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What’s new: Kay Bojesen’s Songbird Nightingale

Kay Bojesen's delightful Songbirds and other wooden figurines are coveted Christmas gifts.

Kay Bojesen’s lovely wooden bird called Nightingale has flown to Finnish Design Shop. To whom would you give this colorful songbird as a Christmas gift?

KAY BOJESEN’S Nightingale is part of a flock of wooden birds called Songbird. The blue and green bird was inspired by H.C. Andersen’s classic fairy tale The Nightingale, which tells the story of an emperor who becomes enchanted by the bird's song.

The Nightingale is a beautiful home decor object either alone or in a flock.

The head of the wooden bird can be rotated to different positions.

Inspired by the birds visiting his patio, Kay Bojesen (1886–1958) designed the Songbirds in the 1950s and named the original birds after his family members. After finding pictures of the cheerful beech birds in the family's old photo album, they were later added to the collection of Bojesen's animal figurines.

All Songbirds are made of painted beech.

Bojesen wanted to create wooden characters with a heart and personality. The birds have a clean, modern expression, stripped of superfluous details, and yet are so lifelike that it is easy to imagine them breaking out in song as the sun rises.

See also:

• All designs by Kay Bojesen >
• New arrivals at Finnish Design Shop >

Text: Design Stories Images: Kay Bojesen

Published on 30 Nov, 2021

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Design Stories is the online magazine of Finnish Design Shop, created to inspire and delight design lovers everywhere. We hope you enjoy exploring with us! Have a story tip or thoughts on our content? We’d love to hear from you.