USM Haller E Sideboard M with Compartment Lighting

The Design

The new creative potential of the design classic USM Haller = energy: thanks to the further development of the USM ball, connector and tube, a flow of current can now be integrated into the USM furniture structure, thereby supplying the integrated lighting and/or USB inserts with energy. And when switched off, these are virtually invisible. The revolutionary power supply offers amazingly diverse application possibilities - from the targeted lighting of a piece of furniture over the lighting of the room to the practical USB charger for mobile devices. The design possibilities with USM Haller and its modular light modules are therefore as individual as the requirements and needs of today.

Designer

Even when history will inevitably remember him as a furniture designer, Fritz Haller always considered himself principally as an architect. Indeed the USM furniture system is the only notable furniture design project in a career dominated by institutional and domestic architecture work, a portfolio that includes schools, office buildings and industrial facilities. All the furniture he did design was in context of his architectural projects: a prime example being the USM Haller furniture. In 1961 Fritz Haller was commissioned to design new production and office facilities for USM in Münsingen, in addition he created some office furniture. Office furniture that was to become one of the most successful modular furniture systems ever. Fritz Haller, architect and designer, died on 15 October 2012, in his home town of Solothurn, Switzerland.

USM Headquarters in Münsingen (Switzerland)

Manufacturer

USM can look back on a long history. Established in 1885 by Paul Schärer as a hardware store and locksmith business, the company developed into a metal factory and then under the direction of Paul Schärer into a modern industrial enterprise. The development of the USM Haller furniture system of 1963 was however to have a decisive influence on the history of the company, which in 1969 began the serial production of the modular furniture system. Today, USM sells the furniture system, which has been copyrighted since 1988 and is part of MoMA New York's collection, in showrooms from Japan to New York. In 1992, the previous core business producing window fittings was discontinued, allwoing the company to concentrate exclusively on the production and further development of the USM furniture system, which is today features USM sideboards, USM rollcontainers and USM tables... and now also new lighting and USB components.

USM Haller Unit with background lighting

Production

USM produces all parts of the USM Haller furniture at their Swiss headquarters in Münsingen. All metal cladding elements are powder-coated in the typical colours, such as USM Haller white, graphite black or ruby red. From principle the firm promote responsible use of energy, raw materials and reduction of emissions in all stages of production and sales. Ecological sustainability is in addition also part of the design of the USM Haller product: all materials are of high quality and extremely durable, and the furniture can also be adapted as your requirements for your USM Haller unit change, it does not have to be replaced by a new piece of furniture, but can be adapted to meet the new circumstances.

Historical Context

Not only Fritz Hallers's architecture, but also Haller's USM furniture system - a project that is very closely related to his architectural work - is today clearly defined as functionalism. Although the term had already played a role as a key principle of the Bauhaus movement it was after the Second World War that functionalism evolved as the epitome of modern construction. In essence with functionalism all frills and embellishments are studiously avoided, and instead the aim is to achieve a universal and time enduring aesthetics by focusing on functional aspects. Not only in the world of office furniture does Haller's shelving system elegantly meet this requirement, but also, for example, in the living area with USM media furniture. On the one hand USM is with its flexibility, adaptability and functionality almost unbeatable, on the other hand, thanks to its rigorous reduction to basic geometric structures a timeless formal classic.

Timeless elegance a USM Haller Bookcase