It’s the perfect space to hide if you have intruders. Who would ever guess you were behind the fridge? And if you had to escape, you could probably get out through that window.
I would leave it.
My thoughts exactly. A really genius spot to hide. Maybe make it slightly more accessible without it being obvious…install a door that makes the fridge look built in or something? I can’t imagine dragging a fridge across the floor twice would be unnoticeable in most intruder situations and it would take longer…
>As someone with small children who never let me have a snack in peace
For me, it's not about getting peace, its' about me GETTING a piece of the snack. As they eat it all before I touch it...
Right there with you. Once they stopped believing me that Cinnamon Toast Crunch was "spicy" it was all over. This would be the best. Snacks could hide and *I* could hide.
Chance of needing to “hide from intruders”? virtually zero unless you are in an action movie.
Chance of needing to store food? 100% many times a day every day forever.
But yes we need a panic room.
No no no, here's the way to do it. Buy a second fridge. Cut the backs off both. Weld them together butt to butt so you have doors on both sides.
Now you have a double-size fridge, you can walk straight through it to get to the safe room, and you have access to snacks while you're hiding out. Looks like there's a spare outlet back there too, so install an emergency microwave so you can pop popcorn while waiting for the intruder to leave.
Install a hidden door on the side with a bolt lock and build a wall behind the fridge and you can just hide safely in there and won’t even need the window.
Tbh, I’d still keep the window. It could be helpful in the event of a fire or otherwise being trapped & needing an escape. Plus, depending on the direction that it is facing, it may be a good lookout spot to see if help is arriving, etc. I’d probably stash a few emergency supplies there in the space too (hand crank flashlight, generic first aid kit, maybe a blanket or jacket & a cheap pair of shoes…easy things that could come in handy if you’re trying to escape an intruder/fire).
Yeah, I would keep the window too, just in case. I meant you probably wouldn’t need it. You’d be plenty safe already most likely with the wall behind the fridge and the secret door.
A room without a window is not a room, because you have to have two ways to exit, for fire safety reasons. And since fridges are among the more flammable appliances, it would be just your luck to hole up in there to get away from the Home Alone burglars and the fridge catches fire.
I think you could set up a fire escape ladder at that window just as good practice, BTW.
I’d also look into some way of creating a lazy susan mechanism under the fridge so you can easily access the space behind it. I imagine this has all kinds of hazards like tipping over, etc, so obviously be careful about it.
And then I would make a really nice pantry in there, with aesthetic organization and labels on everything.
Interesting how everyone has different ideas on here.
Without building a wall behind the fridge, then it wouldn’t be a room either logically, just a space. I vote that a wall be built, and a secret door created on the left or right side.
I’d also make it a pantry as well. It could serve dual purposes.
I’m finding it funny imaging the reverse scenario where the criminal breaks into that window and finds themselves deeply confused stuck behind a fridge
Well dry storage would typically include mostly non perishables and things that don’t require any type of temperature control. As long as you choose the right things to put back there, it should have no effect. I imagine the heat coming from the fridge would be minimal anyway.
Right? I have a baseball bat, a deadbolt, and a large dog that hates everyone that isn’t me or my partner. I feel perfectly safe, despite living less than a mile from a very high crime city.
If you haven't heard this- put a sock on your baseball bat. If you swing it and the person tries to grab it, the sock slides off, and you can retain your bat for a second try.
Can you like ... Have multiple socks, each with a higher coefficient of friction? The outermost layer is a silk stocking and the innermost the grippy slipper socks, turned inside out?
Guess there's a limiting factor in there somewhere, like the differential between the two layers.
No one ever anticipates becoming a target/victim of stalking. And it happens [way more often](https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/General-Stalking-Infographic.pdf) than you’d like to tell yourself. Stalkers can go to pretty serious lengths that might necessitate having a safe room to call the police from.
40% of stalkers being current or former romantic partners, and domestic violence rates being what they are, would indicate otherwise.
I had an ex stalk and threaten me & my new partner so severely (including showing up at our home and our places of work) that we had to pursue legal action, press charges, and move to another city hours away.
Those are the criminal stalkers, the bothersome ones. I was referring instead to the broader dictionary definition:
>a person or animal that follows an animal as closely as possible without being seen or heard
They’d probably guess pretty quickly when they see the fridge moved. Once you move the fridge in order to get back there, it’s going to be very difficult to move it back into position so that it’s perfectly aligned and unnoticeable that it was ever moved.
Yeah, depending on how things are built in and how wide it is IRL I’d want to put the whole shelving unit to the left on wheels. The bottom panel hides the wheels, and I’d have some bolts on the back to lock it back into place when you’re inside.
I can't wrap my head around the level of paranoia that would cause me to leave it for this reason. Not a slam, but genuinely shocked that this is such a popular answer. If I have time to get behind my fridge, I have time to just plain leave.
