You may have noticed that I have a thing for somewhat eccentric design, especially when it comes to details – I’m not sure I could actually live for long periods in Iris Apfel’s apartment, but I would ceratainly want to steal a few armchairs and vases. My passion for the peculiar has recently manifested in my obsession with birds: flamingoes being the case in point.

If the flamingoes are scarce where you are or your taste is a tiny bit more restrained, swans can be a great option. While flamingioes are pure camp, swans are elegant: Alice in Wonderland versus The Great Gatsby. They often have an art nouveau or art deco feeling about them, which in my book is generally a good thing.

I’ve coveted these L’Objet swan bowls for a long time, but unless my income suddenly doubles, I don’t see them entering my life in the near future. So I was thrilled when Zara Home came out with a cheaper version. Clearly, the quality is inferior and the birds don’t look nearly as refined, but they do make a similar point. I bought two and have mostly been using them for flowers and storing random things, although I plan to use them for food as well – serving cherries, maybe.

It’s of course not only flamingoes or swans that have great decorative potential. Parrots are excellent, as are hummingbirds and peacocks. For country living, I’m thinking ducks for summer and bullfinches for winter. If your sensibilitues lean towards the gothic, raven is of course a classic. True Estonian patriots would go with barn swallows and so on and so forth. There is a bird out there for everyone.