Food scraps are hard things to come to terms with. It doesn't seem sensible to toss them to the mercy of the landfill and composting is a (sometimes smelly) commitment. Japanese designers Kurasuhito Kurasutokoro and Yusuke Komatsu have created a golden option for those unsightly food throw-aways: Cut Piece. Using leftover pieces of veggies and fruits cast in pure copper, they offer an aptly themed series of kitchen accessories.

The repurposed scraps are suggestive of certain functionalities, but can be used in many different ways. Discarded apple halves become recipe book weights, cherry stems transform into golden spears for hor d'oeuvres and lotus root slices moonlight as trivets.

As the designer's website explains, the copper patinas much like denim after a lot of wear—much like the organic pieces hidden underneath all of the copper.

The Japanese designers recently showed off their work at Japan@BKLYN DESIGNS—an exhibition featuring Japanese designers inspired by Brooklyn's design aesthetic. You can purchase Cut Piece on Graf or check out more work from Kurasutokoro and Komatsuhere.

Via PSFK