Press Release
Zahra Hamzelou Receives the A' Design Award for Cloud Beanbag in Furniture Design
Zahra Hamzelou recognized for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 25, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Cloud Beanbag by Zahra Hamzelou has been granted the A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The A' Design Award Explained
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About Cloud Beanbag
The Cloud Beanbag Chair is a distinctive seating piece with a cloud-inspired, irregular silhouette that blends visual softness with ergonomic stability. Unlike standard beanbags that collapse, its dual-layer design features a refillable liner and a removable, machine-washable cover to preserve shape and comfort. User testing across ages and heights averaged 4.75/5 for emotional relief, often described as a "hug-like" experience. Current research into high-viscose recyclable fabrics supports sustainable use in modern interiors.
About Zahra Hamzelou
Zahra Hamzelou is a designer and maker specializing in comfort-driven beanbag furniture. Since 2017, she has collaborated directly with clients to craft seating solutions that prioritize ergonomics, emotional comfort, and balance. Her design approach is shaped by her academic background as a PhD candidate in English Literature, where she has explored themes of identity, solitude, and inner dialogue. Drawing from philosophy, psychology, and lived experience, Zahra views furniture not only as a functional object but as a space that supports reflection, rest, and emotional well-being. Her work seeks to create moments of calm and presence in the rhythm of everyday life.
Award Record
Zahra Hamzelou is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Furniture Design Award
The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Typical entries include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. The awarded furniture designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/174906
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174906
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174906
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/371113
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Cloud Beanbag
- Function
- Beanbag
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Silver, Sienna, Tan, Dim Gray and Saddle Brown
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Zahra Hamzelou
- Country
- Iran
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174906
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Zuzanaghe Studio (Caspiloun), Cloud Beanbag Chair, 2025.; Photographer Zuzanaghe Studio (Caspiloun), Cloud Beanbag Chair (Lifestyle View), 2025.; Photographer Zuzanaghe Studio (Caspiloun), Cloud Beanbag Chair (Close-up), 2025.; Photographer Zuzanaghe Studio (Caspiloun), Cloud Beanbag Chair (Interaction Scene), 2025.; Photographer Zuzanaghe Studio (Caspiloun), Cloud Beanbag Chair (No Background), 2025. Video Credits: Videographer Zuzanaghe Studio (Caspiloun), Cloud Beanbag Chair Product Film, 2025. Background music: “Romantic Bolero Orchestra and Sax - Romantic South American Music,” Pixabay License, no attribution required.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Cloud Beanbag Chair by Caspiloun is an innovative seating solution blending cloud-inspired irregularity with ergonomic structure. Unlike conventional beanbags that collapse, its proprietary sewing technique and compartmentalized liner retain form under pressure, delivering a "hug-like" embrace (emotional response 4.75/5 from diverse users, ages 20-67, and heights 150-190 cm). Key features include refillable EPS micro-beads, a machine-washable teddy fabric cover, and customizable Sky/Earth variants for tailored comfort.
- Inspiration
- The Cloud Beanbag Chair draws inspiration from the soft, irregular forms of clouds, echoing Friedrich Nietzsche’s judgment-free natural peace (Twilight of the Idols, 1889) and Thich Nhat Hanh’s mindful rest (Peace Is Every Step, 1991). This natural motif shapes its ergonomic design, offering a "hug-like" embrace that supports relaxation, validated by user feedback (emotional relief 4.75/5 across ages 20-67, heights 150-190cm). Inspired by Jean-Marie Massaud’s emotional resonance, it creates a calming presence in overstimulated settings, blending tactile softness with structural stability.
- Research
- This project employed a user-centered, hands-on design approach. The goal was to craft a chair echoing Thich Nhat Hanh’s mindful rest (Peace Is Every Step, 1991) and Nietzsche’s judgment-free peace (Twilight of the Idols, 1889), easing stress with a comforting hug. Years of custom orders informed testing, using surveys, observations, and video with paper forms. Eight participants (ages 20-67, heights 150-190cm, balanced gender) tested it. Results: 4.5/5 comfort, 5/5 reclining, 4.75/5 emotional relief ("hugged" feel). Insights, aligning with Massaud’s emotional resonance, show softness boosts well-being.
- Challenge
- The greatest challenge was crafting a soft seat that retains shape under pressure while ensuring ergonomic support and visual lightness, inspired by clouds yet practical for daily use. Machine washability without structural loss posed a hurdle, exacerbated by limited local materials and Iran’s regulatory constraints on imports. Culturally, beanbags were unfamiliar, requiring education, while historical furniture norms favored rigidity. Testing with diverse users (ages 20-67, heights 150-190cm) overcame this: despite initial height concerns, they rated comfort 4.5/5 and relief 4.75/5.
- Realization and Technology
- The Cloud Beanbag Chair features a dual-layer system: a durable inner liner with compartmentalized EPS micro-bead filling supported by a proprietary sewing technique ensuring form retention under load while maintaining flexibility. The removable outer cover, crafted from locally sourced teddy fabric for the prototype, offers machine-washability and tactile comfort. Handcrafted in Tabriz via modular assembly at Caspiloun, it enables unfilled shipping to minimize logistics impact. User testing (Number: 8, ages 20-67, heights 150-190cm) confirmed the refillable liner’s adaptability (ease of use 3.875/5, enhanced by Sky/Earth variants).
- Operation and Interaction
- The Cloud Beanbag Chair is ready to use-simply place it and sit down. You’ll sink into its soft embrace, lean back, and find natural support that feels like a hug, adapting to your shape effortlessly. Users of all ages (20-67) instantly relax, describing it as "hugging" and "relieving" with a 4.75/5 emotional relief rating. Unlike ordinary beanbags that lose form, its unique design holds its shape, providing consistent comfort. The washable, refillable cover keeps it fresh, while its lightweight build and customizable Sky/Earth versions enhance usability, making every moment a peaceful retreat.
- Project Duration and Location
- The Cloud Beanbag Chair project commenced in January 2025 and was completed in June 2025. All phases-ideation, prototyping, user testing, and production-were executed in Tabriz, Iran, within the Caspiloun workshop. Local participants, ranging from ages 20 to 67 and heights 150 to 190cm, contributed feedback that refined the design’s proportions and validated its comfort and adaptability. The project is registered with the Intellectual Property Center of Iran (industrial design 49570) and branded under Caspiloun (trademark 479476).
- Specifications
- Dimensions: 1400 mm (W) x 1000 mm (D) x 700 mm (H). Outer cover: removable, machine-washable teddy fabric (locally sourced). Inner liner: durable textile with calibrated EPS micro-beads, refillable for longevity. Weight: 9-11 kg (varies by Sky/Earth version). Packaging: liner and cover shipped separately, enabling local filling to minimize international shipping weight and carbon footprint. Technical properties include a proprietary sewing technique ensuring form retention under load, validated by diverse users (ages 20-67, heights 150-190cm). Future iterations target high-viscose recyclable covers.
- Keywords
- beanbag, cloud-inspired furniture, ergonomic seating, emotional wellness, refillable design, washable cover, sustainable seating, cozy comfort, innovative upholstery, Caspiloun beanbag
