Iron Baby, Kids' and Children's Products Design · 2026
Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed
by Dina Dymova
- A' Design Award 2026 Iron Winner in Baby, Kids' and Children's Products Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Dreamstudio
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 8,361
- Verification code 6670E7372E · Verify this award
About Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed
Macaron Nido is a sensory furniture piece by architect Dina Dymova, merging emotional ergonomics with architectural precision. Inspired by the French dessert, its bionic, rounded silhouette acts as a protective nest. The design solves the psychological challenge of transitioning to an independent bedroom by involving the child as a co-creator who selects colors and tactile fabrics. Featuring a CNC milled frame and soft foam, the form retains bedding and warmth, ensuring a psychologically safe and embracing sleep environment.
Within the evolving landscape of contemporary children's furniture design, Dreamstudio by Dina Dymova's Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed represents a sophisticated convergence of functional necessity and sculptural ambition, challenging conventional boundaries between utilitarian objects and aesthetic statements within spaces designed for young occupants. The work emerges from broader design conversations surrounding the acknowledgment of children's environments as deserving the same material quality, formal consideration, and aesthetic integrity afforded to adult spaces, a perspective that has gained substantial traction among forward-thinking designers and discerning families who recognize the formative influence of one's physical surroundings. The compositional achievement of this piece resides in its successful resolution of competing demands: the bed must provide safe, comfortable sleeping and resting surfaces while simultaneously engaging a child's sense of wonder and play, and it accomplishes this through formal language that is simultaneously abstract and referential. The design's chromatic sophistication demonstrates considerable restraint and subtlety, working within a deliberately narrow palette of blush pinks and creamy ivories that suggest confectionery delicacy without descending into saccharine excess, maintaining sufficient tonal variation to create visual interest while preserving overall harmony. The varied textural treatments across upholstered surfaces reveal thoughtful attention to sensory experience, recognizing that children engage furniture through multiple modalities beyond the purely visual, with smooth plush zones inviting stroking and the ribbed banding offering contrasting tactile feedback. The rounded, pillowy forms throughout the design demonstrate clear attention to safety considerations, eliminating sharp corners and hard edges that pose injury risks, yet this practical concern is elevated into aesthetic principle, with the continuous curves creating a visual language of protection, softness, and organic comfort. The spherical cushions crowning the headboard region function simultaneously as practical elements for varied positioning and comfort, decorative components that enhance the bed's visual appeal and sculptural presence, and symbolic markers that evoke playful associations ranging from clouds to bubbles to carefully arranged sweets. The lateral bolster elements extending from the main platform suggest both functional extensions offering surfaces for objects or additional seating and formal punctuation that gives the piece architectural presence and three-dimensional complexity beyond a simple mattress-on-frame configuration. The overall design seems to invite consideration of how furniture for children might honor developmental needs for comfort and security while simultaneously respecting aesthetic sensibilities and contributing beauty to domestic environments, proposing that objects surrounding childhood need not choose between function and form but can achieve both with thoughtful integration.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Macaron acts as a psychological bridge, easing the difficult transition from co-sleeping to an independent bedroom. By involving the child as a "co-designer" who chooses colors, we build anticipation: the child loves the bed before it even arrives. This sense of ownership transforms a stressful move into an exciting game. Functionally, the bionic "huggable" shape reduces separation anxiety, creating a safe personal harbor where the child feels significant and secure.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Dimensions: 1300 x 2300 x 700 mm. Mattress: 900 x 1900 mm. Materials: CNC-milled Birch Plywood, High-Resilience (HR) Foam. Upholstery: Customizable (Micro-velour, Boucle). Features: Removable safety rail, modular assembly.
