d ago
Honest question but how is it possible to keep your fridge like this? Do you live alone? Do you ever get take-away or leftovers or things that just look “ugly” for lack of a better word? Or do you have a second fridge for keeping that kind of stuff? I cook a lot for my family and wouldn’t be able to maintain this if I tried even though it would make me so happy to open my fridge to this lol
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u/ElleMontrose 2d ago
I don’t live alone, but food that comes in packaging and needs refrigeration (fresh pasta, tofu…) goes in the top drawer, while dog food and leftovers go in the bottom one. It keeps the stuff out of view and organised!
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u/CommunistCetacean 2d ago
Oh yea I see it now! Well good on you, I’m all for adding whimsy to our lives wherever we can!
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u/Clamato-e-Gannon 3d ago
They said as much in the comments cuz I remember your post. You were told this exact statement
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u/PeaCompetitive8947 2d ago
I don’t believe you because everyone knows that uncovered meats and cheese dries out left exposed like that.
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 4d ago
I don't stage my fridge nearly as much as you (I would have so much food waste, how do you manage that?).
But I do keep it very neat with transparent containers, organising everything to be visible and good looking, and almost like grocery store shelves.
It is maybe 2 minutes a day.
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
I actually have no food waste at all! This setting allows me to see everything that can go bad and eat it in time.
What do you put in the containers? Produce as well or just leftovers? I do have some containers with leftovers visible here, but everything that comes in a package stays in it and produces stays free
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 4d ago
They are open containers (boxes? Storage? English is confusing) that fit on the shelves and each container has one category in it: Bread toppings/meat/spreads, condiments, everything pickled, milk products, health stuff, drinks, sensitive fruit, and "other".
And then below is two huge drawers, one with fruit and vegetables and one with meat and leftovers. Always oldest in front. I organise my fruit and veggie drawer meticulously in open containers, so I can see what I have.
The door has water and other drinks, tall condiments, and condiments that are best at not too low temperatures.
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u/TheKinkyBee 4d ago
The way I see it….we‘re all gonna die eventually. Fuck it. Put the grapes in a fancy bowl!
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u/YourFriendall 4d ago
It’s like a king’s feast in a fridge! I love it so much. May steal this idea.
I got so much hate when I posted on a fridge sub once. I hadn’t covered something, and someone literally told me I deserved to burn in hell lol
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
People can get so extreme behind a keyboard… I got three comments calling me a pedo! Of all the things one could post, getting that reaction to a fridge picture wasn’t on my bingo card
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u/YourFriendall 4d ago
Lolol that is so awful! 😆 I’m sorry. Perhaps I shall see you while we burn in hell someday. 🙄 lol
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u/TiredOldLadySays 4d ago
People can be horrible, it's true. I think youre fridge looks lovely and organized. Don't let the haters get to you.💕
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u/KosmicGumbo 4d ago
That’s excessive, and the only concern is a safety aspect but like OP they have uncovered meat and cheese. I’m not concerned unless I knew the time frame. Uncovered items is fine for (most things) short term, as in you are eating it that day.
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u/YourFriendall 4d ago
I would eat all of this in one day because it’s so freaking pretty. Like “dinner is served” to my family, and then I just open the fridge
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u/exsanguinatrix 4d ago
I just know they’d hate me for wrapping uneaten quesadilla slices in paper towel to reheat as breakfast…lmao
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u/Human-Stress-1806 4d ago
i remembered your thread, i was so confused because i love your little flowers in the grapes!! 😭💐 thanks for posting these, keep it up!!
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u/beans-888 4d ago
Its just cuz most people prioritize freshness over esthetics of food in their fridge.
To each their own.
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u/lovelyseasong 4d ago
Personally I love it!!! Super cute. so what if you like aesthetics a lot, if it makes someone happy to have a cute fridge interior nothing wrong with decorating it a little bit :) I decorate my medicine cabinet space why not decorating the fridge etc...
