Interactive furniture designed to support rest, sensory regulation and emotional well-being in public and shared environments.
CalmCave is an innovative piece of interactive furniture that creates a private, calming space within overstimulating environments. Its organic form provides a sense of enclosure and visual privacy, while sound-absorbing materials and integrated sound-masking technology help reduce surrounding noise. Gentle multisensory interactions – including ambient light, natural sounds and tactile stimulation – encourage relaxation and emotional self-regulation.
More than a place to sit
CalmCave engages the senses through carefully designed, non-intrusive interactions. Users can adjust light and sound to create an environment that suits their needs, while varied textures and gentle sensory stimuli help them focus on the present moment and decompress.
An integrated reclining mechanism allows users to explore different body positions, supporting comfort, movement and individual preferences. The result is a flexible, inviting space that encourages people to pause, unwind and regain balance – without having to leave their surroundings.
Designed around real human needs
CalmCave was developed through research and close collaboration with patients and staff from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Ward at the University Hospital in Krakow. The process included co-creation workshops with patients, expert interviews with therapists and additional research into sensory needs and emotional self-regulation.
The findings highlighted the importance of safe, accessible environments that offer sensory relief and encourage different forms of self-soothing. Presented at Dutch Design Week 2025, CalmCave received valuable feedback from visitors, including neurodivergent individuals and people experiencing burnout and sensory overload, further confirming the need for solutions of this kind.
Although initially explored in a healthcare context, CalmCave has potential across a much wider range of environments – from offices, schools and universities to airports, libraries and public institutions. Wherever people experience constant stimulation, there is a need for places that offer a moment of calm and privacy.
From design concept to scalable product
We see CalmCave as a product with strong potential for further development and wider market adoption. Our ambition is to bring it into serial production, making this type of sensory and restorative furniture more accessible through scalable manufacturing and a more affordable price point.
We are currently looking for a manufacturing partner interested in acquiring the CalmCave design and concept or joining us in a partnership to further develop, industrialise and manufacture the product at scale.
We are open to discussing different collaboration models, including design acquisition, licensing and joint product development.
Our goal is to turn CalmCave into an accessible, commercially viable product – bringing thoughtfully designed spaces for rest and emotional well-being to more people and more places.
Design team:
Filip Czapla – Product Designer / Lead Technology
Joanna Rudzińska – Product Designer / Lead User Researcher
Nicola Michańków – Industrial Designer
Marek Buczkowski – Embedded Software Developer
Michał Szostek – PCB Designer
Kasia Orzechowska – Visual Identity and Illustrations
B.Art Studio Bartosz Iwanow – Animation and Renders
Product presented at:
Dutch Design Week 2025
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the Creative Industries Development Centre’s own programme: Rozwój Sektorów Kreatywnych.
Dofinansowano ze środków Budżetu Państwa w ramach programu własnego Centrum Rozwoju Przemysłów Kreatywnych: Rozwój Sektorów Kreatywnych na realizację zadania “CalmCave – stworzenie prototypu, przeprowadzenie testów i promocja interaktywnego mebla do przestrzeni publicznych pełniącego funkcję wytchnieniową”