I thought this was a pedestal at first, too, but it looks like they painted the grill white instead. It looks weird, but maybe it's just because I'm used to seeing it black.
It's obvious that it's sitting on a raised platform; maybe the owners are tall. The grille doesn't appear to be original. The wall above the refrigerator is a strange location to place a loudspeaker, as they are usually in the ceiling.
It's definitely on a platform, the baseboard heat would prevent it from being pulled out, they raised it higher than the baseboard to allow it to be moved LOL