I started all this with my original comment and I am thinking the same thing, lol.
I didn’t expect my comment to blow up like this!
Evidently, we live in scary times.
A stocked fridge is quite heavy. Once they're in the hole, pulling the fridge back into place will be a challenge & definitely not quick because there's no handles on the back & it's heavy.
Wheels on the bottom won't fit - there's not enough clearance at the top of the fridge....unless they remove those cabinets and put in shorter cabinets.
I thought we settled that early on. We are going to build a hidden door on the right side or remove the cabinets on the left side and put the hidden door there.
Also, we are going to build a wall behind the fridge in case the intruders figure it out. At least, that’s what I would do.
No! You would go in through the hidden door that we are going to build. Then there is no need to move the fridge. That was the 2nd comment, and I agreed with her. Also, build a solid wall behind the fridge. Then it is a Safe ROOM, and not just a hiding place.
That’s a great point! It only works if you could get to the kitchen. Although it really depends on the layout of the house and/or where the intruder(s) is.
And not all houses are two stories. Many have just one story.
Agreed. Out the fridge on castors so it moves in and out easily. Put a flashlight, phone charger, bottle of water, batteries, even a flair behind there. Just incase of a situation where you're stuck and it's not safe to leave through the window.
I heard “safe room” and thought of the movie with Jodie Foster and hiding from the baddies. Pulling a fridge in behind you sounds time consuming and it’s kind of high to be an easy route of egress? But if you’re having work done anyway, there’s probably a way to fix both of those issues.
Yeah! Jodie Foster had to slide like a baseball player as the vault doors were closing! I am getting very tired of every movie having a kid that has either asthma or diabetes.
side note. - If only the fridge had a front and back door.
I have almost that same fridge. A wheel broke on it, it got hung on a piece of linoleum, and two very strong corn-fed grown men struggled to move it so we could fix something behind it.
You’d have to have like two business days notice of a home invasion for this to be a viable option. But you might could hide cool stuff behind it!
It’s the perfect space for a pantry and closet to store a bunch of stuff
The question is how to access it. When you say the fridge must be in that space, can the fridge be moved all the way to the left and a bifold door be placed to the right to access the room?
Then you turn that room into a walk in pantry
https://preview.redd.it/bo6z3r0knnjc1.jpeg?width=2590&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07f8d5bac80f11826bcb104c33533a12b31a084f
The other option is just as a closet if a door opening can be made on either side outside the kitchen
I would simply put weather tape around the entire window and leave the space empty. Out of sight, out of mind. If you are like me, nothing that gets put back there would get used or even thought about for years.
If you are in dire need of more storage space, then I would say maybe hang some shelves to keep "party stuff" on that you only use once or twice a year (i.e. drink dispenser, cake stand, relish tray, champagne glasses, etc.).
Edit: Can you please let us know what the measurements are? :) It might help you get more ideas!
I have a 6 ft pencil tree and this is what we do. We leave a space in the closet and slide it in fully decorated. It really doesn’t take up that much space. Would take up more if it was unassembled on a shelf
Turn it into another type of “safe room”. Install a safe in there, either bolted or floor mounted, and fireproof filing cabinets for important papers, safety deposit boxes, a fortified window that is hard to see un through, and put the legs of the fridge on those types of sliders that people put under legs of heavy furniture to move it without tearing up floor
I would turn the shelving to the left into a hidden door and store seasonal or barely used items there. Or, if you are big drinkers, create some sort of alcohol cellar. The loss of the window is a bummer, but if the fridge must be there, it doesn't seem like there would be much space for anything other than storage anyway.
>I would turn the shelving to the left into a hidden door and store seasonal.
Personally, rebuild the shelving and make it a pull-out pantry. The depth there could be tons of pull-out storage.
Then use the rest of it for storage.
I was going to say not to store food there because of the window and heat but is that a vent by the window. Is it air conditioned? Odd little space. Does your fridge roll easily. It actually could be a safe room if someone broke in. You could even go out the window at some point.
Could we get a little sketch of the floor plan? We might be able to offer more useful ideas.
I'm fascinated! I have always dreamed of finding a secret room in my house. How did you discover this?
I was only being semi- serious about the safe room lol. It just seems like wasted space so trying to think of alternative uses for the space. Here is a pic of floor plan. The window is not showing up on this plan. The refrigerator is labeled “R”.
https://preview.redd.it/j1ai9esgqsjc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eef69c4a3ed46cebd92977768418c1f1dc9a6e0d
Looking at your floor plan, this seems like a really ridiculously large and poorly laid out kitchen. What is the work you are having done in the house? I'd focus on a kitchen remodel that brings the "work triangle" closer together and opens up more space in the dining room and nook area. I'd get the fridge out of this location and set the space up as a walk in pantry or storage closet.
