Birds, Birds, Birds

Everyone loves birds. They look pretty, they sing a fine tune and they can fly without carbon emissions. Some even talk whilst others go wonderfully with some stuffing. This week we pay homage to our feathered friends. Also, if you're tired of traffic noises, why not tune into Birdsong FM? For tweeting 24/7.

There are many brilliant photographic studies of birds to be found online, but with their pastel plumage and soft palettes, the collection by Luke Stephenson has become one of the better known. Leila Jeffreys' parrots and cockatoos are also worth a look.

If we have learnt one thing from Claude and Francois Xavier Lalanne, it's that you can never have too many flamingo tables or duck shaped beds. Since the 1960s, they have been producing furniture shaped as various flora and fauna, inspired by their belief that "the supreme art is the art of the living."

A favourite part of our own collection are these beautifully painted avian flash cards, dating from 1962.