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u/quartzsong 4d ago
i’m assuming you don’t have a partner or children if your fridge looks like this all the time. no way my boyfriend would let me keep this. I think it’s lovely though single me would rock this
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
Everyone guessed that I was single and older! Clearly, you’re far from the only one with a man cramping their style. Maybe yours would tolerate some glass or pewter cups for fruit, instead of keeping it loose?
I’m lucky that my boyfriend thinks it’s lovely and shoves whatever he doesn’t know how to place into the fridge drawers!
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u/StrawberrySprinkles7 4d ago
Love this! What was wrong with the tomatoes?
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u/auktember 4d ago
Don't refrigerate whole tomatoes, it kills the flavor and texture. Keep them in a room temperature, dark area away from onions and bananas.
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u/casstantinople 4d ago
:O
I have never heard this and I grow tomatoes! Granted, I'm not good at growing tomatoes but still. Guess they'll have to live on the counter in a box or something now
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
Apparently, temps under 10°C make them go mealy! We’ve been having heat waves in Paris so everything went to the fridge and I haven’t noticed a change in texture, but the internet is unanimous lol
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u/buttmunch3 4d ago
i could never be you. but i want to.
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago edited 3d ago
You can certainly try; slow progress is still progress, and I say that as someone who used to get called lazy and a slob growing up :)
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u/therurrjurrrr 4d ago
I don’t know why everyone was so negative over in that thread. I wish I bothered to make my fridge look this nice lol!
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
Thank you! I was rather taken aback by the negativity, but I suppose it’s because most people have come to associate effort with performance for an online audience. I would have thought the literal inside of a fridge being pretty was a clear signal that this is a way of life, but some would rather believe I bought crystal and figs for the upvotes…
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u/therurrjurrrr 4d ago
So true, influencer culture has made people feel like intentionality is performative. I love making things look aesthetically pleasing for myself, and yes I am going to take a picture of it as well to memorialize it lol!
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u/AggroTumbleweed52 4d ago
Also might be good for folks trying to modify or cope with their diets, to add visual appeal. We eat with our eyes first and all that.
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u/Glittering-Gap7049 2d ago
I have no opinion about this personally, but my guess is the negativity doesn’t solely stem from assuming it was performance for upvotes, but from the assumption that this genuinely cannot be your default way of life because food cannot last like this beyond a couple of hours (as you said), so while I do personally believe this was what your fridge looked like before a specific meal, that sub is meant as more of a “what can you tell about me based on the usual state of my fridge.” if you are living in luxury and have a staff that aesthetically stores everything in your fridge before each meal, then I stand corrected. otherwise, it stands to reason this is what your fridge looks like in brief intervals, not how you live on a daily basis.
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u/ElleMontrose 2d ago
The prepared plates were the only thing that stayed only an hour in there; all the produce and eggs (i.e. everything in the first picture that people focused on) last longer in the fridge, so i doubt that was the reasoning
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u/NBfleur 4d ago
I think it's because the idea of fridge detective is to show "lived-in" fridges so you can try and figure out someone's personality. A clearly staged fridge doesn't really fit the vibe of the sub. This fridge in particular is pretty impractical for day-to-day living, so while it is cute, it comes across as disengenious.
I'm not mad at OP or particularly invested, just sharing my perspective on why it rubbed people the wrong way over there.
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u/therurrjurrrr 4d ago
I think people on reddit are so worried about being “tricked” or “fooled” so they want to seem so smart that they figured it out. People could have just said- “if this is your real fridge and not staged then I think so and so” but instead they just want a “gotcha” moment. Not very good detectives I guess!
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
I’m not sure what makes people think this is staged for the pictures. There’s leftovers in tupperwares (clearly visible in the first pic), all of the bottles have been opened… And the produce doesn’t have packaging, which means it looks ‘staged’ whether I’ve just done groceries or it’s emptier after a couple of days.
Also, because I’ve seen this comment a few times and I’m curious: what seems impractical to you? Everything is easily reached and seen, which is how I avoid all food waste.
