Lesson from a Cabinet Above the Fridge
Wasted Space or Buried Treasure?
The Backstory
Many people are pack rats and have a desire to fill space that doesn’t need filled with something that has utility.
I needed a punch bowl I never use. I knew I had one somewhere, so I went on a search around my home. The first place I looked was the basement storage… because that’s where things go that are hardly ever used. Nothing. I headed to the garage, because, well, why not. Nothing. I checked a few other rooms and boxes and ended up empty handed. Seems like this happens with more things than just a punch bowl!
At this point, I went to the kitchen. Of all places, this is the room where it should be — of course I checked it last. Why is what you are looking for is put away in the spot its supposed to be in? I did find the bowl, but that’s not the point of this story… it’s where I found the bowl that intrigued me.
The Object
At this point, I noticed a cabinet that hasn’t been touched in years… the cabinet above the refrigerator. The long lost cabinet that only the tallest people can reach and behind one of the most convenient shelves ever created.
It is so convenient to store items on top of the fridge, especially pitchers. Those pitchers are an arms reach away; the top of it is begging to be used.
But what about the cabinet? Why does it even exist? What would anyone put in there? To even use the cabinet, the doors must be opened, which requires the top of the fridge to empty! Oh, the humanity! Let me take a stab at a few reasons why:
- The fridge needs a place to go. Thank you inventor Nathaniel B. Wales.
- The design and flow of the kitchen wouldn’t look right with a void space above the fridge. Thank you designers.
- When touring the house before buying it, people think, “Wow! Look at all this storage in the kitchen.” Sold. Thank you realtors.
- I need a place to “bury” my treasure. Thank you greed.
I am far from the first person to think of, write about, or seek enlightenment about the kitchen cabinet above the fridge, question its utility, find creative and new uses, or complain about it:
- “No cabinet over fridge?” (2013)
- “Should fridge cabinet be as deep as the fridge?” (2008)
- “Those silly cupboards over the ‘fridge.” (2004)
- Vickie Miles shares new ideas for above the fridge on Pinterest
- “What should I do with awkward space above the fridge?”
The bottom line is that these cabinets have a purpose and utility, much like anything we work on, but what can we learn from this infamous cabinet?
The Lesson
Thinking back to the sub-title of this article (wasted space or buried treasure?), the cabinet above the fridge fits both of these criteria. Depending on what a person uses the space for will drive the value the space provides. Why would someone build something not useful or accessible? That depends also — on the person’s intentions and the intended audiences’ willingness to adopt or accept.
Most people may not use the cabinet to its full potential or in the way in which it was intended. This lesson can applied in business and IT regarding managing resource gaps, budgets, business plans, and project management.
How much is wasted due to the misalignment of a web developer’s time? How many times has a software application been built only to be abandoned or forgotten shortly after launch? How many times has a project or plan been shelved wishing it would be rediscovered? — like Boeing’s secret stealth fighter, “Quiet Bird,” from the 1960's that was ahead of its time but not needed at the time. Been there.
What a waste. Like the cabinet above the fridge.
What can be learned from a cabinet above the refrigerator:
- Build things that are useful and accessible.
- When initiatives or projects stall, rediscover their original purpose.
- Use living tools to accomplish tasks. I’m reminded of the project/task management software, Trello, or a wiki as great examples.
- Being practical opens the door to opportunity.
- Don’t be afraid to revisit an old or rejected idea.
Everyone has the best intentions, usually. Design and construction may not always beget great utility, but somehow people find a way to make the impractical practical. Maybe it’s the human spirit’s quest for buried treasure. Maybe it’s a desire to work with what we’ve got.
Don’t get me started on the “soffit.”
Written by Shaun Holloway.