- Tags
- Kids Bed, Emotional Design, Children Furniture, Interactive Design, Bionic Shape, Upholstered Bed, Child Safety, Montessori Bedroom, Macaron, Luxury Nursery, Sensory Furniture, Soft Architecture, Playful Luxury, Customizable Bed, Ergonomic Sleeping, Tactile Experience, Sculptural Form, Safe Cocoon, Modern Kids Room
- Production Technology
- The core is crafted from durable birch plywood. The process began with the author's precise scale drawings, directly translated into a CNC optimized frame. The project's unique character relies on specialized sewing techniques. Specific tailoring solutions were rigorously refined during the manufacturing process to successfully replicate the authentic, soft "cream" aesthetic using High-Resilience (HR) foam.
- Design Challenge
- Research focused on emotional bonding and anxiety reduction. Methodology involved analyzing co-creation mechanics in furniture. Results showed that joint decision-making (choosing colors) significantly strengthens the parent-child connection, while round shapes lower visual stress. Insights suggest that this shared creativity forms lasting positive memories for adulthood. The impact is a design that serves as a relational anchor, blending psychological safety with family unity
- Project Duration
- The project development began in June 2025 in Almaty and was completed in July 2025 in Almaty. Kazakhstan
- Operation Flow
- Interaction begins with a shared creative game: the child and parent select colors for the "cookie" and "filling" together. This collaborative process strengthens the family bond and gives the child a sense of ownership. Functionally, the bed operates as a safe cocoon; its soft, bionic bumpers eliminate injury risks common with sharp corners. The tactile, sensory-rich textiles provide a calming effect, ensuring better sleep and reducing nighttime anxiety.
- Research
- Research targeted sleep ergonomics and separation anxiety. Methodology combined Montessori principles with bionic form analysis. Observations of toddlers revealed that standard flat beds cause pillow slippage and insecurity. Results: The "Nido" shape physically retains bedding and reduces visual stress. Insights show that involving the child as a co-designer builds anticipation. Impact: The bed functions as an emotional anchor, transforming a stressful transition into a secure experience
- Inspiration
- The concept was born from maternal observation. I noticed my daughter's pillow and blanket constantly slid off her flat bed, interrupting her sleep. I decided to "wrap" the sides to physically contain the bedding. This functional need merged with the aesthetic of a macaron - round and safe. The design solves a real ergonomic problem while serving as a metaphor for a parent's protective hug, keeping the child warm and covered all night.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Ruslan Tagiyev, Macaron Kids Bed, 2025. Image #2: Photographer Ruslan Tagiyev, Macaron Kids Bed, 2025. Image #3: Photographer Ruslan Tagiyev, Macaron Kids Bed, 2025. Image #4: Photographer Ruslan Tagiyev, Macaron Kids Bed, 2025. Image #5: Photographer Ruslan Tagiyev, Macaron Kids Bed, 2025.
Colors of Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed
Design Interview about Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed
The main idea behind the design is to create a psychologically safe and nurturing environment for a child that helps them transition smoothly to independent sleep in their own room. The primary visual inspiration for the rounded bionic silhouette was the delicate form of the French macaron pastry and the protective concept of a bird nest which is reflected in the name Nido. Our core design principle dictates that high-end aesthetics must be structurally connected to functionality, which is why the anatomical shape of the headboard and sides is engineered to prevent the pillow and blanket from falling to the floor during the night
Our absolute focus was to achieve a perfect natural balance between complex technical engineering and deep psychological comfort for the child. I wanted to create a striking visual wow-effect through a sophisticated Quiet Luxury aesthetic while strictly maintaining children's ergonomics and safety. The goal was to build an organic micro-architecture that feels like a cozy sanctuary, allowing the child to feel completely protected and helping them transition to their own bedroom without any emotional stress.
Our future plans are to scale the production of the Macaron Nido bed at our 2500 square meter factory in Almaty and expand its presence in high end residential projects across Central Asia and the global market. We also intend to introduce new conceptual iterations of this model using natural steppe colors such as sand and straw textures to showcase how international luxury design can beautifully harmonize with our local cultural heritag
The development of the Macaron Nido bed from the initial CAD blueprints to the final prototype took about two months of intense manufacturing and engineering work. Thanks to my architectural background, the coordinate grid and structural frame proportions were calculated quickly, but we spent several weeks on the factory floor testing how materials like polyurethane foam and premium fabrics behave around the complex bionic curves to achieve absolute symmetry.
