Bird Silo feeder, terracotta

Bird Silo is a minimalist bird feeder, designed by Studio Tolvanen for Pidät, made of durable and eco-friendly recycled polypropylene. “We wanted to design a functional sculpture. We also thought Bird Silo should be a bird feeder whose impact on nature is just feeding the birds,” the designers have said. The way the feeder is filled – as well as its name – is based on grain silos: although the bird food is poured into the feeder from the top, it actually fills from the bottom up.

Studio Tolvanen’s Mika and Julie Tolvanen have been observing birds for years, often through their dining room window while having breakfast. Interested in the birds’ feeding habits, the designers created prototypes of the feeder to see what would work. Bird Silo is designed particularly for species that feed vertically, and therefore it is recommended to fill it with sunflower seeds or peanuts, food that is suitable for birds like chickadees, blue tits, titmice, nuthatches, finches and woodpeckers.

Mika Tolvanen

Julie Tolvanen

Founded by Mika and Julie Tolvanen, Pidät focuses on everyday objects and ecological design, with recycling and recyclability forming the foundation of the entire production chain all the way from raw materials to product packaging. The name of the Finnish brand is based on the three different meanings of the word “pidät” in Finnish: you hold, you like, you keep – after all, these three things are often what design is all about.