Birdhouses hide in these ingenious home address signs to encourage avian-urban biodiversity!

Our Common House is a household design concept that’s part-address sign and part-birdhouse, designed to increase avian-urban biodiversity.

When we’re not thinking about whether or not they’re real, watching birds always seems to bring us back to nature. Whether we live in a big city or in a rural small town, waking up to the sounds of hummingbirds or looking on as a sparrow builds its nest reminds us that we share our homes with all kinds of birds. Sometimes the concrete and traffic of busy cities make us forget, but products like birdhouses and feeders always bring us back. Designer Mikołaj Nicer conceptualized Our Common House for this reason. Part address sign and part birdhouse, Our Common House is a household design that aims to encourage avian-urban biodiversity.

From a distance, Our Common House is your typical household address display. Made from natural fired clay, the outer casing of Our Common House is unassuming and minimalist. Unadorned by design, Our Common House sports an adaptable design that could fit onto any modern home’s exterior. Whenever the address digits look like they could use some cleaning, residents can remove the outer casing to clean it up before attaching it back on. Just beneath the natural fired clay exterior casing is a nesting box constructed from natural wood. Available in either oak, pine, or poplar, the nesting box provides a safe space for birds to breed, eat, and take care of their young safe from the threat of predators. When conceptualizing Our Common House, Nicer hoped to combine the functionality of address signs with a sustainable cause.

Describing this, Nicer notes, “The lack of nesting opportunities is one of the most important factors limiting the success of urban bird populations. Modern building technologies and concepts of city space organization leave little room for…nesting…Our Common House offers a simple and scalable solution to this problem. It turns the common element of building aesthetics into a functional nesting unit, thus providing the population of urban birds with an invaluable resource.”

Designer: Mikołaj Nicer

The post Birdhouses hide in these ingenious home address signs to encourage avian-urban biodiversity! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bring your backyard to life this summer with these products designed to help you unwind!

Summer is around the corner, and it’s almost time to beat the heat! Add COVID-19 to the mix, and our options for summer activities are really quite limited this time around. However, why don’t we turn inwards, instead of turning outwards as always?! A great option could be using our humble backyards as recreation spaces! How about turning your backyard into an ideal date spot for you and your partner, or hosting a barbecue party with the best grill in the market? We’ve curated a collection of product designs to help you transform these exciting ideas into a reality! These products will turn your yard into the ultimate summer destination. We bet you won’t want to step out of your yard, once you introduce these products to it!

You don’t have to be an architect to want to build a bamboo structure of your own thank to the ‘Zome building kit’ by Giant Grass! The studio has made a DIY kit that is basically a larger-than-life LEGO project which can live in your backyard or be scaled up to create a community space. The ‘zome’ is a flexible space that can be used by children to hang out in the backyard, like a gazebo for you to entertain guests in, a greenhouse for seedlings, a creative space in the office, a quiet space for yoga at home, or a glamping tent – it can be anything you want it to be. This DIY kit is perfect for those who want to live sustainability and enjoy working on projects which result in a productive reward.

Parsonson Architects created the Herald Garden Studio– a functional, flexible, freestanding 183-square-foot structure that sits in your backyard to accommodate all those growing pains! The studio includes office space, a bathroom, storage space at the rear, a play area, and a guest bed in the loft up the ladder. The loft is a cozy private corner and has a net panel in front for safety for children/pets. The studio has a number of windows on the upper level to let in natural light. Wooden beams set in a triangular arrangement make the structural framework and to keep the costs low the walls are clad with zero-formaldehyde oriented strand board (OSB).

Gravity Series 800 Griddle follows Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series 560 and Gravity Series 1050. Its design and construction are pretty similar to its predecessors though it has been meticulously engineered to make outdoor cooking simpler by giving the controls in your hands. Yes, the searing temperatures and slow-low cooking on the new grill + griddle can be controlled from the convenience of your smartphone, which syncs via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. In addition to controlling the cooking temperature, you can also monitor cook time from the app, while the integrated fan maintains the heat based on your desired setting.

The Sling Hanging Swing Chair by Studio Stirling is perfect to lounge upon on those lazy Sunday afternoons! The beautiful hanging chair is handmade and exhibits unique craftsmanship. Not only will it add comfort, but also a quotient of style to your otherwise mundane backyard!

In the mood for a romantic dinner for two? Look no further! Because you can now experience this in your own backyard with the Landscape Frame! Designed by Bergmeisterwolf Architects, this two-square-meter bench with an attached table is made of Swiss pine and is the perfect addition to your backyard to create an intimate and cozy spot!

The Cocoon Spherical Tree Bed is literally something out of a fairytale setting! The tent remains suspended above ground because let’s face it, how will a spherical tent remain upright on the floor? The tent comes with a huge 3-meter diameter and holds a double bed, living up to the glamping quotient of the evening. The design is made of an aluminum frame and comes with a waterproof layer to ensure the rain won’t come in and dampen your plans! It’s the perfect cozy little addition to your backyard!

The Wooden Outdoor Shower by WoodMaster honestly has me going gaga! This little outdoor shower is a personal relaxation space with privacy, of course. Pop in for a cool shower on those unusually hot and pesky summer days!

Cellars have been used across the ages to store food or even act like bunker houses in case of natural disasters. Groundfridge takes that design one step further by adding fresh food refrigeration to the game. The trick used by Groundfridge is by utilizing the natural insulating capacity of the ground and the cooler night air temperatures. The balance of this design allows you to store your vegetables, fruits, cheese, and even wine throughout the year. Ventilating this project uses a fan with a timer that replenishes the cool air during the night. Here’s a sustainable underground fridge for your backyard!

I want this Hanging Lounger by KODAMA in my own backyard ASAP. It’s a comfy nook to snuggle in with your favorite book or to simply take a power nap in the afternoon. You can also spend some quality time with your friends, family, and pets in the lounger.

The Faz Pot by Ramón Esteve is not only a good and functional planter but also a quirky and geometrically fascinating product that promises to jazz up your boring old backyard. Replace the conventional planters in your backyard with intriguing designs like these!