This design was born out of personal inspiration and my own experience as a parent observing my child's sleep patterns. I noticed that every morning the pillow and blanket would end up on the floor and the child felt unsettled in a standard bed. As a design maniac and architect I decided to solve this real family problem by creating an unconventional protective micro-architecture that turned into the Macaron Nido concept
Currently we produce this piece ourselves at our 2500 square meter Dream Studio factory in Almaty to ensure the highest standards of execution. However we are ambitious about global scaling and are completely open to exploring production partnerships or selling the manufacturing rights to a well known European furniture brand that shares our passion for premium quality and architectural precision
My specialization in product design and my architectural background naturally drew me to children's furniture because it is an area that deeply requires both structural safety and emotional comfort. I realized that the market was lacking children's beds that successfully combine a playful spirit with high end Quiet Luxury aesthetics. I wanted to design a bed that acts as a nurturing micro-architecture, transforming the bedroom into a supportive space where the next generation can grow and form their personality.
If I were to joke about external influences, I would say the true culprits were the exquisite and delicious shapes of French macarons covered in glossy glaze that I enjoyed during my trip to Paris. On a serious note, there were no other designers or furniture brands that influenced this project. The Macaron Nido bed is an entirely independent concept born from my architectural background and personal parenting experience, developed completely from scratch on our factory floor.
The target customers are modern, design-conscious parents, top-tier interior designers, and property developers who refuse to compromise between safety and aesthetics. They appreciate high-end Quiet Luxury, value non-synthetic, practical, and dust-resistant textiles, and look for furniture with architectural integrity. These are clients who understand that a child's environment shapes their personality, and they seek to invest in pieces that offer deep somatic comfort and psychological well-being
Unlike ordinary kids beds, this design features fully curved, bionic upholstered sides that seamlessly wrap around the sleeping area to engineered precision, completely preventing the pillow or blanket from falling to the floor. Furthermore, we turn the selection process into a delightful game of co-creation where the child acts as a chef, choosing their own color recipe. For example, a child can mix a "pink cream with white vanilla filling" or combine a "creamy almond biscuit with strawberry filling" textures, allowing them to build an emotional connection to their bed from day one
The name is a literal reflection of the visual and emotional essence of the project. The first part, Macaron, is a playful nod to the bionic rounded shapes of the famous French dessert that inspired the bed silhouette. The second part, Nido, translates from Italian as a nest, which perfectly describes our primary goal to create a protective, warm, and comforting sanctuary that hugs the child from all sides and ensures psychological peace during their sleep.
The primary digital tool I used was ArchiCAD to establish the initial architectural proportions and spatial logic. After that the technical design department at our factory developed the constructive blueprints for the framework. The final and most critical tool was live manual sculpting on the factory floor where we shaped the bionic curves literally with our bare hands experimenting with tailoring and upholstery to find the perfect visual balance and deliver that ultimate look.
The most unique aspect of the design is its delicious culinary character and the incredible cloud like airiness achieved through manual tailoring experiments. We managed to create a piece of children's furniture that doesn't look like a standard product but feels like a soft sculpted piece of art. The uniqueness lies in how we balance strict architectural calculations with a tactile voluptuous form that allows kids to play with color combinations as if they were picking ingredients for a gourmet pastry.
The realization of this project was a close collaboration within our team at the Dream Studio factory. I worked hand in hand with our internal technical design department to engineer the complex framework and internal stiffeners that handle the load perfectly. I also collaborated deeply with our master craftsmen and production tailors on the factory floor who used their specialized technical skills to shape the bionic curves and test how different fabric tensions affect the softness and volume of the bed
Technology plays a foundational role in ensuring the durability and perfect symmetry of the organic shapes. We started by calculating the geometry in ArchiCAD and then translated the structural blueprints into the digital language of our industrial CNC milling machinery to cut the internal framework. This precise technological grid serves as a flawless base for the subsequent manual processes allowing us to combine advanced industrial manufacturing with fine artisan upholstery.
