Wouldn’t it be nice if practically everything we need in life nested together perfectly, like a set of Russian Matryoshka dolls? Imagine how much easier it would be to rearrange your house, pack up and move or just fit all your belongings into a compact living space. These nesting and stacking designs were made to expand and retract, from knife sets to entire bedrooms worth of furniture.

Modern Nesting Knife Set

A set of four knives by designer Mia Schmallenbach, from a paring knife to a carving knife, nestle within each other to save space. The ‘Meeting’ collection seems to be sculpted out of a single solid piece of steel when it’s all packed together, and “the proportions are determined by the Fibonacci sequence.”

Matrioshka Nesting Storage Units

Six separate storage units nest within each other like Matrioshka dolls when empty in this set by TwentyTree which includes two wardrobes, three cabinets, two standalone drawers and two legs. The whole set is lightweight enough to pack up together tightly when moving.

Sliding Nest Shelf by Nendo

Adapt your shelving to whatever wall-space-width you have available in a particular room with the Nest Shelf by Nendo, which seems to magically double in size. Extend it halfway and you’ll get a grid-style layout with nine cubbies.

Russian Doll Set of Kitchen Gadgets

A sleek water bottle dubbed the Bin 8 breaks apart into a series of useful kitchen gadgets including a funnel, lemon juicer, egg masher, cheese grater, egg yolk separator, spice grater, measuring cup and lid grip for stubborn jars.

Entire Nesting Bedroom

It’s one thing for a set of knives or even cabinets to nest together neatly, but what about an entire bedroom? This clever set packs into an amazing 13 square feet, with a full-sized bed, corner couch, wardrobe, dining table, four stools and additional storage all fitting beneath a desk platform. The coffee table even expands upward into a dining table, and the stools and steps double as storage containers.

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As the popularity of Matryoshka nesting dolls has grown, more people are interested in making their own customized sets. Kits are now commercially available to allow any artist or DIY crafter to create their own unique nesting dolls. Nesting dolls can be made decorated in any way the artist or designer chooses and are often made to resemble favorite characters or pets.

Gaming Matryoshka

Matryoshka dolls are often used to celebrate games that people enjoy. Some of the most interesting feature nesting dolls as chess playing pieces. These sets are unique and may include the King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight and Pawn as interesting conversation starters. Other games and game characters, such as Mario and company, are adorable as Matryoshka dolls.

DIY Nesting Dolls

Using kits of blank nesting dolls, a designer, artist or DIY crafter can create anything they can imagine. Matryoshka dolls must nest inside each other, so hand painting them is a popular option. Some designers are creative with fabric and felt and create the look of more traditional soft dolls with their kits.

Favorite Characters

Favorite characters from movies, books and folklore are also often featured on nesting dolls.  Santas of all varieties are collectors’ items, so it only makes sense that Santa Matryoshka dolls are readily available.  Best loved characters from movies and cartoons also make nesting dolls really special to collectors.

World Leader Nesting Dolls

Dictators, presidents and world leaders are commemorated in Matryoshka dolls quite frequently. Collectors value these nesting dolls as historic timestamps, as the leader’s look during a particular election of time in power is recorded on each set of dolls.  Russian presidents are a particularly popular subject of Matryoshka dolls.

Pets and Animals

From endangered species to beloved family pets, nearly all types of animals have been featured on Matryoshka dolls. Cat lovers may find humorous nexting dolls appealing, while lovers of a specific bred of dog may adore sets illustrating all of the life stages of their pet.  Some nesting doll sets feature animals you might find in a zoo or endangered species.  Whatever the subject, Matryoshka nesting dolls makes it more interesting and give us one more reason to love our favorite things.

Matryoshka, or Russian nesting dolls, were born in 1890 in a children’s educational workshop near Moscow. The workshop was developed by Sava Mamontov, an industrialist and patron of the arts. Mamontov was one of the first to patronize artists with a passion for creating a new Russian style. At a workshop meeting, someone showed the group a Japanese figurine with smaller figurines nested inside it. It is believed that this first nesting doll was made by a Russian Monk on of Island Honshu. The artists loved the idea of nesting dolls and began creating them. In 1900, Mamontov’s wife presented the Matryoshka dolls at the World Exhibition in Paris and earned a bronze medal. The dolls became very popular and soon many artists in Russia were making Matryoshka dolls.

Huge Matryoshka Doll Collections

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Nesting dolls are now popular with artists and collectors around the world. They are made in many styles and there are large differences in their size. While the individual dolls in a set always graduate in size to enable nesting, the size of an individual set of Matryoshka dolls varies greatly. Some can be extremely large, while others graduate down to a most minuscule doll in the center. Size and style are a matter of personal preference, and most collectors enjoy a very varied display of nesting dolls.

Nesting Dolls as Home Decor

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The love for Matryoshka has not stopped with collectible dolls. The shape, style and concept of nesting dolls has crossed over into home decor. This home audio system mimics the general shape and size graduation of Matryoshka dolls. Nesting lighting fixtures and bulbs have also proven stylish enough to make it into even the most refined home decor.

Pop Stars Immortalized in Matryoshka

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Pop icons are often featured on sets of Russian nesting dolls. Individuals such as Madonna and David Bowie who have been icons for decades lend themselves well to the Matryoshka concept, as they have changed enough over the years to inspire a unique design for each doll. Band members and vocal groups, such as the Spice Girls, have also lent their likenesses to sets of Russian nesting dolls.

Nesting Doll Family Portraits

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For generations, families have constructed Russian nesting dolls to record family lineage or family portraits. Many versions of the Russian Imperial Family nesting dolls have been created. Other not-so-famous families have also used Matryoshka dolls to create a unique type of family portrait. Since the number of dolls in a set is variable, Russian nesting dolls are easily customizable.