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From chunky plates to curly baguette holders, designer Gustaf Westman brings humour, colour, and creativity into every corner of his Stockholm studio that doubles as a home and a gallery for his delightfully unserious designs – including some new ones for IKEA.
“I think the design world has a big lack of humour and I think it is fun to be a bit annoying with your humour.”
“I think the design world has a big lack of humour, and I think it is fun to be a bit annoying with your humour,” Gustaf Westman tells Never Too Small with a chuckle. That playful ethos runs through everything he creates – from quirky designs to the way he’s shaped his own Stockholm studio apartment. It also explains his move away from architecture. “I felt like I was too lazy to be an architect. It’s so intense and you need to know so much,” he laughs. Instead, he found freedom in designing furniture and household objects that embrace humour, colour, and fun: chunky plates and bowls, “blob” tables and even a curly baguette holder – many of which now fill his 30 square-metre (323sqft) apartment.
The light-filled space, where he has lived for the past three years, doubles as both home and gallery: a treasure trove of bold hues, curious forms, and whimsical shapes. A cobalt-blue curvy mirror rests against one wall; a chunky pink hot dog plate sits on a handcrafted wooden dining table; a chrome spiral stand functions both as a magazine rack and dish dryer. Prototypes from his latest collaboration with IKEA mingle with earlier pieces, giving the compact home the air of a museum. “Mostly I have my own furniture here,” he says. “What I did love about this apartment is it’s very small but very light. It’s very unusual to have this small apartment in Stockholm with windows all around.”
Though Westman’s practice has grown (he has more than half a million Instagram followers alone), his approach remains casual and collaborative. “It was never my intention to have a design studio. It was very organic,” he explains. “A lot of the people who work with me are my friends. We hang out here, and it’s that kind of vibe.”
That spirit is reflected throughout his apartment, but most of all, in the kitchen. When Westman moved in, the kitchen was in a bad condition. Instead of replacing it outright, he decided to build his own. Using IKEA cabinets as a base, he created custom doors in collaboration with the same craftsperson who produced his very first design objects. The result is a space with softly rounded edges and Swedish stained pine wood; a warm, tactile centrepiece that feels both functional and personal. He even has a matching kitchen in blue at his studio office, a playful nod to continuity across his spaces. Whether he’s collaborating on a large-scale project with the likes of IKEA or creating smaller, offbeat objects with friends, Westman thrives on the balance of both worlds. “To have that range is very fun and very different,” he explains.
When it comes to inspiration, the designer is less interested in lofty concepts and more grounded in daily routine. “I get inspiration from everywhere,” Westman says. “But for me, it is probably more about stuff I need to do. Like I need to hang out with my friends, I need to run – I do that every day. I feel that is more my thing; that I need to stay creative and travel.”
Sometimes that inspiration arrives suddenly and disruptively: “Some days I just wake up and feel like creating,” he says. “I have to cancel all my plans because I know I am going to come up with so many good ideas. And maybe the next time it happens is in like half a year – I don’t know.” It’s a refreshingly playful, unpretentious approach – one that makes clear why Westman’s work resonates far beyond the walls of his apartment. After all, if design can be chunky, wobbly, colourful, and a little bit annoying, why would you ever settle for boring?
