Millennial Woman Fulfills Yearslong Dream of Tiny at-Home Supermarket

A custom-built walk-in refrigerator that looks like a supermarket inside your home has captivated design enthusiasts on TikTok.

The “dream” fridge was devised by Megan Lavallie, 30, a content creator and stay-at-home-mom in Houston, Texas. She shared a tour of her unique walk-in fridge in a video from her TikTok account @meganlavallie, where it has amassed more than 2 million views since it was shared a week ago.

Lavallie says in the video: “I built a little supermarket in my house. This walk-in fridge, root cellar vision has been something I’ve wanted to do for years, and I’ve finally manifested it into existence.”

The camera pans across the fridge space, which features several wooden baskets and shelves stocked with various fruits and vegetables, as well as drawers storing different cheeses and more fruit. There is also “a breakfast section” with glass jars of nuts, grains and cereals, as well as bread and jugs of juices. The video later shows baskets of flowers along a wall in the fridge space.

The mom told Newsweek: “I wanted to recreate a root cellar off the kitchen. Since it is temperature controlled, it’s actually more of a walk-in fridge. I live in Houston; the humidity here makes a lot of items like breads, nuts, baking goods like flour, and cereals go bad and once opened.”

Lavallie said: “The solution for me was to make a place where I could put my dry pantry storage, my fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh cut flowers, so they wouldn’t turn as quick. So far, it has made a world of difference.”

Construction and design businesses anticipate higher revenue growth this year than they anticipated for 2024, with specialty contractors and general contractors expecting double-digit revenue growth in 2025, according to a survey of 1,537 U.S. residential renovation businesses conducted by Houzz, a home design website.

Home renovation spending in the United States was reported to have surged in recent years, with the median spend jumping by 60 percent between 2020 ($15,000) and 2023 ($24,000), according to another survey by Houzz conducted among 32,615 users, including 17,713 renovating U.S. homeowners.

Kitchen renovations were found to have the longest timeline in 2023, with 9.6 months of time devoted to planning and 5.1 months for building it, on average, according to Houzz.

‘Dream Come True’

“My vision has finally come to life,” Lavallie said in the caption of the viral clip, noting that it is a “dream come true.”

Lavallie’s vision for the fridge stemmed from her years of seeing walk-in fridges while she worked at restaurants for eight years.

“They have walk-in fridges in the back to keep all premade foods. They are usually made from stainless steel and kept at a colder temperature since they store meats and dairy products that need proper refrigeration. I wanted something like this but a little more inviting and easier on the eyes,” the content creator added.

The 60-square-feet fridge space was originally a kitchen before they did a full renovation of the home and its temperature ranges from 38 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. “I wanted it a little bit warmer than a regular fridge for all my fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, baked goods and canned goods,” Lavallie said.

The fridge cost around $100,000 to create, and there is an additional fridge and freezer for meats and dairy products in the kitchen right beside the walk-in fridge, Lavallie added.

She wanted to create a “root cellar vibe” and use materials that would age well over time, such as limestone and wood. She worked with Houston-based interior designer Kara Childress, who “picked an antique barn wood that was sealed” and used limestone for the counter tops, she said.

Lavallie also worked closely with Neatly & Co, a custom storage solution company, for the design of the layout of the fridge. “They came up with the flower storage on the walls, which is one of my favorite features,” the mom said.

“Now when my flowers start to wilt, I can make new arrangements right out of the fridge,” Lavallie added.

“I love how I can see all my produce in one place. I’m inspired to cook a lot more than I usually do,” she said.