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u/NBfleur 4d ago edited 4d ago
The third picture has open and cut up cheeses/ meats/veggies. They would all dry out in a few hours and stink up the fridge, so it doesn't seem particularly practical to me.
The whole unpackaged veggies seem "normal" (whatever that means) to me. I have much the same in my fridge. I think it's the cut up stuff that's being exposed to air that made me react that way.
And I don't mean to be a hater! I just saw your comment about ADHD and needing to be able to see everything, so I feel you there. Ultimately, if it works for you, that's a good thing
Edit to add: Also, re: "practical" the pretty containers are not very space efficient. There are a few that you can't stack on top of each other (like tupperware), so I can't imagine it's easy to move things around in there when you need to. Again, not hating, just saying where the impractical thinking is coming from. There's no law that says your fridge has to be perfectly practical, lol.
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u/therurrjurrrr 4d ago
I think she had mentioned in her post the third picture was for some family event. I imagine those were in there to stay cool, but they were being eaten immediately. Maybe I’m wrong though.
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
Yeah, I just kept the plates in there to chill for an hour before dinner! Otherwise the heat wave would have made the meat and cheese all gross
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
No worries! This really helps me understand where these people are coming from, it’s nice. I do agree with the glassware not being space efficient, but we are a couple with a family-sized fridge so it’s not like we often have more food than this haha
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u/Devanyani 4d ago
You're telling us that the little flowers just fell on the bunch of grapes and in between the figs that way?
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u/ofeeleyah 4d ago
Obviously you are a painter? What’s negative about the fridge? You look like you eat healthy and are clean, that’s great, lol.
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u/RingEven1311 4d ago
This is sooo aesthetically pleasing, yet useful. Love it, don’t listen to the haters
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u/AngelKry94 4d ago
This is so fucking beautiful! I am tearing up at how cute this all is. And yea those shit heads in the other place are morons! ❤️❤️❤️
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u/Moist-Philosopher859 4d ago
I typically hate all fridgescapes but yours was so lovely I actually fell in love and wanna do it to my fridge now🥹💜
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u/heyalllondon18 4d ago
As a pregnant person in their first trimester, I love all the produce because it’s basically all I can eat right now if I even eat at all. I also like that it looks “staged” because when I have the energy, I love my fridge to look nice as well!
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u/AggroTumbleweed52 4d ago
Look, I live where it's hotter than hell half the year. The tomatoes go in the fridge during the hot half. They get eaten within a week anyway. I like the way the backrow gets elevated, makes it easier to see things, might incorporate in my own fridge. Please tell us what's in the decanter; it looks like a magic potion that could solve all our problems.
Oh that subreddit: every one want to play the detective, but even Sherlock Holmes was made the fuck up.
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
It’s elderflower lemonade! Add some gin or Prosecco to solve most problems and maybe create new ones 🌼
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u/Sharp_Theme 4d ago
Beautiful! I hear you just need the right group on Reddit - I never thought Id master meal prep, now I know all I ever needed was a pretty fridge 😍😍😍
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u/EmbarrassedStay4074 4d ago
The only critique I would have would be to keep your tomatoes, avocados, and bananas at room temperature.
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u/EtsyCorn 4d ago
Those people are mean. You have a very cool fridge! (Pun intended 😆) I love all the decorations! Especially the flower grapes how fun!
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u/KosmicGumbo 4d ago
Omg I’m a sucker for pretty glass!!! That’s awesome and actually not too unrealistic….
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u/Dry_Anxiety5002 4d ago
I think it looks lovely and would encourage one to eat their fresh produce. I also keep tomatoes in the fridge; it’s ridiculously hot this season.
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u/Total-Bed-8716 4d ago
Idk why you got so much hate! I saw the original post and absolutely love it. If I wasn’t such a disorganized mess who is always in a rush I would love my fridge to look like this. Plus having adhd if I don’t see my food it would go to waste so this would help tremendously. I love all the pictures and videos of people who have pretty fridges and have decorations and flowers
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u/Lizzies-homestead 4d ago
It makes sense to me because you’re a still life artist. Beautiful artwork by the way!
