These designer dustpans might sweep you off your feet

Is there any tool more utilitarian than a dustpan? Living in a small apartment, I use the plain plastic one under my kitchen sink as much as any other cleaning tool. But I never gave much thought to it until I came across another one online that was downright beautiful.

Oiled beechwood with horsehair bristles, the modern little pan-and-brush set was made in Sweden. At $39, it wasn't outrageously priced for a home accessory, but it was way more than I'd ever consider paying for a dustpan. (And I'd never considered buying a table brush set, which this was, at all.)

That's when Pinterest sent me down the rabbit hole: a persimmon-tannin-coated pan designed and made in Japan. A shiny steel dustpan with a handle of sustainably harvested German beechwood. A Finnish pan with a modern and elegant swoop of plastic.

They're all just so pretty — and, yes, expensive. I couldn't help but think it seemed such a waste to put so much thought and money into an item few people actually display. But as Marie Kondo might say, what matters is whether an item brings you joy. And if an artisanal dustpan can bring joy to the act of cleaning up crumbs, maybe it's worth checking out a few.

Five dustpans to check out:

• Amara's The Menu Sweeper & Funnel ($70, us.amara.com) fit neatly together when not in use.

• Kauffman Mercantile's Beechwood Horsehair Table Brush Set ($39, kaufmann-mercantile.com) is out of stock now but expected to return.

• Life Without Plastic's Plastic-Free Stainless Steel Delta Dustpan with Wooden Handle ($29.95, lifewithoutplastic.com) is made in Germany “using old world techniques and modern designs and technology.”

• The persimmon-tannin-coated Harimi Dustpan by Sojirushi, sold by Nalata Nalata ($22-27, shop.nalatanalata.com), has an adorable first-person description: “As much as I hate to boast, I usually leave the job feeling squeaky clean and triumphant.”

• Stelton's compact plastic and lotus wood Sweep-It dustpan and brush set ($25, huset-shop.com) can be hung on a wall or hidden in a cabinet.