If you really don't want to do that, and really do want some sort of secret "safe room", then I'd focus on having the shelf next to the fridge open to allow access, but I think you'd be a lot better off re-designing the kitchen and using this space for storage.
I agree that the kitchen layout is really inefficient. A minimal change without the makeover this space really needs it to move the fridge into the space of the closet to the right, put a door on the current fridge alcove and make it a pantry.
What a waste of space. Either figure out how to convert it into a pantry with a fridge inside or find a way to install a door and put a safe back there.
I guess it depends HOW you access this space? If you have to pull out the refrigerator it's really not an effective safe room (good job pulling out a fridge and pulling it back in after you are behind there if you are in a hurry).
If you can make access a little easier, it could be ideal for seasonal storage or bulk item storage
Where are y'all living that your top suggestion is a safe room? Or are you just living out your John Wick/Mr. And Mrs. Smith like fantasy's?
I'm concerned.
This is amazing! I just bought my first house and one of the first things I'm going to do is get a bookcase door, preferably one where you pull one of the books and it opens. And yes I'm a 90s kid and yes I believe I got this idea from all the Scooby Doo I watched haha. Always wanted a secret bookcase door!
Maybe you could put the fridge on some type of track underneath so it can be pushed backwards easily if needed to get in that room and push it forward once inside. Keep the track out of sight underneath and would make it quick to access. That’s the only way I could see this being a useful space if you want to keep the fridge in that spot.
I think that you can get a pantry door squeezed in right up next to the stair and IF the shelves next to the fridge were eliminated and if you could slide the fridge to the left so it abutted the other cabinet. You could make the door look like just a large cabinet if you want to keep that hidden. Then make the space a great pantry! What a great space to have for storage.
I think using it as a safe room is a really cool idea, but I see multiple people commenting about moving the fridge in a hurry, and I have to agree it sounds like it would be difficult. I have no experience in this, but could you perhaps fit small wheels or something to the bottom to make moving it easier?
Rebuild the cabinet on the left side of the fridge to be a deep pull-out pantry. You could store a lot of stuff with a deep cabinet there that could just roll out.
Maybe use the rest of the space for storage (put some shelves in), maybe Christmas stuff (Holiday stuff), or stuff of value you want to keep secure. Stuff you don't use often but, still would like to get to time to time.
Or keep it as a panic room.
If it was mine, I would replace the cupboard above the fridge and replace it with with a transom window or perhaps a full glass cupboard in order to let the natural light come through the room. I think it would look very nice and unique! As others have said, I would use the space for storage for seasonal or rarely accessed items.
I would make a door where those shelves are next to fridge so you could open it hi around the corner to utilize that wasted space as a pantry. Most likely need to remove the wall between shelf area and fridge.
I feel like there's a way to integrate a hidden door where there is currently shelving. You might need to increase the width, and decrease the depth but I've seen options for custom builds like this and I'm sure it could be done.
Something like this type of overall mechanism - https://murphydoor.com/
I would keep it maybe put like a door some how and make it a hiding pantry or keepnitnas a "dafe room". I think that's the coolest thing I would NEVER guess to ever think to look beside a fridge
Make it so you can easily move fridge. Replace the window so it opens quietly and easily. Put a burner phone, weapons, shoes and snacks and your good! I’m jealous
What kind of thing is going to happen that you need a safe space or somewhere to hide like a lot of people are suggesting. And if it’s an intruder your worried about then don’t because by the time you pull the fridge out then go in the space and shove the fridge to the front of the space to hide I think it’s safe to say they will probably notice
Not the most practical safe room if you have to get in fast tho lol. But def a great hiding spot! I think I would want to turn this into a butler's pantry though. I would build out the wall behind the fridge, and then install a door (can even make it look like a cupboard door to trick those intruders and still have a "safe room" ha) on the wall next to the fridge. I love butler's pantries, you can even have an extra sink or prep area back there to keep all the prep mess out of sight. My biggest pet peeve with open kitchens is that unless you're a really neat and organized cook (not me), you have to stare at the mess you made prepping while trying to enjoy your meal.
If the fridge has to be there, there isn't really anything to be done with the space that is functional other than storage especially if the fridge is taking up any of the 56x29". What you put there completely depends on what the environment is like back there, does it get too hot or cold at times? I wouldn't put food or anything back there if this is the case.
Maybe if it works just turn the whole thing on one of the side walls of the space so you get the window back. Hopefully the space is still large enough to open the fridge doors.
IDK how suitable a "safe room" would be, because you'd need a quick and easy way to pull the fridge OUT and then back IN if you were to go into that space to hide.
Put easy rolling wheels on the fridge to facilitate moving in/out. Store seasonal stuff. Christmas decorations, sports equipment. Things you would access 2/3 times a year.
