Textile talk WITH GUSTAF WESTMAN

The architect and awarded designer Gustaf Westman invited us to his new HQ, on Östermalm in Stockholm. The office has a unique mix of colour, textiles and shapes. Amongst many iconic designs by Gustaf himself, we find Massproductions Crown Armchair in the eclectic fabric Argo, designed by Raf Simons for Kvadrat. We asked him some questions about his new office and his furry choice for the Crown Armchair.

August 30 – 2021
Words by Sanna FehrmAn

Who is Gustaf Westman?
Haha, that’s always hard to answer! But one thing I am is a furniture designer, then probably a lot of other things!

You have a new HQ in central Stockholm, what was your vision when designing the space?
This is the first time doing a space like this for myself so I think my vision was very wide and my goal was more to try as much as I could when it came to materials and colours. The office is mostly underground, so it was important to make it light and colorful.  

How would you describe your office?
It’s big and contains a lot of different spaces with different purposes. It’s nice to have this kind of space this early in my career but it would of course not be possible without the fact that I share it with two other companies.  

 

Which qualities do you appreciate most about it?
The versatility! That it’s both a showroom and places for both more messy upscale sketching and also space for the computer based office work. Im also very pleased that we managed to make it that personal and cool with a low budget. 

Future plans for your brand Gustaf Westman Objects?
The journey with the furniture line is just started and I will keep working with the bigger objects. But I’m also very interested in smaller objects that is more accessible, so that’s the closest thing we are going to focus on.

 

Listen to Gustaf Westmans Spotify list Late night work, for the perfect work tunes.



Gustaf Westman on instagram

Architect and awarded designer Gustaf Westman invited us to his new HQ, on Östermalm in Stockholm. The office has a unique mix of colour, textiles and shapes. Amongst many iconic designs by Gustaf himself, we find Massproductions Crown Armchair in the eclectic fabric Argo, designed by Raf Simons for Kvadrat. We asked him some questions about his new office and his fluffy choice for the Crown Armchair.

“The way I’ve seen the chair before is in a more strict way, I thought it was fun to play with that shape and add a more organic and lively fabric. I thought It ended up so cool, and in my opinion it gave even more versatility to the chair.”

The fabric Argo is designed by Raf Simons for fabric producer Kvadrat and is woven from the long silky hairs of the Angora goat, which give an exceptionally soft and lustrous deep pile. 

Why did you choose the Crown for your office?
Like the office, the Crown is a very versatile chair. It can be used in a lot of different ways which is perfect for someone like me, who is refurnishing all the time. It’s also a classic with a very appealing design and it goes well with a lot of different shapes and colors. 

Tell us about your colour and fabric choice of the Crown Armchair?
 I’ve seen the chair more strict before, I thought it was fun to play with that shape and add a more organic and lively fabric. I thought it ended up so cool and in my opinion it gave more versatility to the chair.  

How does your work place inspire your work as a designer?
I love that it’s colorful! If I feel uninspired I can basically just take a walk in the office and I’ll find some color or shape to be inspired by. 

“I get inspired by almost everything. But for me it’s more about the things I need to do, to keep being inspired, for example I need to be around my friends and I always feel very creative after a run. “