Photography by
ÅSA LIFFNER
Words by
LYDIA GEISEL
Art Direction by
KATE BERRY
It’s a
After All
WORLD
Small
Whether Stockholm-based designer Gustaf Westman is at the office or
his studio apartment, he’s never not
living in a world of his own design.
It started with a one-off design for fashion stylist Hanna Marzouki Widlund in January 2020:
a “big green mirror” with a distinctive wavy frame. Within months, seemingly every Scandinavian It girl had one, from Marie Wibe Jedig to Trine Kjær (both got pale yellow), kick-starting a cult following that has shown no signs of ceasing. Even Olivia Rodrigo has since caught on. But perhaps the mirror’s biggest collector is the designer himself, the one and only Gustaf Westman.
Internet fame didn’t happen overnight. Let’s rewind to 2018: Westman had just graduated from architecture school and moved in with roommates in Stockholm. As he started to apply for internships, he realized he would need some work to showcase. He began reaching out to cafés and businesses on the side to ask if he could help create stuff—anything, really. A public relations firm looking for an office makeover took him up on it, and in doing so, connected him with other potential clients. Just one year into practicing architecture, Westman slowly made the switch to product design full-time. Many of the items he is most recognized for today (Curvy Mirror included) stemmed from those early days when he was “just learning by doing.”
I like to investigate items where there’s one function. It’s pretty unnecessary, but that’s what I like.”
This isn’t a job for the faint of heart; the designer goes on a jog almost every single day to decompress. “In the beginning, I was never running with music because that’s when I was thinking and being creative,” he says. “Now I really need music to not think about work.” Back surrounded by his inventions, he’s fully tuned in to the next product. Will it be a three-person bed with a built-in TV? A snowball maker shaped like a Chunky Cup? Whatever it is, his star-studded following is sure to eat it up. But despite the hubbub, Westman insists, “I still design for myself.”
Come Monday, Westman is off to his other studio—the work kind. A quick bus ride from home, it doesn’t look all that different from the designer’s apartment. His Chunky Plates hang on the wall (thanks to the divot on the back, they’re easily mounted with a basic nail), and the kitchen sports more pine cabinets, this time coated in a soft blue semitransparent stain that plays nicely with the oven, which is powder coated in a custom cobalt. “It’s like an extension of my home,” says the designer. The furniture here rotates even more frequently: If a customer scoops up a table on display, he’ll rearrange the layout to make room for something new.
On occasion, Westman will open up the place as a showroom. Most days, though, it’s a hub for his team of eight—nine if you count his dad, who frequently helps with packaging and shipping. When Westman unexpectedly sold out of product
on the first day of a pop-up in Amsterdam a few years ago, his father was the one who drove a truck 15-plus hours to the Netherlands to restock the shop. “I just called him and was like, ‘What are you doing tomorrow?’” says Westman.
When the designer has people over, drinks are served on his lacquer Wine Table, a tubular metal flight of fancy that he originally designed for the local bar Vingården before adding it to his permanent lineup. “I like to investigate items where there’s one function. It’s pretty unnecessary, but that’s what I like,” he shares. So, yes, the central hub is just big enough for a single bottle of vino, and the four tentacle-like arms hold one stemmed glass each.
While Westman will often also scoot his dining table into the middle of the apartment for better flow, seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Those who arrive late to the party will find themselves sipping their drinks on his queen bed just a few feet away from the kitchen. “The secret is to have a lot of wine—they forget that the space is very narrow after a while,” he says with a laugh.
What the unit lacks in storage, it makes up for in corner windows (a precious commodity come winter, when the sun rises at 8:45 a.m. and starts to set around 3 p.m.). It was the blank canvas Westman needed: He took down a wall that
used to separate the kitchen from the rest of the apartment; updated the flooring; and, after a water leak last year, redid
the tile in the bathroom.
In 2022, the designer had the funds to buy his first solo apartment. Even before that, though, he knew his fate. In
order to afford living in the center of the city, he’d have to settle for a small space. Yet despite being a mere 322 square feet, his home is chock-full of pieces of his own creation (with a few exceptions: a tubular metal bed frame he thrifted in his hometown, Dalsjöfors; a sculpture by Swedish rapper Yung Lean; and an Arne Jacobsen Grand Prix chair purchased with
his first paycheck).
