Brooms for the 1 percent?
March 3, 2021 8:38 AM Subscribe
What is the best quality, high-end, luxury kitchen broom/ dustpan combination that money can buy? Natural materials preferred. Let's pretend there is no upper limit on price, the more ridiculous the better.
I'm assuming Roobas and maids are not to be considered, so try this broom/dustpan combo from West Elm for $159
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:55 AM on March 3, 2021
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:55 AM on March 3, 2021
Handcrafted in Colorado
Made in Germany
Swedish made
posted by Ideefixe at 8:55 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Made in Germany
Swedish made
posted by Ideefixe at 8:55 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Goode Japanese Cypress broom for $200 Sort of looks worth it compared to the West Elm and Pottery Barn versions.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:58 AM on March 3, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:58 AM on March 3, 2021 [5 favorites]
Takada brooms made of hinoki wood are a Japanese traditional craft. $200 plus $65 for the handmade wooden dustpan.
posted by ananci at 9:00 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ananci at 9:00 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Don't forget the dustpan, The_Vegetables.
Also, just a small hand broom and dustpan, but brass and horsehair, $370, made in Chicago.
posted by papayaninja at 9:00 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also, just a small hand broom and dustpan, but brass and horsehair, $370, made in Chicago.
posted by papayaninja at 9:00 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also, check out these brooms: Custodian brooms.
posted by papayaninja at 9:05 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by papayaninja at 9:05 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Hire a full-time researcher.* They research all known traditional broom plants worldwide (example: Plants traditionally used to make brooms in several European countries). They then research the ideal locations for each of these plants. Climate, microclimate, habitat, soil, watershed, and so forth. Hire someone else to hire and manage local teams to purchase land in each location, and to then grow the ideal habitats for the various broom plants.
You then go on a round-the-world journey (mostly on food, with a sailboat to cross oceans) to harvest the broom material from each place. Early in your journey, stop in at at several broom-manufacturing sweatshops along the way and hire all interested workers to come with you. At every broom plant location, they train you in broom-making skills. Carefully squirrel away some broom material from each plant as you go. At the end of your journey, you take your hiking staff** and add all the material you gathered along the way.
Make the broom.
*Anyone hired in this story is an employee (not a contractor) and is paid an excellent living wage. All expenses paid.
** The hiking staff is made from particularly unimpressive wood (maybe it fell off a tree in a big snowstorm when you were walking on icy sidewalk at the time and needed whatever stick was handy) that would not otherwise be noteworthy except that it has served you well all the way around the world.
posted by aniola at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2021 [15 favorites]
You then go on a round-the-world journey (mostly on food, with a sailboat to cross oceans) to harvest the broom material from each place. Early in your journey, stop in at at several broom-manufacturing sweatshops along the way and hire all interested workers to come with you. At every broom plant location, they train you in broom-making skills. Carefully squirrel away some broom material from each plant as you go. At the end of your journey, you take your hiking staff** and add all the material you gathered along the way.
Make the broom.
*Anyone hired in this story is an employee (not a contractor) and is paid an excellent living wage. All expenses paid.
** The hiking staff is made from particularly unimpressive wood (maybe it fell off a tree in a big snowstorm when you were walking on icy sidewalk at the time and needed whatever stick was handy) that would not otherwise be noteworthy except that it has served you well all the way around the world.
posted by aniola at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2021 [15 favorites]
I was just about to post Custodian also (though the real 1% answer is to not do any sweeping because you have people who do that for you, and then you're not concerned with them having the fanciest broom.)
posted by primethyme at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2021
posted by primethyme at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2021
The dustpan is a sheet of paper pulled from the nearest recycle bin.
posted by aniola at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by aniola at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2021 [3 favorites]
How about:
posted by scruss at 9:12 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
- Dustpan no.4 – Harimi, from Objects of Use;
- Horse hair Vienna broom, also from Objects of Use;
- Kake Tosaka, Objects of Use again;
- Magnetic Dustpan & Brush Set, from The Oxford Brush Company;
- Standing Brush Set: Beechwood and Steel Plate by Maier Haushaltspflege, from Manufactum;
- Broom for Cellar and Garage, also from Manufactum;
- American Wool Mop by Slack Mop, also from Manufactum;
- Broom, by Tom Bonamici.
posted by scruss at 9:12 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
I've already been outdone on price, but the Berea College Broomcraft program has a very cool history and mission, and the brooms are gorgeous.
posted by dizziest at 9:48 AM on March 3, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by dizziest at 9:48 AM on March 3, 2021 [9 favorites]
The dustpan is a sheet of paper pulled from the nearest recycle bin.
For a decade, my dustpan was the lid of a scarf box from Tiffany.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:53 AM on March 3, 2021 [3 favorites]
For a decade, my dustpan was the lid of a scarf box from Tiffany.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:53 AM on March 3, 2021 [3 favorites]
Some very pretty ones in this Apartment Therapy list
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:03 AM on March 3, 2021
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:03 AM on March 3, 2021
Goat hair broom for parqet floors from Redecker, Germany.
posted by 15L06 at 11:50 AM on March 3, 2021
posted by 15L06 at 11:50 AM on March 3, 2021
Was also going to suggest Redecker - here, here and here.
posted by rdnnyc at 1:12 PM on March 3, 2021
posted by rdnnyc at 1:12 PM on March 3, 2021
Thank you all for the high-end broom thread I had no idea I needed so badly
posted by jebs at 1:22 PM on March 3, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by jebs at 1:22 PM on March 3, 2021 [8 favorites]
Not in the market for broom but I looked at every link and now I know what I want for Xmas.
posted by charlesminus at 6:57 PM on March 3, 2021
posted by charlesminus at 6:57 PM on March 3, 2021
Came here to recommend the Berea brooms. I have one and it's gorgeous (I do not use it for sweeping). I once took a short class at the Berea broom workshop, the craftsmanship is incredible to see in action.
posted by mostly vowels at 6:58 PM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mostly vowels at 6:58 PM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
3rding Berea brooms, I have a beauty from their program hanging on my wall!
posted by Behemoth, in no. 302-bis, with the Browning at 4:30 PM on March 5, 2021
posted by Behemoth, in no. 302-bis, with the Browning at 4:30 PM on March 5, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amtho at 8:55 AM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]