You'd have to get this guy in a black/ brown finish:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39870390/#/S49878395

carefully remove the top valance of the refridgerator and use it as a filler on both sides of the 30" w cabinet.

And hope for the best.

Looks like it was intended for a taller fridge. If your cabinets are stock, you might find a door or end panel just the right size to go horizontally there. If they are custom cabinets, or you can't find any manufacturer info, or they don't have anything the right size, take one of your doors off, and bring it with the dimensions of the space to a cabinet-maker and get a panel made to match the door. It should be sized to be the same height as you cabinet doors at the top, an inch or so higher than the fridge at the bottom. Look at how your original doors fit to the sides of the cabinets, and size the width of the panel to match. Your cabinets are maple or birch Shaker panels with an umbra finish and they would be fairly easy for any cabinet-maker or even an experienced woodworking hobbyist to match. Probably cost around $180 to $250. Then just stick it on with Velcro.

Unless you are tall and need the space for storage, then you should call a cabinet guy, and have him make a cabinet to fit.

I suggest to get a custom Stainless steel panel on MDF baking. This will keep the look all the way up

The wine rack is aesthetically pleasing but above the fridge isn't the best storage location. Red wine is best kept at 50 to 55 degrees. Heat from the back of the fridge will make it warmer than room temperature.

As so many have suggested, either add a matching cabinet or shelve and it will look great. I agree with Marcus that it may look neat to make the space into a wine rack, but it's not a good place to keep wine for the reason he mentioned.

Look inside a drawer. Many cabinet manufacturers have a
brand on the inside of a drawer. Then contact the manufacturers & visit a local showroom if possible. Take a drawer front to identify the style, finish, & wood species.

If this info is not available, contact a custom manufacturer.

Another option is an aluminum framed door with a glass insert.
Elements Design is one source. The door be a lift up design. (Aventos )

A large basket with a lid for storing seldom used could also solve the dust problem.

Whoops, I submitted before editing. There are many glass inserts for the aluminum framed doors ranging from plain to patterned as shown in the previous photo.

I would go with either the baskets or using it for storage of flat things (cookie sheets and cutting boards), which will make for less visual clutter. But really, you should be able to get a cabinet made for that size space -- a flip-up cabinet would be ideal, and it would be worth shaving back some of the very wide framing at the top there (which was probably hiding a gap originally too) to get an extra inch or two to let the fridge breathe.

Two cubed boxes in dark wood. These are appr. 15" high and 13" wide. If too large, they could be really easy to make and stain the same color as your cupboards. A shelf would be the other option and add two rows of baskets. [houzz=]

I'd get two square or rectangular baskets to store seldom used items. Another option would be a wine rack or a large greenery arrangement.

3 evenly spaced square wire bins for cook book, paper product or trivet storage

Winery? A nice wine rack, maybe a copper one?

What about a great looking wine rack up there??

I would contact whoever your cabinets came from and who installed them. You mentioned that you currently have approx 12" of height, in open space above your ref...if you factor in the apron spanning the top, however (which appears to be about 6" high), then you will have about 18" of space above your ref. I would absolutely remove this apron, and consider putting in a 15" high cabinet, with a pivot up door. this is one contributor shit that is designed to open up, stay up without you having to hold it. I abb suggesting this because it is a bit more of this modern/transitional look, much like the style of your kitchen, as seen in the picture you posted. There is one long door, add opposed to two doors that open traditionally. You can order this cabinet directly from the manufacturer, with dividers inside, or you can add aftermarket dividers purchases from companies like outwater or hafele....this is a less expensive option and with the right tools, you can do it yourself. Adding a cabinet isn't the least expensive way to go, however...in my options, it would look make your kitchen look complete. you should do this as soon as possible. even though your cabinets are stained dark, the wood under the stain, will still age. this means, after a certain number of years (depending on the wood species) the new door will be a tiny bit lighter than the original kitchen. so do it soon, should you choose this option.

I did read dune other posts and yes, it's correct,

sorry, posted to soon...

I did read other posts and yes, it's correct, you need to have some ventilation space directly above your appliance. This is why I would select the 15" high cabinet and not an 18". I would also suggest that you take the original apron, have it cut down to about 2"-2 1/2", then placed back up, underneath your new cabinet, too choose in some of that leftover, 3" or so, open space.

Your cabinet would function a lot like like this one picture below, for example. However, the door would of course, match your existing style and stain.

There are a lot of great suggestions on this thread, so you should be able to come up with a great solution. Please, keep us updated, with what you ultimately decided to do to finish the space above your refrigerator.

(I apologize for any typos as I posted part one before I had a chance to edit, lol)

What about a curtain with decorative fabric... Tht would be the easiest and fastest fix

What about a shelf edged or stained to match the cabinets and then stack some of your favorite (and prettier) cookbooks on it.