The research behind this project focused on children psychology, ergonomics, and material safety. We analyzed how organic, rounded shapes positively affect a child’s emotional state, reducing anxiety and creating a sense of a protective boundary. On the technical side, our design department conducted research into the behavior of smart materials under physical loads, selecting high-quality polyurethane foam, Periotek, and dust-resistant textiles that maintain their volumetric form and prevent allergen accumulation.
The main challenge was translating the playful, fluffy aesthetic of a French pastry into a structurally rigid and durable piece of furniture. It was technically difficult to combine the inner stiffeners and solid framework with an exterior that looks incredibly soft, airy, and cloud-like. We spent a lot of time on the factory floor experimenting with our bare hands, adjusting the upholstery tension and foam density to ensure that the fully curved sides remained safe, comfortable, and perfectly symmetrical.
Our factory Dream Studio operates with the ambitious goal of elevating the furniture industry of Kazakhstan to a high international level. When the Macaron Nido bed was completed and immediately loved by our clients we realized that this product possesses a unique global design language. We decided to submit it to A' Design Award in Italy to test our architectural approach against world standards and to proudly demonstrate that high-end competitive product design is actively developing in Kazakhstan.
This project deeply enhanced my ability to merge rigid architectural structures with organic textile volume. I learned how to translate poetic culinary shapes into precise technical parameters like internal stiffeners and coordinate grid blueprints while preserving a soft fluffy texture. It improved our entire factory team's skills in high-precision framework engineering and manual upholstery, proving that the closest connection between the designer's vision and the production floor is what creates true furniture art.
I would like to emphasize that our goal at Dream Studio is to manufacture furniture for all Kazakhstanis that matches the premium quality of top European brands, while standing out through our own authentic ideas and designs. We want to carry the status of being from Kazakhstan with immense pride on the global stage. Premium furniture design is pure psychological healing through beauty, and we will continue to use our technical bravery to build beds and sofas that provide families with a deep feeling of emotional safety and comfort at home.
Grand Interview about Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed
The philosophy of emotional ergonomics was born from a desire to bridge the cold rigid discipline of architectural structuralism with the delicate fluid needs of a growing child. As an architect I have always viewed space as a vessel for human experience; however when I began observing my own daughter’s sleep patterns I realized that for a child a bed is not merely a piece of furniture it is their first independent territory a physical boundary between the known world of a parent’s protection and the vast often intimidating space of autonomy.I envisioned a form that would act as a structural extension of a parent’s embrace removing the sharp anxieties associated with hard edged conventional beds. In practice when a child lies inside the Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed for the first time the emotional ergonomics manifest as an immediate sense of containment. The bionic curved geometry mimics the safety of a nest lowering the child's sensory threshold and creating an environment where the subconscious mind can shift from an alert state to one of profound rest. It is not just about the physical comfort of the mattress but the psychological comfort of being held by the object itself. The child feels a seamless transition from the intimacy of a cuddle to the safety of their own sleep space turning a potentially stressful milestone into a comforting organic experience. This is where architecture stops being about walls and floors and starts becoming a fundamental tool for emotional security and healthy childhood development.
The transition from co sleeping to an independent bedroom is often perceived as a separation but I approach it as an evolution of intimacy. The Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed serves as a bridge in this process by involving the child as a creative partner. When a child participates in selecting the color palette or the specific tactile fabrics for their new bed they are not just choosing furniture they are claiming ownership of their new environment. This process of co creation transforms a stressful milestone into a collaborative project that builds excitement and a sense of pride. By allowing the child to touch and choose materials like eco leather or soft textiles we empower them to shape their own sanctuary.I have witnessed families transform this potentially tearful transition into a celebration of independence. Parents have shared stories with me about how their children suddenly stop asking to sleep in the parental bedroom because the Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed feels like a custom made extension of the bond they share. The bed becomes a place where the child feels invited rather than banished. Families often tell me that the tactile connection to the materials helps the child feel comforted during the night much like a familiar soft toy. This project proves that when we treat a child as an equal in the design process we reduce their resistance to change. We replace the anxiety of separation with the anticipation of sleeping in a space that they helped design themselves.