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u/megababeatashow 4d ago
This is the prettiest fridge I’ve ever seen😭 like a painting. It doesn’t sound like you are, but do not pay them any mind !!
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u/Aloysius-L322 4d ago
Oh man this is my dream type of fridge when I get my own place someday, I love this. 😭
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u/missgirlipop 4d ago
people have overcorrected against anything that appears curated, imo. very strange
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u/SubstantialCorner50 4d ago
I love how clean and properly organised this is. Especially the fridge door. Love it 😻
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u/Wonderful-Process-96 4d ago
Looks like a baroque painting without all the dark shadows! Id love to paint a still life of this
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u/Safe-Ice-9824 4d ago
I must do this with all of my fruit now! I don't usually refrigerate my bananas. It's so beautifully bountiful
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u/Zowiebowiecorgi 4d ago
As a mother, the fridge looks ridiculous. HOWEVER if I were a single woman, I would absolutely do something like this to add some whimsy into my life
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u/DragonsDelightStudio 4d ago
It’s beautiful, more power to you if you can keep your fridge looking immaculate. Mine on the other hand… well let’s just say I’m a boy mom. Lol.
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u/Anxious_Fix_1647 4d ago
My immediate thought was this is an amazing system for certain types of ADHD or disordered eating. Which I have, and I will be stealing this lol. It's interesting to me that people call it out as impractical or merely decorative--if I could actually get myself to wash and display my food so it's all visible AND make it seem much more appealing to my food aversion (this would feel like getting a fancy brunch every day), I would eat way better and waste way less.
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u/phallonxoxo 4d ago
The people on reddit giving you negativity for pictures of your fridge are clearly JEALOUS!
This is beautiful! Soo aesthetically pleasing!! ✨️🤗✨️🩷
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u/Potential_Basil_9529 4d ago
this looks exactly like a fridge of a kids book character and i loved it
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u/AppUnwrapper1 4d ago
Honestly I just wan those figs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen figs look that perfect.
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u/Clear-Cry-8988 4d ago
I love it it’s beautiful and organized. God forbid we enjoy pretty things instead of minimalist mass produced plastic slop
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u/astrolov 4d ago
Don't let the internet ruin your whimsy queen. I understand the need for things to look and feel pleasing in order to be productive or in this case be consumed. Also love the use of glass instead of plastic. Whimsical yet minimalist. I love it all.
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u/chanelstorm11 4d ago
Who the fuck talks negative about this?! It’s gorgeous! Amazing job! I didn’t realize free will included this wow
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u/PoetryPathfinder78 4d ago
I saw your post before. I'm sorry everyone was so mean, because I LOVE THIS. So cute. If I did this to my fridge 1000% I'd be eating better. Good on ya
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u/MidwestPrincess09 4d ago
Oh my gosh!!! I love this! I matched everything in my fridge pink earlier this summer lol
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u/everyatom2012 3d ago
When the dogpiling on reddit starts, it's hard to stop it. Someone set the vibe and everyone else followed, which is unfortunate, cause i think this is a gorgeous and good looking fridge.
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u/Priority-Reasonable 3d ago
I saw the original post and people were being so lame in the comments. Your fridge is perfect and if I lived alone mine would look exactly like it
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u/SuperbLeek7589 3d ago
i saw original post and immediately loved it. it’s so aesthetically pleasing and honestly probably very practical. wish i could do something similar!!
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u/Purple_Material_9644 3d ago
Awe, youre the person that painted the gorgeous borzoi comission!! My husband and I seriously talked about commissioning you for one of our dogs lol
Anyway, I think it's cute. People really know how to put a negative spin on everything.
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u/ElleMontrose 2d ago
Ah thank you! It’s a small world on Reddit lol
But let me know if you two ever want to make it official for your dog, I'd love to paint them!
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u/More_Tennis_8609 2d ago
To be fair, this subreddit is always roasting the people who post so don’t take it to heart! People are MEAN on there 😂 I adore the fridge setup, it’s so beautiful!!
