Smoke alarms are an essential part of any home or business, as we well know. A good smoke alarm tends to go unnoticed except for when it is needed.

A bad one makes itself noticed regularly, like the one in my house which goes off every time I try to use the grill.

But beyond the intricate and often innovative design of the technical features of the alarm – from wireless integration, to multi-sensors – there is rarely much thought put into how it looks.

Here’s where the new Chick-A-Dee smoke alarm comes in, made by Dutch designer Louise van der Vald.

The alarm is modelled on the American Black-capped Chickadee, and the alarm tone itself mimics the bird’s warning call. The detector will sound ‘chick-a-dee-dee’ when a minor smoke threat is detected, escalating to a sustained 85db ‘dee-dee-dee’ if the threat detected becomes serious.

The unique design won a Dutch design award in 2006 and is hoped to be attractive to homes with young children in particular.

The alarm is available in five different colours.

Who said form should follow function?