The design of the Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed relies heavily on the principle of bionic containment. In architectural terms, we moved away from the Euclidean geometry of right angles which often subconsciously signal rigidity or danger to a young child. Instead, we adopted a curvilinear structural logic that reflects nature’s own defense mechanisms. The circular and rounded form serves a dual purpose. Ergonomically, it eliminates sharp corners that are common hazards in children’s furniture, allowing for a safer, more intuitive navigation of the bed. Psychologically, the continuous, unbroken silhouette creates a sensory boundary that mimics the feeling of being held, which is critical for reducing nighttime separation anxiety. By applying these bionic principles, the bed functions as a protective shell. We balanced the load-bearing requirements with high-resilience foam, ensuring that the sculptural aesthetic does not compromise the structural integrity needed for daily use. The result is a piece that provides a stable, grounding environment where the physical form actively contributes to the child’s sense of safety and calm, proving that beautiful, poetic shapes can be simultaneously rigorous, ergonomic tools for psychological well-being.
Receiving the Iron A' Design Award is a powerful affirmation that the industry is ready to shift from purely functional furniture to objects that possess emotional intelligence. Conventional children's furniture often treats the child as a passive user, focusing primarily on basic safety compliance and standardized dimensions. In contrast, the Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed distinguishes itself by elevating the emotional connection to a core design requirement. By integrating ergonomic safety with a form that actively comforts the child, we have created a product that serves as an extension of parental care rather than just a place to sleep. This recognition validates our belief that design should play an active role in childhood development. For the future trajectory of our studio, this award serves as both a benchmark and a catalyst. It reinforces our commitment to the intersection of architectural rigour and human-centric design. We plan to leverage this momentum to expand our "emotional ergonomics" research into broader product categories, ensuring that every object we produce remains a testament to the idea that design can significantly improve the quality of a child's psychological well-being and their overall growth environment.
The prototyping process for the Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed was an intensive exercise in reconciling soft visual aesthetics with rigid industrial manufacturing. Our primary technical challenge was achieving the signature "cream" silhouette while maintaining structural integrity. Initially, we struggled with the foam layering; the challenge was to create enough volume to mimic a soft confection without losing shape over time. We spent months perfecting the CNC-milled birch plywood core, which serves as the skeletal support. Once the structure was sound, the tailoring became the greatest hurdle. We had to develop a complex upholstery pattern that could account for the curvature of the frame without creating unsightly folds or tension lines. Our team experimented with various high-resilience foam densities to find the perfect balance between plush comfort and structural retention. Ultimately, we solved this by implementing a precise multi-layer upholstery technique that allows the fabric to drape naturally over the curves, replicating the "softness" of cream while remaining durable enough for the rigors of childhood activity. It was a process of constant iteration where we balanced engineering precision with the artistic need for organic, fluid lines.
