This is a photo of a vertical refrigerator on its side, of course. I wanted to see – and show – how it would present horizontally. In other words – do we want a frig to look like a frig. Or could it look like kitchen cupboards.
My answer to that, from experience, is if the reason for the change is more functional than before then we quickly come to a "could have done that much sooner….!" response.
Case in point: early on, when our family was growing, we replaced/augmented the kitchen cupboards that were hard to access with book shelves and a free-standing pie safe. It simplified life.
The practice has continued, in one way or another, across the years.
At this point I am in a 'village' lifestyle with daily jaunts to stores and markets to supply food stuffs for daily consumption. Much different from when a family of five involved a weekly trek to grocery store/market and a trunkful of groceries.
The upright refrigerator is – roomy – inside. Much different from the - packed – former interior.
And I got to thinking. What would a horizontal refrigerator be like, one that was conveniently counter-level; that was of a depth (like a book shelf) to keep the food in sight and easy to get; with doors that were of a width like cupboard doors; that would likely have done for us in the past what the simplified book shelves did; that would do for me now.
And back to my original query; would it have to look like a frig?