Carl Westman studied architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology from 1885-1889 and the Royal Academy of Art from 1889-1892 in Stockholm. After graduation, Westman practiced for a couple of years in USA. In 1895 he was back in Stockholm where he worked in the architectural office of Aron Johansson a.o. on the new parliament building.
From 1897, Westman ran his own office but traveled to England in 1900, where he took great inspiration from the modern Arts and Crafts interior and architectural ideal. From 1907, Westman designed several major building projects, including the Stockholm Court House (1911-15) and the Röhsska Museum of Craft and Design in Gothenburg (1910-1914). In 1916, Westman was hired as an architect for the Swedish Medicinalstyrelsen, which led to him mainly working on larger hospital buildings in Sweden. His last work was the Karolinska Hospital in Solna, which was commenced in 1932 and completed by his coworkers in 1940.
Westman's career as a furniture designer began in 1895 when he created pieces for his own home in Stockholm. During the later part of the 19th century, Westman was dedicated to social issues and designed green-stained modern Jugend furniture for the working classes, which was presented at the exhibition Gröna Rummet, initiated by Ellen Key, in Stockholm the same year.
Westman often designed complete suites of furniture, often with a consistent ornament, for a.o. the Romanäs Sanatorium in Tranås (1905) and the Press Association’s villa in Saltsjöbaden (1901-02). The later became Westman's real breakthrough as an architect and interior designer but was later torn down and the furnishings scattered.
Carl Westman passed away in 1936 at the age of 70. He is represented as a furniture designer at a.o. the Röhsska Museum of Craft and Design in Gothenburg, the Swedish National Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Furniture Studies in Stockholm.
