Now the furniture and furnishings trade’s second most influential happening, 3daysofdesign Copenhagen is often synonymous with images of well-crafted Danish modernist wooden chairs, sophisticatedly conceived luminaires, and other luxurious wares. Few realize that the citywide festival also plays host to the expanded, ever-loosely defined field of design, welcoming brands working across everything from acoustic solutions to home tech. Taking the world by storm with its wildly successful canary-shaped indoor climate monitor four years ago, local startup Birdie has just introduced an expanded range of home products and naturally chose this event, which took place earlier this month, to do so.
The company emerged in 2022 with the simple but ingenious proposition of making our interiors healthier. According to founder Hans Høite Augustenborg, we spend 90 percent of our lives indoors but rarely know how fresh—or harmful—the air we breathe might be. The short-term implications are manifold: headaches, allergies, asthma, and sleep disorders. The long-term effects are even more alarming.
The cute, almost cartoon-like inaugural product does one simple thing, but it can have a significant impact. Its zoomorphic form drops down when air quality is poor, prompting homeowners to open a window. It is a seemingly innocuous act that can make a world of difference. As conditions improve, the bird regains life and re-ascends to its original upright position.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Birdie launched three new products and unveiled them through a naturally playful yet informative display at its central Copenhagen studio. On view were the next-generation Birdie Pro monitor, Birdie Podium air purifier, and Birdie Flame LED candle. This fresh and refreshed gamut rounds out what the brand offers and how it carries out its central mission.
The updated Birdie Pro introduces more advanced sensors, app support, and smart-home integration. All of this was integrated without taking away from its core analog function, which made it popular in the first place. Perhaps most aligned with that image of the wooden Danish chair mentioned before, Birdie Podium is an air purifier housed within a carefully assembled piece of furniture. A far cry from comparable products, in which aesthetics — the look and feel of a device’s shell — are often an afterthought, this new apparatus presents as a crystalline pedestal, even a minimalist side table. Shouldn’t all home-tech devices be reconsidered along these lines?
Perhaps placed atop Birdie Podium, Birdie Flame is as simple yet innovative as its counterparts. Few people realize how much pollution a conventional candle emits. The LED alternative replicates its flicker. Adding the same level of play and degree of physical engagement not normally associated with advanced technology as the original Birdie, the device is activated with the same gesture as lighting a match. There is no need for what are, in fact, cumbersome remotes, buttons, and apps.
To learn more about the brand, visit birdie.design.
Photography by Theis Bothmann and Kasper Westergaard Nielsen.
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