We had the same issue and lifted the frig,had it sitting on a cabinet matching box.It is perfect to not have to bend over so low!!!

whar is your theme ? My them r chefs, so I have some chef plates on top of my refrigerator. I put it on a stand and its safe.

I had the same issue and turned it into a wine rack. Never had a problem with heat, loved the look too!

I would add a wine rack! Something like shown but in diagonal

Great ideas suggested!
This one seems to have a little of everything...
http://houzz.com/photos/739165

I really like Christine Hilton's idea, had never thought of that. Doesn't that make it hard to pull the fridge out for cleaning, though?

A wine rack would fill the space and also be useful. stain it the color of the cabinets, or buy a stainless steel one to blend with the fridge.

The box we built had wheels that were not visible.

Extend cabinet down so it looks like a built in.

The cabinet looks like espresso, did you install cabinets? A installer can help you.

Try a great piece of art glass.

I would suggest a custom rectangular box, made of a matte black plastic/resin, filled with high quality synthetic tall grasses. It would add a beautiful Zen-like decorative element to the space.

Another possibility - is to install a grille made of an optically transparent material - and place a Bluetooth/WiFi speaker up there. You could keep the Remote Control in the Kitchen somewhere, or even use your SmartPhone. And you could listen to the radio, podcasts, or music while cooking or entertaining (or both).

I can think of a third option - you can make a homemade shadow box (essentially a frame that has depth to it) and you could then use it to frame some beautiful artwork or family relics. You could even put in a panoramic photo. And you could get a cheap under cabinet LED light to illuminate the space and bring some further visual interest to the kitchen.

Option (1) the wine rack idea. (2) a nice shelf to display recipe books in (3) a beautiful piece of glassware to match the main colour of your kitchen. If your husband is handy he could make the shelf and match the colour of the other cabinetry. Or the installer can help but that would be costly.

I have filled the space on top of my fridge with 2 stained crates, one for chips and one for bread. They each have a handle on the end end so they're easy to take down.

add a cabinet space with any inexpensive door (IKEA?) and cover the doors with peel-and-stick stainless steel film to match the fridge, e.g. from amazon http://www.amazon.com/Dishwasher-Instant-Stick-Stainless-Steel/dp/B00DMJ85QW

One will ruin wine if not kept at a certain temperature in warm weather.

We built a pedestal with pull out drawers to lift the fridge and fill the space... Great storage area.

You could hang wine glasses

Screw cup hooks into the ceiling and hang some blingy decorations or ornaments from it.

know that I will be the dull kid on the block but would try to keep this area open as much as possible for purposes of allowing heat to escape from back of refrigerator -- replacing the unit would be more expensive than letting things stand as they are

2 perfect size baskets, the most beautiful you can find, put knobs on the bottom for ventilation, allow each to have a tossed cover of beautiful linen that you love (we have washing machines these days) put anything in that you want but tag them with a string tags you don't forget what is inside. It's a nice space don't give it up. Use it how you want.

I have a small collection of white creamers, teapots, pitchers that I think would look cute. or a low ceramic bowl.

It's where I put my 50lb rice bags

here's what i did, but a number of Houzzers didn't like it,,,so i just offer it so you can see what it looks like.

sorry, meant to add photo...here

Wine rack, recipe books, love glass displays

I know this is an old thread, but apparently it is a somewhat common problem so I thought I'd add on for anyone else who might be searching for ideas.

1. A low-maintenance plant-- low cost DIY, no ventilation/heat issues, and could add to the aesthetics instead of becoming an eyesore like add-on woodwork. If you've ever tried to match stain or wood grain on floors, furniture or cabinets, you probably agree even the slightest difference is noticeable.

I would choose a wide, short rectangular ceramic planter in a solid color (maybe black or grey?), or even an accent color you have used elsewhere or could coordinate with inexpensive accessories.

2. A low shelf, as many others suggested, but using the existing horizontal panel (or part of it) as the front trim for the shelf. This way it will be perfectly matched and any differences in the finish of the actual shelf won't be visible.

Wine rack/ a shelf/ taller fridge / single door hinges on the top/ or get rid of the fridge and make the whole space a pantry

the folks at Rockler woodworking stores are able to do awesome work color matching stain. I like the low shelf idea.

We actually have a cabinet above the frig, but it doesn't come out near as far as the new frig does (2 years old, now) and we almost never want what is in it. The new frig came with flat blue tooth Harman Kardon speakers made to tuck in behind the door hinges, so you don't see it and its controls 'til you open a frig door. On top of that, to raise it high enough, we put a clock with very large red digits for time and day/date.

We love having the small but powerful speakers in the kitchen. So if this one breaks, we'll get another. No ventilation issue and we don't care whether the clock matches decor. The kitchen is our unconventional hub of the house.

You can probably find an “over door” (which is a ready made decorative panel ) if the color it comes in does not suit you, you can paint or stain it.