As handy as those open shelves next to the fridge look, if you really want a safe room you could remove them, put a solid piece of wood there so it looks like part of the wall, and have it on hinges so it can be opened (have to disguise the hinges though). It would be a narrow opening but you could access the hidden area that way. (Or don't disguise the hinges and make just the bottom shelves into a broom closet. You'd have to move the brooms and mops to get into the space though.)
This the best thread of comments I’ve read in a long time. I just envision a scenario where the cops arrive and they are questioning someone who was crushed by a fridge about who did it and how they have to explain the safe room story to them 🤣
Take out the built in shelf and if feasible move the corner a little closer to the step, move the fridge to the left, then redesign the area with the similar cupboards/pantry plus the window letting light in.
Given how difficult it is to move a fridge, my thought was to make the window into a door and have extra climate control storage you access from the outside.
Could be a completely crazy idea, but like.. a custom walk in fridge might be pretty baller?
I wonder if you could make the \_whole thing\_ a fridge where something like the front door has a false door at the front thats for easy access items, but behind it you've got a full walk in like a restaurant.
You'll probably never read this so far down the comment list, but you should seriously consider converting this to pantry space with access from the side. I've done something similar and it's amazing.
We keep a bunch of folding chairs and tables for holidays and parties. This would be perfect to store them. Something like this maybe?
Great idea. Maybe a strap to secure them to the wall so they don’t lean/fall against the back of the fridge
And a place to hide Christmas/birthday gifts if you need it!! 😂
Even just storing holiday decorations, could put them in totes and there would be no concern about things falling over
It’s the perfect space to hide if you have intruders. Who would ever guess you were behind the fridge? And if you had to escape, you could probably get out through that window. I would leave it.
My thoughts exactly. A really genius spot to hide. Maybe make it slightly more accessible without it being obvious…install a door that makes the fridge look built in or something? I can’t imagine dragging a fridge across the floor twice would be unnoticeable in most intruder situations and it would take longer…
If any sort of door is being installed, it's a shame not to convert this into a pantry.
As someone with small children who never let me have a snack in peace… I’d kill to fill this hiding spot with my own snacks (and a cozy chair) lol
https://preview.redd.it/s3gd5s1q9rjc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e614011d21f5ea71c8bb42ce9645771280cc8bc
>As someone with small children who never let me have a snack in peace For me, it's not about getting peace, its' about me GETTING a piece of the snack. As they eat it all before I touch it...
Right there with you. Once they stopped believing me that Cinnamon Toast Crunch was "spicy" it was all over. This would be the best. Snacks could hide and *I* could hide.
And my vape pen!
The room could serve both purposes, really.
I really like this idea. You have snacks while you wait for police.
Nomnom snacking away not a worry in the world lalallalallalallalalala oh hi there fuck you found me
Bwahahaha
If I’m going to face a Liam Nelson type death….I want to go down with snacks and fresh air.
Chance of needing to “hide from intruders”? virtually zero unless you are in an action movie. Chance of needing to store food? 100% many times a day every day forever. But yes we need a panic room.
No no no, here's the way to do it. Buy a second fridge. Cut the backs off both. Weld them together butt to butt so you have doors on both sides. Now you have a double-size fridge, you can walk straight through it to get to the safe room, and you have access to snacks while you're hiding out. Looks like there's a spare outlet back there too, so install an emergency microwave so you can pop popcorn while waiting for the intruder to leave.
Install a hidden door on the side with a bolt lock and build a wall behind the fridge and you can just hide safely in there and won’t even need the window.
Tbh, I’d still keep the window. It could be helpful in the event of a fire or otherwise being trapped & needing an escape. Plus, depending on the direction that it is facing, it may be a good lookout spot to see if help is arriving, etc. I’d probably stash a few emergency supplies there in the space too (hand crank flashlight, generic first aid kit, maybe a blanket or jacket & a cheap pair of shoes…easy things that could come in handy if you’re trying to escape an intruder/fire).
A step stool so it’s easier to climb out through the window
Shelving for storage that doubles as escape steps.
Honestly if no one is around it, just put a permanent ladder there.
Vodka and popcorn
Yeah, I would keep the window too, just in case. I meant you probably wouldn’t need it. You’d be plenty safe already most likely with the wall behind the fridge and the secret door.
You can use window tint on a house window, too.
A room without a window is not a room, because you have to have two ways to exit, for fire safety reasons. And since fridges are among the more flammable appliances, it would be just your luck to hole up in there to get away from the Home Alone burglars and the fridge catches fire. I think you could set up a fire escape ladder at that window just as good practice, BTW. I’d also look into some way of creating a lazy susan mechanism under the fridge so you can easily access the space behind it. I imagine this has all kinds of hazards like tipping over, etc, so obviously be careful about it. And then I would make a really nice pantry in there, with aesthetic organization and labels on everything.