The most counterintuitive insight we gathered was that a child’s resistance to independent sleeping is often not a fear of being alone, but a loss of the tactile connection to their primary caregiver. This finding was the catalyst that shifted the bed from a mere physical object to an interactive tool. We realized that if the object itself could facilitate decision making, it would reduce the child's anxiety of loss. Consequently, we altered the interactive logic of the Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed by incorporating customizable elements that require a joint dialogue between parent and child to activate. This forced collaboration in the design and setup phase creates a shared emotional investment in the bed before the child even spends their first night in it. By embedding this participatory logic into the physical form, we transformed the bed from a static piece of furniture into a dynamic relational space, proving that the psychology of a child is as important as the structural engineering of the object itself
My background in architecture combined with a decade of hands-on experience in furniture factories has fundamentally shaped my "production-ready" philosophy. For the Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed, I did not rely on trial and error on the factory floor; instead, the entire manufacturing process was meticulously conceptualized and engineered in my mind and through detailed technical drawings long before the first piece of wood was cut. Because I understood the capabilities of the machinery and the nature of the materials, the actual production run moved with seamless precision, effectively "going like clockwork."The only area requiring an iterative, artistic touch was the upholstery. We conducted multiple live fitting sessions, carefully testing different sewing techniques and fabric tensions to see how the material behaved. This was crucial because the fabric possesses specific physical properties that dictate how it drapes over the bionic curves. We had to visually evaluate how the "cream" effect looked from every angle to ensure it mimicked the organic softness I envisioned. This process was not a struggle with constraints, but a refined aesthetic calibration. By mastering the technical side through precise planning, I was able to dedicate our focus to the artisanal details, ensuring that the final product was not just industrially sound, but also possessed the soul and tactile perfection of a high-end design piece.
The genesis of the Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed is a synthesis of my global professional influences and my deep rooted local reality. Designing in Kazakhstan, where the design identity is vibrant and rapidly evolving, provides a unique perspective. I am not limited by a single design dogma, which allows me to fluidly combine the sophistication of French aesthetics with the practical, human centric approach of Montessori pedagogy. However, the emotional heart of this bed is distinctly Kazakh. In our culture, the family bond and the protective nature of parenthood are central pillars of our identity. While an international audience may see the rounded form as a nod to French confectionery, the underlying philosophy is one of "jylu," a Kazakh concept of warmth and sheltered care. I observed my daughter’s sleep patterns through the lens of a parent raised in a society that values deep connection and safety within the home. This cultural backdrop infuses the bed with an emotional gravity that is perhaps invisible to those who look only at the form. It is the architectural manifestation of a mother’s desire to create a secure, nurturing environment that transcends borders. By blending these global intellectual frameworks with our innate local value of protective warmth, I have created a piece that speaks a universal language of love, shaped by the distinct, grounding comfort of my Kazakh heritage
Inviting a child to be a co-author of their own sleep environment is a radical shift from the traditional consumerist model where children are merely passive recipients of adult choices. Through my observations, I have seen that this sense of creative ownership fosters a profound sense of agency. When a child is involved in the design process, they are not just selecting colors or fabrics; they are learning that their voice has tangible value and that they can shape their physical world. This early experience of agency becomes a foundation for self-expression in later developmental stages. Children who grow up with this sense of ownership often demonstrate higher levels of confidence and independence because they view themselves as active participants in their lives rather than subjects to their environment. My research suggests that this early empowerment helps children navigate transitions with greater resilience. For future works, I intend to deepen this co-creation model by integrating modular, "living" components into our furniture. I want to move toward a system where the object can evolve alongside the child, allowing them to continuously adapt their environment as their personality and needs shift. This approach ensures that the design is never a static finish line, but a dynamic, lifelong process of discovery and self-definition.
The single most misunderstood aspect of designing furniture for children’s psychological well-being is the pervasive assumption that "safety" and "durability" are the only metrics that matter. Most manufacturers and designers treat the child’s bedroom as a clinical space—a place to be contained and managed—rather than a psychological sanctuary. They focus on preventing physical harm, which is obviously necessary, but they often ignore the critical need for emotional security. The Macaron Nido Co Kids Bed reframes this by proving that an object can be both structurally rigorous and emotionally intelligent. We challenge the industry standard that views children’s furniture as a "scaled-down" version of adult objects. Instead, we treat the child’s environment as a distinct, specialized architectural ecosystem. By replacing the cold, sterile logic of standard furniture with a design language that prioritizes sensory comfort, bionic safety, and agency, we are forcing a shift in perspective. Parents are starting to realize that the bed is not just a place to sleep; it is a vital tool for emotional regulation. My work challenges designers to stop building "for" children and start designing "with" them, proving that when we address the psychological needs of the occupant, the physical product naturally becomes more human, more intuitive, and infinitely more successful.