You can’t fail to have noticed these lovely little wooden birds in interiors shops and homes in Denmark. My little baby one was one of my first Danish design items and I recall my husband being horrified by the price but delighted me with one for our first Christmas here nevertheless.

So why are these small little birds so iconic and expensive? They were designed by Kristian Vedel (1923-2003), a Danish industrial designer and part of the Scandinavian design movement, in1959. He designed three different yet interchangeable birds to represent three generations of a family. You can change the position of the head to show different emotions and the body can be used both ways to change its look. If you are lucky enough to own a whole family you can swap the heads and bodies to create different family groups.

And why are they so expensive? In a world of cheap mass produced tat these little birds are handmade now by a small Danish wood turner and Danish trained wood turners in Beijing. That skill and the time it takes costs money.

I love my little bird, he makes me smile even in his sad position. If you would like your own little iconic bird and you live outside Denmark you can get them here (and many other places.