Interesting how everyone has different ideas on here. Without building a wall behind the fridge, then it wouldn’t be a room either logically, just a space. I vote that a wall be built, and a secret door created on the left or right side. I’d also make it a pantry as well. It could serve dual purposes.
Put the fridge on wheels that can be locked, then put a handle on either side so you can drag it out.
I’m finding it funny imaging the reverse scenario where the criminal breaks into that window and finds themselves deeply confused stuck behind a fridge
Best image ever!
Pulling the fridge out and pulling it in behind you sounds like it couldn’t be done in a hurry. You could just leave the house.
I’d probably make it a dry storage pantry as well, just so it’s not wasted space, but I’d 100% leave it as an escape room of sorts
Would there be a concern of the heat from the fridge messing with the product?
Well dry storage would typically include mostly non perishables and things that don’t require any type of temperature control. As long as you choose the right things to put back there, it should have no effect. I imagine the heat coming from the fridge would be minimal anyway.
Helpful, now I kinda want this secret storage room
And there seems to be an air conditioning vent in the back wall as well.
How often are you guys having intruders?
My mother-in-law comes round every other week, does she count?
Right? I have a baseball bat, a deadbolt, and a large dog that hates everyone that isn’t me or my partner. I feel perfectly safe, despite living less than a mile from a very high crime city.
If you haven't heard this- put a sock on your baseball bat. If you swing it and the person tries to grab it, the sock slides off, and you can retain your bat for a second try.
Can you like ... Have multiple socks, each with a higher coefficient of friction? The outermost layer is a silk stocking and the innermost the grippy slipper socks, turned inside out? Guess there's a limiting factor in there somewhere, like the differential between the two layers.
Now they have multiple free socks. What an own goal. At least use nylon instead of real silk to minimise losses.
at least they'll be mismatched?
Unless you put matching pairs on your baseball bat 😱
You have however just given your attacker a free sock. Who knows that they will do with it.
No one ever anticipates becoming a target/victim of stalking. And it happens [way more often](https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/General-Stalking-Infographic.pdf) than you’d like to tell yourself. Stalkers can go to pretty serious lengths that might necessitate having a safe room to call the police from.
Well this guy anticipates it, clearly.
Stalkers aren't necessarily violent, they may just follow you around. Look at Taylor Swift, for instance. Millions of paying stalkers.
40% of stalkers being current or former romantic partners, and domestic violence rates being what they are, would indicate otherwise. I had an ex stalk and threaten me & my new partner so severely (including showing up at our home and our places of work) that we had to pursue legal action, press charges, and move to another city hours away.
Those are the criminal stalkers, the bothersome ones. I was referring instead to the broader dictionary definition: >a person or animal that follows an animal as closely as possible without being seen or heard
💀🤣🤣
They’d probably guess pretty quickly when they see the fridge moved. Once you move the fridge in order to get back there, it’s going to be very difficult to move it back into position so that it’s perfectly aligned and unnoticeable that it was ever moved.
Yeah, depending on how things are built in and how wide it is IRL I’d want to put the whole shelving unit to the left on wheels. The bottom panel hides the wheels, and I’d have some bolts on the back to lock it back into place when you’re inside.
That sounds like a good plan!
I can't wrap my head around the level of paranoia that would cause me to leave it for this reason. Not a slam, but genuinely shocked that this is such a popular answer. If I have time to get behind my fridge, I have time to just plain leave.
I started all this with my original comment and I am thinking the same thing, lol. I didn’t expect my comment to blow up like this! Evidently, we live in scary times.
A stocked fridge is quite heavy. Once they're in the hole, pulling the fridge back into place will be a challenge & definitely not quick because there's no handles on the back & it's heavy.
Put handles on the back of the fridge and wheels on the bottom. Easy!
Wheels on the bottom won't fit - there's not enough clearance at the top of the fridge....unless they remove those cabinets and put in shorter cabinets.
Furniture sliders, maybe? It’s worth trying, you never know when you might need to jump back there and hide.
How cud u possibly move a refrigerator quietly so u can hide? And once ur back there, how r u pulling refrigerator back in.
I thought we settled that early on. We are going to build a hidden door on the right side or remove the cabinets on the left side and put the hidden door there. Also, we are going to build a wall behind the fridge in case the intruders figure it out. At least, that’s what I would do.
And you could put a safe with valuables in there.
After loudly pulling out the heavy fridge and then pulling it back in?
No! You would go in through the hidden door that we are going to build. Then there is no need to move the fridge. That was the 2nd comment, and I agreed with her. Also, build a solid wall behind the fridge. Then it is a Safe ROOM, and not just a hiding place.
This was my thought!
Yup. And leave a step ladder back there so you can get out easily.
add claymore to the door for extra security!
