If you think about it, the way we treat our interior walls has not changed very much in the last hundred years (at least). We paint or paper the walls, then hang pictures, paintings or photographs (and maybe the television). Once these are hung, they remain in place, unless swapped for others, using the same picture hook or nail. And so, the general layout of our walls stays the same.

But what if you could alter the layout of your wall decorations as often as you liked? Move and rearrange heavy frames, mirrors, and pictures whenever the fancy took you, and add or subtract any number of items according to your mood. You are probably thinking this is way too much work, and you are not going to ruin your walls by drilling into them whenever you fancy a change of scene.

Well drill no more. You can move your wall decorations around at ease and to your heart’s content thanks to a revolutionary new product from British Gypsum called Thistle Magnetic Plaster, which is plaster that is magnetic (the clue is in the name). It’s groundbreaking (though not wall-breaking) and I was very excited to be introduced to it.

 

I first heard about Magnetic Plaster when my bf came home raving about it from a demonstration he’d seen at a Grand Designs show. I work in an art gallery, and always looking for solutions as to how to display the changing artworks produced by our visitors in the education area, and this product could just be the answer.

I had a chance to experience this fantastic product myself at a recent showcase by British Gypsum, who have come up with a range of products, which will radically alter how we think about and use our homes: Thistle Magnetic Plaster, Lifestyle Wall (a solid and soundproof plasterboard that you can screw into without pre-drilling), and Silent Floor (a system that outperforms the soundproofing of standard floors by up to 15dB).

These three products have the capacity to not only improve the look and feel of our interiors, but also to change the way we use them.

With Magnetic Plaster, walls become a canvas on which to express changing tastes; they can be painted over with specialist paint, like chalkboard paint, to become a magnetic blackboard; or transform into a storage and display area (I’m thinking metal spice jars on the kitchen walls, but the possibilities are endless).

 

 

You may be wondering how it works, well – just like normal plaster really – it just needs a slightly thicker application, about 3mm. Then in every other way it acts like normal plaster. Metal (or any objects) won’t stick to it unless backed with a magnet, so no worries about getting pulled towards the wall by a handful of loose change in your pocket. Think of it like the surface of a fridge.

 

 

The weight it will take will depend on the strength of the magnet – there are such strong ones out there that you can hang great weights with confidence, but also lovely slim ones which would be ideal for attaching to children’s drawings.

I think we will see Magnetic Plaster becoming very popular, in homes and offices (and art galleries?). I’m sure future design historians will look back in wonder at the years that came before its invention, wondering how we put up with static displays for so long.

You can find out more about Thistle Magnetic Plaster, including where to buy and how to apply it, on the Rooms Made For You website.