The colourful, playful “Curvy Mirror” started appearing in our Instagram feeds just when we needed it most perhaps, in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. Although you may not know the name, you may well recognise it when you see it. The designer behind this best-seller is Gustaf Westman, whose colourful, playful style sent him rocketing to design scene fame.

– The mirror concept came to me when I was creating a fashionwear showroom, and “Chunky Table” was dreamed up for the same project. The main idea was for the mirror to be box-like, with depth to it. For some reason, the frame ended up curvy, and this is the design many will be familiar with. But the frame design wasn’t actually my main focus.

– The credit for that goes to Hanna MW. People were spending so much time at home during the pandemic, and I think that inspired people to do more on their interior design for themselves rather than as a showpiece for others. More people probably discovered that they felt better and happier surrounded by more colour.

Westman believes that there are several reasons why people are so keen on colours now.

– My take pre-pandemic was that it’s more enjoyable to look at images featuring colourful interior design, and that more people should take the plunge and colour up their homes. But the trend was adopted so much faster than I could have imagined.

But let’s reel back the tape. Westman describes that his route to becoming a furniture designer was down to serendipity. After three years as a student of architecture at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, he opted for a sabbatical to start practising in Stockholm.

– I always wanted to do something creative and I was always open about a future career. When I got to the capital, I started doing freelance interior design, including for a PR agency. Through them, I picked up more assignments, and was doing both offices and showrooms. I started doing full-service concepts and custom-designed furniture.

Although Westman designs furniture, he doesn’t see himself as an interior designer as such because for him the design objects have sole focus.

– For me, it’s more about finding appealing design objects which I then arrange in a composition, as opposed to interior design in the usual sense. I buy furniture and interior accessories that appeal to me. It’s as simple as that. It may be a piece with sentimental value or some retro piece I think has statement value or a cool vibe. Mixing items you like personally tends to work well.

I meet up with Westman at his childhood home, which he describes as a place covered in wallpaper and iconic designs from brands like Svenskt Tenn.

– We always had a wallpapered walls at home. Lots of Josef Frank and graphical type patterns.

Westman’s own designs are soft, playful and colourful. Yellow, blue, pink, green and purple are frequently repeated, and when asked why he tends to go for colourful, playful colours, his answer is that he mainly designs to his own taste.

– My designs reflect what appeals to me personally, and I like a distinctiveness to my output. I often work with a just a few elements, so if a table has rounded edges, that’s just the way it is. Giving the table a bright colour has a way of accentuating the form and the concept.

Finding the right colour tends to be a lengthy process, mainly of exclusion.

– Personally, I love a bright palette and find it thrilling to play around with a wide range of colours. In fact, finding the right colour for a piece of furniture can take months. If I want a design to be pink, I’ll be considering about 50 different shades which I then narrow down. My process is all about trial and error and intuition.

– For me, it’s more about finding appealing design objects which I then arrange in a composition, as opposed to interior design in the usual sense. I buy furniture and interior accessories that appeal to me. It’s as simple as that. It may be a piece with sentimental value or some retro piece I think has statement value or a cool vibe. Mixing items you like personally tends to work well.

I meet up with Westman at his childhood home, which he describes as a place covered in wallpaper and iconic designs from brands like Svenskt Tenn.

– We always had a wallpapered walls at home. Lots of Josef Frank and graphical type patterns.