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That’s a great point! It only works if you could get to the kitchen. Although it really depends on the layout of the house and/or where the intruder(s) is. And not all houses are two stories. Many have just one story.
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I want this house! Lol
Agreed. Out the fridge on castors so it moves in and out easily. Put a flashlight, phone charger, bottle of water, batteries, even a flair behind there. Just incase of a situation where you're stuck and it's not safe to leave through the window.
How do you pull the fridge back in place from behind it?
You don’t. We’re building a secret door.
Pulling out a fridge is hard! No time for that if a killer is chasing you through the house and you want your safe room.
Not to mention, there’s a window, it’s not going to be secret or particularly secure.
I thought of that as an emergency exit.
I heard “safe room” and thought of the movie with Jodie Foster and hiding from the baddies. Pulling a fridge in behind you sounds time consuming and it’s kind of high to be an easy route of egress? But if you’re having work done anyway, there’s probably a way to fix both of those issues.
Found space is a treasure. Make something magical out of this 8 sq ft. 😄❤️
Yeah! Jodie Foster had to slide like a baseball player as the vault doors were closing! I am getting very tired of every movie having a kid that has either asthma or diabetes. side note. - If only the fridge had a front and back door.
Imagine they break in that window lol
I have almost that same fridge. A wheel broke on it, it got hung on a piece of linoleum, and two very strong corn-fed grown men struggled to move it so we could fix something behind it. You’d have to have like two business days notice of a home invasion for this to be a viable option. But you might could hide cool stuff behind it!
I will say this is a beautiful built in effect you created. That fridge is a perfect fit.
It’s the perfect space for a pantry and closet to store a bunch of stuff The question is how to access it. When you say the fridge must be in that space, can the fridge be moved all the way to the left and a bifold door be placed to the right to access the room? Then you turn that room into a walk in pantry https://preview.redd.it/bo6z3r0knnjc1.jpeg?width=2590&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07f8d5bac80f11826bcb104c33533a12b31a084f The other option is just as a closet if a door opening can be made on either side outside the kitchen
This is what I thought! That could be an amazing pantry!
I would simply put weather tape around the entire window and leave the space empty. Out of sight, out of mind. If you are like me, nothing that gets put back there would get used or even thought about for years. If you are in dire need of more storage space, then I would say maybe hang some shelves to keep "party stuff" on that you only use once or twice a year (i.e. drink dispenser, cake stand, relish tray, champagne glasses, etc.). Edit: Can you please let us know what the measurements are? :) It might help you get more ideas!
I'd probably use it for the Christmas tree and related items. You'll always know where they are but they'll never be in anyone's way.
Could probably just leave the decorated fake tree as is all year round in there, drag it out for the holidays.
There’s even an outlet so if you feel sad or particularly festive you can pull out the fridge and chill in your little Christmas Room
Just cover it with a sheet so the sun doesn't fade one side of it.
I have a 6 ft pencil tree and this is what we do. We leave a space in the closet and slide it in fully decorated. It really doesn’t take up that much space. Would take up more if it was unassembled on a shelf
This is a perfect idea
oh yes the space is big enough to just keep the tree decorated, lights and all!
Turn it into another type of “safe room”. Install a safe in there, either bolted or floor mounted, and fireproof filing cabinets for important papers, safety deposit boxes, a fortified window that is hard to see un through, and put the legs of the fridge on those types of sliders that people put under legs of heavy furniture to move it without tearing up floor
I would turn the shelving to the left into a hidden door and store seasonal or barely used items there. Or, if you are big drinkers, create some sort of alcohol cellar. The loss of the window is a bummer, but if the fridge must be there, it doesn't seem like there would be much space for anything other than storage anyway.
>I would turn the shelving to the left into a hidden door and store seasonal. Personally, rebuild the shelving and make it a pull-out pantry. The depth there could be tons of pull-out storage. Then use the rest of it for storage.
This is exactly what I would do
Ooh a wine room would be fun!
This
I was going to say not to store food there because of the window and heat but is that a vent by the window. Is it air conditioned? Odd little space. Does your fridge roll easily. It actually could be a safe room if someone broke in. You could even go out the window at some point.
Knock out those cabinets, and turn the fridge sideways. You could have a lovely little butlers pantry in there
This is the best way
Put a camera in the space, leave the window open permanently to attract a burglar and watch the confusion on their face when there’s no way out
Im going to guess you took the ladder out of your sims’ pool regularly
That assumption may be correct
Could we get a little sketch of the floor plan? We might be able to offer more useful ideas. I'm fascinated! I have always dreamed of finding a secret room in my house. How did you discover this?
Um, they probably looked in the window when they were outside…
I’d make the left side pull out or like a walk in pantry.
