Are Fridge Magnets ‘Lowbrow’? Appliance Manufacturers Have Decided: Yes

Are Fridge Magnets ‘Lowbrow’? Appliance Manufacturers Have Decided: Yes

How fridge-magnet lovers are coping with an industry move away from magnetic materials. Plus three tips for anyone who refuses to give up the habit of slapping mementos on their coolers.

CHILLY GALLERY New, nonmagnetic fridge fronts make displays like this impossible. Photo: F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal

WHEN RYAN BRADLEY, a freelance editor in Los Angeles, went shopping for a new refrigerator five years ago, he immediately ran into issues. Bradley, 40 years old, didn’t need Bluetooth connectivity or smudge-proof finishes—he just wanted something to stick his magnets to. But not only were most salespeople unsure if floor models were magnet-friendly, they were surprised he cared. “I felt like a crazy person,” he said. 

Few fridge buyers still covet ferromagnetic surfaces, those to which magnets stick, says Mattia Sala, product manager at appliance manufacturer Smeg. That his brand’s retro-style, candy-colored refrigerators are not magnetic “almost never comes up” among customers, he said. Marc Hottenroth, executive director of industrial design at GE Appliances, says most people view magnetism as a bonus, not a required feature.