inflated geometry defines gustaf westman’s storage system
With Puzzle Shelf, Gustaf Westman continues expanding his soft-edged, hyper-saturated world, this time through a system that assembles like an exaggerated childhood toy. The stackable storage system is made up of glossy, bone-shaped blocks that lock into one another like a giant jigsaw, forming shelving, benches, tables, or sculptural stacks depending on how users configure them. The candy-pink, cherry-red, grass-green, icy-blue, and cream elements feel almost animated, compressing Westman’s instantly recognizable visual language into a single, modular kit.
In an Instagram reel created in collaboration with Apple, the designer traces the beginnings of the project to an everyday pastime. ‘This is my latest object, Puzzle Shelf. Let me show you how I piece it together (…) I usually get inspired by the most random things. In this case, puzzles,’ he explains. Before committing to full-scale production, the designer tests the form through 3D printed miniatures. The prototypes mirror the final product almost exactly, making clear that the entire system functions like a puzzle you can hold, stack, and live with.
all images via @gustafwestman
puzzle shelf stacks like an oversized childhood toy
Each Puzzle Shelf unit features protruding forms that slot neatly into recessed voids, creating a friction-based structure without visible hardware. The system can be stacked vertically like a bookcase or arranged horizontally as seating. The glossy, seamless finishes exaggerate the volume, giving the pieces a buoyant, inflated presence, somewhere between cartoon prop and collectible design object.
Puzzle Shelf builds on the Swedish designer’s candy-colored universe, turning furniture into approachable characters with rounded silhouettes, thick outlines, and glossy finishes that photograph effortlessly. But beneath the playful surface sits a flexible storage system that adapts to space, need, and curiosity. ‘Here is the scale model, and over here is the final of the puzzle shelf. I hope you like it,’ Gustaf Westman says at the end of the reel. As interiors continue embracing the viral dopamine design, Puzzle Shelf feels like an invitation to play.
with Puzzle Shelf, Gustaf Westman continues expanding his soft-edged, hyper-saturated world
a system that assembles like an exaggerated childhood toy
the stackable storage system is made up of glossy, bone-shaped blocks
the elements feel almost animated
each Puzzle Shelf unit features protruding forms that slot neatly into recessed voids
the system can be stacked vertically like a bookcase
the glossy finishes exaggerate the volume, giving the pieces a buoyant, inflated presence
project info:
name: Puzzle Sheld
designer: Gustaf Westman | @gustafwestman
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