Brooklyn to West's Ariele has done it again. In my opinion, she's the junkyard, dumpster diving, demo-ed house DIY Queen. This gal finds discarded household materials throughout Brooklyn and transforms them into artistic, thoughtful, and beautiful everyday objects. Most recently, she's taken floorboards and changed them into cheese boards. Genius? YES!
Ariele never ceases to amaze me. I've been hooked on Brooklyn to West ever since Daniel of Manhattan Nest added it to his blogroll. If you haven't read about her cross country journey collecting wood, chairs, and artwork needed to design AND literally build a restaurant in Northern California, do it. You will not be disappointed. It's a story filled with ingenuity, creativity, 24-handmade tables, and a general "if you build it, they will come" spirit.
If you couldn't tell, I'm a huge Brooklyn to West fan. I woke up today to find a new ingenious before and after from Ariele. She stumbled upon trashed 10-inch floorboards from a house demo in her neighborhood and turned them into...cheese boards! Yes, cheese boards! After washing and sanding the discarded floorboards for hours, she's taken the saying "another man's trash is another man's treasure" to a whole new level. The cheese boards are beautifully crafted and embody what I think Ariele is all about: giving discarded, overlooked, mundane objects an artistic and utilitarian second chance.
Ariele will hopefully (fingers crossed!) be selling the cheese boards, along with other one-of-a-kind household goods in her online shop. These would make a great holiday gift so be sure to check it out.
Check out the full post about the floorboard makeover over at Brooklyn to West.
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I've been a big fan of Ariele and her blog, but did not know she had an online shop! Thanks for sharing, I'm going there right now!
What?! So I'm going to cut my cheese (pardon my French) on the boards I was once walking on?...
I agree, nice to look at, I would never put food on it.
coach store? too bad it horned in here..negative..BUT, my first thought was 'feet'..'shoes' can't get past that..:{
Well, those didn't take too long to sell out.
Not!! How is this sanitary?
it's as if all of you would have us believe, mass produced, pesticide laden boards with chemical sealant are so much safer and somehow earth friendly... lol oh at, you crack me up.
I meant that at all the posters declaring how "unsanitary" this is. It is perfectly fine and the seal is food grade. They're cool, and if i needed a cheeseboard i'd be down for one.
What seal? They are sanded down and washed, and clearly not otherwise finished with anything. I'd be more worried about residue from previous stains and varnishes than dirt or germs.
Wood is actually naturally resistant to bacteria growth - wood cutting boards have been shown to be more sanitary than plastic.
@ sunny, i was referring to ones from big box stores like ikea, west elm etc. those that are "treated"... they aren't safer, cleaner or anything of the sort - like you said wood is very sanitary under the right conditions- and these are actually cool and different (and handmade).
As the builder of these boards, I understand everybody's concerns. Here's the facts: wood is wood, in that it can be cleaned and sanded down to a fresh, clean layer any time. That's exactly what I did. There is no part of these boards that have been "walked on" anymore. Reclaimed wood is used all the time, for everything, because wood is sanitary and adaptable. These can also be treated with a natural wax or walnut oil to make them just like any other hand made board out there.
Trees grow from...wait for it... dirt! OMG...I don't think I'll ever use a wood product again.
Seriously people, she sanded and washed the floorboards. They're perfectly fine to eat off.
Always a HUGE source of amusement...reading the comments here.
(btw, love the cheeseboards)
so beautiful
I was chuckling about the fear of bacteria - Have anyone ever looked at cheese under a microscope? If you'd like to continue eating cheese - don't!
I think you should have thought about how the timber is treated before turning it into something you eat off. Wood used in building is usually treated with Chromated copper arsenate. I found the following information on http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Food-and-Agriculture/CCATreatedTimber.aspx...
"The main concern with CCA is that it contains arsenic. While not a mutagen, arsenic acts as a carcinogen when ingested at rates above certain tolerable limits. It may initiate skin and liver cancers."
Of course this in an Australia website but CCA has been used in treating timber in the US and is now somewhat restricted by the EPA - it can only be used in shingles and for permanent foundations. You're better off using untreated timer and by untreated I mean untreated using highly toxic chemicals. Washing and oiling won't do much good. And the fact that they're now unsealed, you've got to think about what you've unleashed.
Aesthetically, the cheeseboards look great. Still wouldn't eat off them, though.
NEWSFLASH: Nearly everything you come into contact with on a daily basis, including things you eat off of and with, are covered in bacteria and carcinogens. We're all gonna die eventually and from something. May as well go out in style with an awesome cheeseboard.
Seriously?! How much cheese do you eat that you would be concerned about ingesting enough of anything in the wood to do your body serious harm. The body is an amazing thing, and can handle small amounts of nearly any lesser poison: alcohol, marijuana, tobacco - all poisons, and all flushable. Relax, breathe deep, and enjoy a worry-free life.
Om, Shanti, Peace.