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u/stoneysleepyfeline 2d ago
idk what it is about reddit these days it feels like it has changed with the amount of pissy commenters/non-posters lol. i used to post on reddit a few years back, stopped for a while bc life but i decided to post a few times recently. ive noticed that the last few times i posted in multiple different subs there were a good amount of negative people in each one and it threw me off bc i was used to people being way more chill and positive.. it's so weird it just feels like these people have sticks up their asses about the smallest of things lol. anyway your fridge arrangement is so cute and makes me want to put more effort into mine as well as other household items
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u/slimgem1111 2d ago
It's soooo weird. I remember being able to post something like a chill picture of my view of sitting on my patio at sunset with a glass of wine and a good book, just to share the peaceful evening I'm having. Nowadays if I were to post something like that, I'd probably get a bunch of negative comments judging and nitpicking every little thing in the picture
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u/MrsSqweeps 1d ago
This is making me drool. I love your food if I was a guest I would be very happy 😁
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u/Shot_Wolverine_6055 4d ago
I saw these pictures when you originally posted them and I have not stopped thinking about how gorgeous and whimsical your fridge is! don’t let the negativity get you down!!
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u/LittleKittyBigCIIMH 4d ago
Omg I’m in the page too. How the heck did you get negativity. That fridge looks awesome.
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u/vftgurl123 4d ago
i think decorative use of food upsets people because of the economy we live in.
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
I could understand that, but we ate all this food..? It’s not like I’m buying groceries twice week to decorate a fridge no one opens
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u/CinnaMinx11 4d ago
There's bananas in your fridge? Is there a reason for that... genuinely curious
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u/ElleMontrose 4d ago
To prevent them from maturing further, as they’re already at peak ripeness. It does darken the skins quickly but the interior is unaffected!
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u/SellaTheChair_ 4d ago
I think photos like these are really cool and would be an awesome exhibition of a bunch of different still lives. As a functional fridge setup, however, I think it's not very practical for most folks
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u/Majestic_Dog1571 4d ago
Why are your tomatoes in the fridge?! Nooooo I grow tomatoes and I’m freaking out right now. They don’t belong in there!
Otherwise, you’re putting me to shame.
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u/Unhappy-District5767 4d ago
Only think I don't like is your lack of lids on the meat and cheese/veggie trays. I feel like it would make the whole fridge smell. But I'm sensitive
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u/ItsNotAboutThe-Pasta 4d ago
Your fridge looks amazing. My fridge looks like two raccoons ransacked it but it wasn't racoons it was my children and now I'm hungry.
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u/mshike_89 3d ago
Only feedback would be to take the tomatoes out of there! Refrigeration negatively changes the taste.
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u/Lovemelikeanangel 3d ago
Where did you get the glass cups? super cute fridge I’m scared to set mine up like this bc it would be just my luck I do this then ill crave take out for the week then everything’s gone bad 😂 im vegetarian tho so 10/10 imo
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u/Decent_Inevitable749 2d ago
I’m in the same subreddit as you. Unfortunately, I think everyone’s concerns is correct. Food safety is a real thing. Wish everyone would take a ServSafe course in school because of it. That’s no offense to you, I just think we should all learn from what we are told sometimes.
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u/PuppyButtts 2d ago
Gorl I love this, only thing is I would def use a cover on that beautiful parfait looking thing, veggies, and DEFINITELY on the meat
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u/MizzBStizzy 2d ago
FYI Tomatoes hate being in the fridge. It makes them mushy.
Did you stage this fridge? Who keeps their fruit and veggies like this out like that? They'll look like crap in a day
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u/MizzBStizzy 2d ago
Why are the bananas in there?
Why are the flowers on the grapes?
This looks like AI
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u/littlehollowgames 4d ago
I’m too lazy to read all the comments but in case no one else mentioned it, you gotta get the tomatoes out of there! They become mealy when stored in the fridge
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u/mojojo567 4d ago
100% stealing the decanter idea. Everything looks perfect to me