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?