Kitchens Are About To Lose All Their Personality
Magnets can't stick to some new refrigerators, and that's by design.
For my entire life, the refrigerator door has been the place to display family photos, failed reminders to pay that parking ticket, and takeout menus, each secured with an array of personalized refrigerator magnets picked up at various points in our lives. Apparently I've been taking that function for granted, because The Wall Street Journal reports that fewer manufacturers than ever before are producing kitchen appliances that are magnet-friendly.
Why magnets don’t work on some new refrigerators
It all comes down to form over function: Higher-end refrigerator manufacturers say that many customers now prefer finishes that don't support magnets, in part because they don't like the look of a refrigerator door crammed with magnets. Okay, I admit my own fridge could probably use a decluttering, but I'm still surprised that people would willingly purchase something with less functionality than the version they had before.
Lisa King, senior manager of marketing operations at Electrolux, , told the WSJ that magnets would "take away from the premium look" of higher-end models. Consider me a lowly peasant, then, I guess.
However, I don't have to fear losing the ferromagnetic surface of my refrigerator anytime soon, because even if I move somewhere new, I probably wouldn't be in a home with a premium fridge. Most units include the simple, trustworthy Frigidaires I'm used to, which are cheaper and—good news for my parking tickets—still magnetic.
In the ultramodern age, we're all trying to prove that our homes are "streamlined" and Marie Kondo'd and free of personality, and kitchens are a huge part of conveying that illusion. I wonder if the loss of magnetic fridges means that demand for kitchen cork boards will slowly rise. More likely, those holiday photos of loved ones will end up in a lonely drawer, all for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses.