The image-clad steel door in photographer Emily Johnston‘s apartment sharpened our eyes for the magnetic surfaces that already exist in many homes. (It may take us a while to employ Holton Rower’s idea of cladding a wall with iron painted to match the room, to create a secretly-magnetized wall on which to instantly display images.)

The way to find out if something is magnetized is to simply run a magnet over it. We have a range of sizes and holding strengths that we bought from K&J Magnetics; they are amazingly useful.

Here are the magnetized surfaces we’ve found so far: our steel apartment door, the medicine cabinet door (inside and out), iron bathtubs, certain walls that have steel studs behind them, and especially, the refrigerator door. Rather than tacking the usual small photos, mementos and lists to it, we’re contemplating having a poster made that would cover its entire surface, mural-like. This image gives the gist (though it was actually air-brushed on):

We might go for something graphic, like this type doodle we made playing around in Photoshop…

…or something inspired by the great designer of the 40’s and 50’s, Alvin Lustig:

…or perhaps, a sign:

…

…or a photo…

Lots of possibilities.

top image via San Francisco Girl By the Bay via Rue Magazine; bottom image by LukeSobczakAirbrush via DeviantArt