A home décor object exploring playful form, balance, and material presence through bird-inspired volumes, named Pihu after the soft chirping sound of a sparrow.
Why a Sparrow?
Growing up, mornings often began with the sound of sparrows. While brushing my teeth before school, I would stand in the lawn watching them gather on the boundary wall, chirping and playing. Those moments were so captivating that I often forgot I had to get ready for school. The quiet joy they brought me has stayed with me ever since, inspiring the creation of Pihu.
Mood Board
This exploration was inspired by Alessi's ability to infuse everyday objects with warmth, character, and emotional resonance. The references focus on soft, uninterrupted geometries, gentle colour palettes, and forms that feel familiar yet abstract. Rather than replicating the physical appearance of a sparrow, these qualities became the foundation for translating the bird's quiet presence into a contemporary home décor object.
Ideations
The selected direction emerged not because it contained more detail, but because it required less. Each iteration removed elements that felt descriptive until only the essential qualities remained. What was left was a form that communicates through proportion, surface, and silhouette—a quiet object that recalls the presence of a sparrow without ever attempting to replicate it.
Prototype
Although the design was intended for slip-cast ceramic, the prototype was produced using fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP). At the time, I was exploring fiberglass as a manufacturing process, and it provided a practical and cost-effective way to evaluate the form while preserving the intended design language.
