Minimalist Birdhouse

A while ago I was perusing Design Sponge and ran across this modern birdhouse which I liked very much.  I was reading the comments on the post and was struck by one mentioning the material used for the birdhouse- polystyrene.  He (or she) said-- "um, yeah it's cute - but are birds really going to live in a polystyrene house?"-- among many other things.  I really encourage you to go and read the other comments, they were very enlightening.

I love well designed products as much as the next guy, but I have come to realize that sometimes it just represents excess.  So, this is my twist on a more natural modern birdhouse.  We often see gourd birdhouses, but they are usually left unpainted, or are painted decoratively.  How about just a simple coat of non-toxic paint?  Add in a little twig perch.  This is the time of year to pick up gourds at your farmer's market to preserve, or better yet, buy one predried, cleaned and drilled right here.

I like their simple graphic quality, and would love to see many of them dotting a wooded area.  We have a woods across from our house that has a few nature trails in it, and I considered painting a bunch of them and hanging them over there.  My only hesitation is that someone would steal them. 

They would also make nice holiday gifts for those "hard to craft for" men in our lives.  What kinds of gifts are you making this year?

Comments

[Kate]

I just looked at the designer birdhouse on Design Sponge and I think your's is so much cuter! And better for the environment. I'm adding this to my list of crafts to make. Thanks for another great idea!

[Alicia A.]

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE your version.

[Alicia G.]

Oh my word. I love this. Brilliant!

[Sarah Jackson]

Goodness! That is so cute. Nice work!

[Blair]

this is more than fantastic!!!! I may have to adapt this for our birds here, really brilliant (love the color).

[Junie Moon]

Your pear birdhouse is wonderful. It's pretty but also safe for the birds. I love the idea of making them out of gourds. I recently posted a gourd painting project but never even thought about a birdhouse.

[sally]

This is such a fantastic idea!!

[Alicia]

Love it Courtney! These would look great dotting the woods behind our house.

[Jolanda]

You're so right! A perfect gift for the man. I confess, I wouldn't think of another gift to make for my man, but this can be the start of something new!
Thank you so much!

[erin]

this is wonderful....my sister in law would love it!

[Angela]

Wonderful! I remember bookmarking the design sponge one awhile back, but yours is just too perfect. Thank you for sharing. Did you use a non-toxic outdoor paint? Just curious. I hope you all are doing well. :)

[Tara]

I'm making aprons, crayon roll ups, pajamas and (hopefully) a couple of dolls.

[molly]

i love your perspective on this project courtney--your alternative to the original design that inspired you. the dialog on ds was very good to read. i like the poster's attention to the fact that we seem nature-obsessed, without much attention to our crafts impact on nature or real relevance to nature.
it's given something good to stew on this evening.

I absolutely LOVE the birdhouse, by the way. did I say that already? we made them one summer when I taught a little nature camp...this has me craving to do it with my girls.

[Anna]

Very cute. Love it. I love gourds in general, too. For Christmas I'm making a quilt, spinning a bunch of yarn, a set of place mats, and tons of other stuff...but none of it can be posted until after...

[Melissa H]

This is great. I just came across a box of free, dried gourds at work and didn't take any because I didn't have a project in mind and gosh knows I don't need to hoard more craft supplies. I'll have to go back and see if there are any left!

[laurie]

Now THAT is a good idea!

[mary]

really, really great. thanks so much for sharing the idea!

[stuffed]

*Love, Love, Love* it!

In case that's unclear, I really like it. Congrats. I have similar issues about design.

[johanna]

I LOVE this bird house idea! I saw some gourds last week at the farmers' market and loved the way they looked (these had been painted similarly to the one shown here), but didn't know what I would do with it. This is a great project to do with my children! Thanks!

[grace]

Oh my goodness this is wonderful!! I must make some right away. Definately Christmas giftable.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful idea.

[Mefuza]

what a brilliant idea. always something creative. thanks.

[anna b]

that is so cool! i am totally going to make these for christmas presents (: looks you you drilled a hole for the twig? i saw some glass houses in this design a while back and they were ridiculously expensive...thanks for sharing this project.

[robin]

my 2 year old daughter is obsessed with birdhouses so this would be a perfect activity for her. how exactly did you drill the hole for the twig? i'm a bit of a klutz and don't want to mess up the project.

[mrspilkington]

It's beautiful. Thanks for sharing your ingenuity, and thank you for the link -- great discussion!

[mrs fendi]

What finish does your paint have?

[lindsey clare]

your birdhouse reminds me of a Marimekko pear. i love it!

[Jon]

Wow that is awesome my birdies will be housed in style this year! thank you so much for sharing this.

[SmurfPop]

To be honest, birdhouses aren't really my thing (!) but this is brilliant! So modern but still natural x

[Selah]

Well done, that is just pure beauty. I love the way it's simple and natural yet very modern and sophisticated. Can a bird house even be sophisticated? Now we know WHY YES IT CAN!!!

[Hanna]

that is one cool pear - and useful! Love it! I posted a pear project last week!

happy October!

[Lynne]

Very interesting discussion... a lot to think about on that topic.

Love the birdhouse!!

[michelle]

this is fantastic, i love finding new birdhouses and one that is homemade and super cute is always a huge plus!

[clara]

i agree with you that designs turned into products do become excess and your gourd idea is certainly much better!

[amandajean]

I love this!

[Elsita]

You are GREAT!
Very inspiring.
It is true that we still have to teach ourselves so much about how to protect our planet. We hear about it all the time but our ignorance or lack of interest is huge... Creative and sensitive people like you are key!!! Thank you so much!
Elsita :)

[Jess]

This is wonderful! I thin I'm going to have my Brownie girls make this, thanks for sharing!

[christina]

What a cute little pear!

I found a cool, modern birdhouse on www.julib.com. It's shaped like an egg and is for small birds. Check it out. Search for "chick magnet"!

[crafts]

This is just cute. A pear bird house is really a cool stuff to have on a lawn on somewhere it will be useful.

Kris

[Magic]

just a thought ... do NOT put a perch on your gourd houses - predator birds will sit on there and wreck havoc with the eggs or baby birds inside.