Get Swept Away

Ok, we know what you're thinking '$300 for a broom?!?' [Insert Harry Potter joke here]. Seriously though, when Kara first discovered this broom from Brooklyn-based Custodian Studio she said "I just couldn't help myself".

KEPT believes you should love what you use. Love how it looks. And love how something’s made. That's why we enlisted, sculptor turned broom maker, Erin Rouse of Custodian to create two exceptional and exclusive brooms. Crafted by hand, each looks like a work of art (and it is). Even better, each works like a charm.

Brooklyn Based Custodian Studio

Unlike plastic brooms, these beauties absorb dust and dirt, wear extremely well, and beg not to be hidden away.

It takes time to craft a broom like this. Weeks, in fact. Erin starts by inspecting every piece of corn by hand, removing the rough center part. Not a common practice, but it results in a much more supple broom. The bundles are sorted by length, soaked in hot water to soften ‘em up, and then dried and dyed.

Inspecting and Sorting the Broom Corn

For Erin, even the wood the broom is made of matters. Sourced from sustainable forests from the Midwest, she chose her handles thoughtfully–oak brings power and maple brings prosperity into the home. Each handle is hand-shaped and faceted, then rasped smooth and finely-honed.

Sustainably sourced oak and maple broom hnadle

Once everything’s prepped and ready, only then can a broom be born. Using an 1890’s broom machine, the bundles are deftly added, wired and winded with copper, layered shoulder after shoulder (7-10 in all), and coaxed into shape. 

an 1890’s broom machine

No detail too small, the neck is artfully weaved with wire, a real time-consumer, but so worth it. A little sanding and wax, whew. Done and dusted.

Corn Brooms wired and winded with copper

Yes, there’s an art to this. Any wonder why our breathtaking broom is your next must-have?

natural Maple and ebonized Oak handmade brooms