Burd-Haus by Nathan Danials: A Mid Century Modern Birdhouse Journey

As I peered into my lonely backyard and garden space, I noticed that, amongst a host of other needs, my yard needed a birdhouse. Because both my fiance and I lean towards the modern end of the design spectrum, I thought it would be relatively easy to find a modern looking fowl dwelling. Well, it was most certainly not. One look on ebay and a few google searches left me wanting for a the perfect birdhouse with a mid century feel. The ones I did find were very cool, but didn't really seem quite right. I found that most modern birdhouse builders were either architectural firms that basically sell home design scale models. Ruling out the two bedroom models, I started to find some really cool, and very modern birdhouses. The birdhouse pictured above is one of my favorites. 

Despite not finding the perfect birdhouse for me, I decided that I could make my own. Leveraging your carpentry and design skills is always invigorating. The first birdhouses I was inspired by were the famous Weller designs. But instead of just having a sleeping room for the birds, I thought I'd include a outdoor space as well. The house above is one of my favorite builds. I used simple materials and quite a bit of time to finish properly. I found that Mid century home designs work really well for birdhouses. 

After making a few larger scale birdhouses, I began to think from a more simple approach both from a design and build point of view. Having seen several modern birdhouses made from birch plywood, I started to experiment with several shapes and sizes. At this point, I had about ten birdhouses built and in my garage, so my fiance suggested strongly that I either sell them or stop building them. Since there was no way I could see myself stopping anytime soon, I opened my own Etsy shop with these and several other pieces made earlier. You can visit my shop here if you're so inclined.

Now back to my birch birdhouse. Using a single sheet of two sided birch plywood, I made several designs. I landed on the one to the right after editing several times. I found that by using three repeating holes on the box and the support made the best impression from a distance. The second birdhouse in the box form was along the same design thought, but with some added color. When I tested the chartreuse birdhouse to the right, I felt that perhaps the birds would be put off by the color. But after two days, I noticed the first finch check out the inside. 

By this time, I compiled about twenty modern birdhouse designs and executed about six or so finished houses. From a materials standpoint, I wanted to make as little impact as possible with my new found hobby. Beautiful reclaimed redwood like the birdhouse above, was reclaimed from some great old solid paneling found at a reuse center. I'm not going to say it was cheap, but it's always more responsible to repurpose when you can. Besides, redwood like this is not available any longer anyway. 

I will keep updating this hub with my newest designs as I build them. I hope I haven't offended all the mid century modern purists out there, but my efforts have produced some pieces that I'm proud of so far. By all means, if anyone finds some great modern houses, post a link in comments. Thank you

This is an extension of the 20-04 series. I've always thought that white against natural birch is appealing.

Yet another in the 20-04 in a fun, period and vintage orange. An homage to the legendary Knoll upholstery pieces in hospital orange. 

Pretty in pink "kittson rae" by Nathan Danials

This twin version of the burd-haus 20-04 uses chartreuse to contrast against the special walnut stained baltic birch. Each cube is 6" all around with an overall stature of 13" wide. Back support member is semi-blind, making the two houses float off the mounting surface.

This twin version of the burd-haus 20-04 uses white acrylic to contrast against the special walnut stained baltic birch.

This twin version of the burd-haus 20-04 uses Knoll orange to contrast against the special walnut stained baltic birch