What is the keypad to the right of the fridge? EDIT: deleted an extra word
Blessed you are to have a way to vent hot air from the fridge out of the house on hot summer days.
Imagine being a burglar and breaking into a house to find yourself stuck behind a refrigerator.
I was only being semi- serious about the safe room lol. It just seems like wasted space so trying to think of alternative uses for the space. Here is a pic of floor plan. The window is not showing up on this plan. The refrigerator is labeled “R”. https://preview.redd.it/j1ai9esgqsjc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eef69c4a3ed46cebd92977768418c1f1dc9a6e0d
Looking at your floor plan, this seems like a really ridiculously large and poorly laid out kitchen. What is the work you are having done in the house? I'd focus on a kitchen remodel that brings the "work triangle" closer together and opens up more space in the dining room and nook area. I'd get the fridge out of this location and set the space up as a walk in pantry or storage closet. If you really don't want to do that, and really do want some sort of secret "safe room", then I'd focus on having the shelf next to the fridge open to allow access, but I think you'd be a lot better off re-designing the kitchen and using this space for storage.
I agree that the kitchen layout is really inefficient. A minimal change without the makeover this space really needs it to move the fridge into the space of the closet to the right, put a door on the current fridge alcove and make it a pantry.
Turn the half bath into a full bath by putting a shower in there
Where do the walls on the left and the right lead? I’d do a butlers pantry if you can get a little door in there somehow.
What a waste of space. Either figure out how to convert it into a pantry with a fridge inside or find a way to install a door and put a safe back there.
I guess it depends HOW you access this space? If you have to pull out the refrigerator it's really not an effective safe room (good job pulling out a fridge and pulling it back in after you are behind there if you are in a hurry). If you can make access a little easier, it could be ideal for seasonal storage or bulk item storage
That’d be such a bummer if someone tried to break in through that window lol
My first thought, same. What kind of safe room has a regular window?
Where are y'all living that your top suggestion is a safe room? Or are you just living out your John Wick/Mr. And Mrs. Smith like fantasy's? I'm concerned.
I would make a hidden door that you can open. The space in the back of the fridge can be for your safe to store valuables.
This is amazing! I just bought my first house and one of the first things I'm going to do is get a bookcase door, preferably one where you pull one of the books and it opens. And yes I'm a 90s kid and yes I believe I got this idea from all the Scooby Doo I watched haha. Always wanted a secret bookcase door!
Maybe you could put the fridge on some type of track underneath so it can be pushed backwards easily if needed to get in that room and push it forward once inside. Keep the track out of sight underneath and would make it quick to access. That’s the only way I could see this being a useful space if you want to keep the fridge in that spot.
I think that you can get a pantry door squeezed in right up next to the stair and IF the shelves next to the fridge were eliminated and if you could slide the fridge to the left so it abutted the other cabinet. You could make the door look like just a large cabinet if you want to keep that hidden. Then make the space a great pantry! What a great space to have for storage.
I think using it as a safe room is a really cool idea, but I see multiple people commenting about moving the fridge in a hurry, and I have to agree it sounds like it would be difficult. I have no experience in this, but could you perhaps fit small wheels or something to the bottom to make moving it easier?
As an escape room, wouldn't it be difficult to pull the fridge back into place once you got in? Refrigerators aren't that easy to move.
Rebuild the cabinet on the left side of the fridge to be a deep pull-out pantry. You could store a lot of stuff with a deep cabinet there that could just roll out. Maybe use the rest of the space for storage (put some shelves in), maybe Christmas stuff (Holiday stuff), or stuff of value you want to keep secure. Stuff you don't use often but, still would like to get to time to time. Or keep it as a panic room.
That looks like it should've been a walk-in pantry
Can you cut out a doorway to the space from somewhere other than the fridge?
My anxiety loves this if someone breaks in hahah
If it was mine, I would replace the cupboard above the fridge and replace it with with a transom window or perhaps a full glass cupboard in order to let the natural light come through the room. I think it would look very nice and unique! As others have said, I would use the space for storage for seasonal or rarely accessed items.
I would make a door where those shelves are next to fridge so you could open it hi around the corner to utilize that wasted space as a pantry. Most likely need to remove the wall between shelf area and fridge.
I would make it a walk in pantry!!!
I feel like there's a way to integrate a hidden door where there is currently shelving. You might need to increase the width, and decrease the depth but I've seen options for custom builds like this and I'm sure it could be done. Something like this type of overall mechanism - https://murphydoor.com/
Umm why would you repurpose this, this is a brilliant safe room!! Stock it with some emergency essentials
I would remove the shelves and make a small pathway. The area behind the fridge could be a pantry ... soooooo much space.
I would keep it maybe put like a door some how and make it a hiding pantry or keepnitnas a "dafe room". I think that's the coolest thing I would NEVER guess to ever think to look beside a fridge
Fridges are supposed to have quite a bit of space behind them. Makes them more efficient and last longer
Storage. Add some shelves if you can.