The officially named Curvy Mirror was just the beginning. It’s been joined by chunky ones and squiggly ones, teeny ones and ones shaped like flowers (needless to say, Westman takes really good selfies). One day, there might be a wavy sideboard at the foot of his mattress; the next, it could be a Blob sofa. He often uses the space as a testing ground for prototypes and a set for photo shoots. “The biggest challenge for me is that it gets messy. But I think I like it that way,” he admits.
“
Westman is
not the most organized person, but that’s okay by him. “I embrace it. I clean when I have guests over, but I’d rather go to them to get free food,”
he jokes.
Above: Paint (on walls), Lazuli by Klint; Bed Blanket, Evelina Kroon x Klippan; Rug, Nordic Knots; Lamp (on windowsill), Noguchi Shop; Vintage Terrazza Couch by Ubald Klug for DeSede; Vintage Karuselli Chair by Yrjö Kukkapuro for Haimi. Right: Curvy Sideboard, Chunky Stool, Flower Mirror, and Chunky Cup Swirl by Gustaf Westman. Below: Wine Table and Chunky Wine Glass by Gustaf Westman.
The first time the designer
made the Chunky Stool (originally a one-off for a wine bar), the edges of the base were sharper. In the end, in true Westman style, he rounded them out.
Westman
had his basic IKEA kitchen faucet powder-coated a red shade.
Above: Flowerpot Lamp by Verner Panton for &Tradition; Vintage AJ Desk Lamp by Arne Jacobsen; Curvy Mirror Micro, Chunky Round Table, Pipe Chair, Chunky Chair, Chunky Stool, Chunky Wood Bowl, Chunky Cup, and Chunky Vase Blob by Gustaf Westman. Above, Right: Shelving Unit, String Furniture; Chunky Cups, Chunky Beer Glass, and Chunky Wine Glasses by Gustaf Westman.
Above: Chunky Plates and Chunky Cup by Gustaf Westman. Left: Chunky Mirror Mini by Gustaf Westman.
Above: Kettle, Smeg; Curly Lamp Mini, Round Table, Pipe Chair, Chunky Plates, Blob Sofa, Blob Table, and Chunky Vase by Gustaf Westman. Below: Spiral Stand and Chunky Candle Holder by Gustaf Westman.
Chunky Plates, Flower Mirror Micro, Curvy Sideboard, Chunky Flower Pot, Chunky Jug, Chunky Vase Stripe, Chunky Vase Deflated, Chunky Cup Swirl, and Chunky Candle Holder by Gustaf Westman.
Westman’s whimsical
Flower Mirror was once
supersized. The piece was
initially a bespoke creation for
a festival in 2023—“the peak of
Y2K aesthetics,” he says. “People seemed to like it, so I made
smaller ones that were
more affordable.”
Chunky Cup,
Gustaf Westman
SHOP NOW
Glypen Faucet,
IKEA
Shelf,
String Furniture
Pipe Chair,
Gustaf Westman
SHOP NOW
SHOP NOW
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Akari 1AD Lamp,
Noguchi Shop
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Park 02 Rug,
Nordic Knots
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Wine Table,
Gustaf Westman
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Terrazza Sofa,
1stDibs
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Blob Sofa,
Gustaf Westman
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Retro Electric Kettle,
Smeg
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Chunky Vase,
Gustaf Westman
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Curly Lamp Mini,
Gustaf Westman
SHOP NOW
Chunky Candle Holder, Gustaf Westman
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Curvy Sideboard,
Gustaf Westman
SHOP NOW
Chunky Flower Pot,
Gustaf Westman
SHOP NOW
Chunky Plate,
Gustaf Westman
SHOP NOW
Although still pint-size, the new kitchen is defined by cabinets swathed in a pale pink stain that doesn’t obscure the knots in the pinewood, a species that reminds Westman of traditional Scandinavian furniture. “It took a long time to get that exact finish,” he remembers. While the refrigerator is tucked around the corner, he’s got everything else he could ever want right there, including a hidden dishwasher and tableware never far from reach. “I put my plates on the wall when I’m not eating from them,” says Westman. (There’s also a whole gallery of them on the opposite side of the apartment).
Westman also counts Emma Chamberlain and TikTok star Nara Smith as fans (Chamberlain scored a bespoke magazine holder-slash-mirror while Smith
has used his Chunky
Plates to serve elaborate snacks).
Photography by
ÅSA LIFFNER
Words by
LYDIA GEISEL