Swedish designer Gustaf Westman has reimagined the Mercedes-Benz CLA model into a whimsical bubblegum-pink vehicle equipped with everything you could need for a perfect day out in nature.
Unveiled in London earlier this week, the car features a roof-mounted tent, a pull-out picnic table built into the rear of the vehicle and a host of playful gadgets, from oversized mirrors to a bottle holder that protrudes from the rear.
The design is part of Mercedez-Benz’s Class of Creators project, in which the carmaker commissioned five artists to redesign its latest CLA model. Other artists involved in the project include rapper Ice Spice and fashion designer KidSuper.
Speaking to Deezen, Westman explained that he ‘wanted a place where you can sleep and stay, so that was obviously the tent, and then a place where you can eat your dinner or breakfast, and I wanted that to kind of be integrated into the car design’.
The tent is designed to be functional and adaptable, with a pole that can be adjusted to different heights. Particular attention was paid to the fabric which, when stretched, allows you to see out but acts like a dark curtain when contracted.
Westman has also created a line of thick, soft accessories to match the car, such as cups, hot dog trays and pink plates, whose compartments are shaped like the Mercedes logo, allowing diners to enjoy three types of food on the same plate. There’s also a mirror and a picnic blanket with nine puffy squares, and even a pink roll-up rucksack.
Westman belongs to the group of new talents who have emerged on the Stockholm scene thanks to his distinctive work in 2020. Known for his playful, curvaceous furniture that resembles oversized toys, Westman has quickly made a name for himself on the Scandinavian and international design scene. His Stockholm studio, founded in 2020, produces furniture, ceramics and glassware to order.
‘I usually describe my design as very easy to understand; it’s very few elements that create the object, and it’s always built upon an idea.’
Westman says he took the time to understand the Mercedez-Benz brand before embarking on the project, adding that the car’s design is inspired by nature. ‘This car is all about that,’ he told Deezen. ‘It has all the features that you need for a day in nature.’
The reason he chose pink is because it’s ‘cute’ and he confessed to a penchant for ‘cute things’, adding that ‘pink is a colour you don’t have strong feelings for, and it helps the shape to look like that’.
On the subject of the shape of his creations, Westman says that ‘endless shapes give life to objects’.
When asked if he had used AI, the artist designer said that he had toyed with the idea because ‘it’s fun’, but ultimately decided against it because he thinks it’s wrong and has no intention of incorporating it into his future designs.