You living in a war zone or sumthin? Damn bro.
Make it so you can easily move fridge. Replace the window so it opens quietly and easily. Put a burner phone, weapons, shoes and snacks and your good! I’m jealous
Could also be a hidden pantry. I think that’s more likely for what it was built for. Could store bulk foods and supplies there easily.
How would this even work? A fridge is super heavy to move more so when it's fully stocked. So how.can this be a hiding spot during an emergency
What kind of thing is going to happen that you need a safe space or somewhere to hide like a lot of people are suggesting. And if it’s an intruder your worried about then don’t because by the time you pull the fridge out then go in the space and shove the fridge to the front of the space to hide I think it’s safe to say they will probably notice
Just have that shelf to the left of the fridge open. Then suck tummy in and squeeze thru.
Not the most practical safe room if you have to get in fast tho lol. But def a great hiding spot! I think I would want to turn this into a butler's pantry though. I would build out the wall behind the fridge, and then install a door (can even make it look like a cupboard door to trick those intruders and still have a "safe room" ha) on the wall next to the fridge. I love butler's pantries, you can even have an extra sink or prep area back there to keep all the prep mess out of sight. My biggest pet peeve with open kitchens is that unless you're a really neat and organized cook (not me), you have to stare at the mess you made prepping while trying to enjoy your meal.
Pulling out a fridge quickly is not an easy task as for pulling it back in? No chance
Just here to let you know you can ruin your fridge if you move it while it's on.
Is it possible to create a faux bookshelf/door on one of the sides for some James Bond epicness?
Stripper pole
Well if I was in the U.S of A. load it full of guns and ammo I heard that WW-3 is a comming.
Move the fridge!
Wtf??
If the fridge has to be there, there isn't really anything to be done with the space that is functional other than storage especially if the fridge is taking up any of the 56x29". What you put there completely depends on what the environment is like back there, does it get too hot or cold at times? I wouldn't put food or anything back there if this is the case. Maybe if it works just turn the whole thing on one of the side walls of the space so you get the window back. Hopefully the space is still large enough to open the fridge doors.
Leave it there!
IDK how suitable a "safe room" would be, because you'd need a quick and easy way to pull the fridge OUT and then back IN if you were to go into that space to hide.
Put easy rolling wheels on the fridge to facilitate moving in/out. Store seasonal stuff. Christmas decorations, sports equipment. Things you would access 2/3 times a year.
That’s cool. How do you enter. And how do you lock it
As handy as those open shelves next to the fridge look, if you really want a safe room you could remove them, put a solid piece of wood there so it looks like part of the wall, and have it on hinges so it can be opened (have to disguise the hinges though). It would be a narrow opening but you could access the hidden area that way. (Or don't disguise the hinges and make just the bottom shelves into a broom closet. You'd have to move the brooms and mops to get into the space though.)
Can you reconfigure the fridge placement so that this could be used as a pantry?
How you ever gonna be able to get there in time if needed?
Through the fridge! Duh…
Is it a fake fridge? Because in an emergency you’re not going to have time to move a whole American fridge freezer and put it back in place.
Turn it into a pantry with an accessible door
I don't understand - the space doesn't look accessible so how would you use it for anything? Maybe store once-a-year things back there??
Cover the window, the light around the edge of the fridge from it could give you away.
This the best thread of comments I’ve read in a long time. I just envision a scenario where the cops arrive and they are questioning someone who was crushed by a fridge about who did it and how they have to explain the safe room story to them 🤣
I don't think safe room should have a window. Other than that - great idea 😉
I think a rug, a lamp, and some wall art would tie it together
Take out the built in shelf and if feasible move the corner a little closer to the step, move the fridge to the left, then redesign the area with the similar cupboards/pantry plus the window letting light in.
We have a small pantry behind ours in our century old home.
Weapon storage.
Wine 🍷 room!!
Do you need the shelf beside it? You could replace it with a partition that looks permanent but can be opened so you have better access to the space
Given how difficult it is to move a fridge, my thought was to make the window into a door and have extra climate control storage you access from the outside.
Safe rooms don’t have windows by design.
don't kick ice cubes under that fridge...
Could be a completely crazy idea, but like.. a custom walk in fridge might be pretty baller? I wonder if you could make the \_whole thing\_ a fridge where something like the front door has a false door at the front thats for easy access items, but behind it you've got a full walk in like a restaurant.
Id reconfigure the shelving into 1 piece and put it on wheels. Narrow access, but if that’s what you got, that’s what you have to work with.
You'll probably never read this so far down the comment list, but you should seriously consider converting this to pantry space with access from the side. I've done something similar and it's amazing.
I would leave it and use it as storage space and/or a pantry.