USM Haller Highboard M open, USM brown

As with all USM Haller sideboards the design of the USM Haller highboard M open is based on a simple but very clever principle: A skeleton construction of chrome-plated metal balls and chrome plated steel tubes clad with metal and/or glass panels. Yet it is precisely this simplicity that so special about the USM furniture. From these three basic elements furniture of various kinds and forms can be design. And if need be re-designed. Thus with USM Haller furniture is not a static state of affairs but rather an active process in which furniture adapts to changing conditions. The USM Haller system was designed in 1963 by Swiss architect Fritz Haller in the context of an architectural contract for the USM office pavilion in Münsingen, Switzerland. The series production of the shelving system began in 1969 and today USM Haller office furniture is correctly regarded as true design classic; be that in the living room, office, shop, library, airport.....

Good to go...USM Haller units awaiting dispatch

Historical Context

In terms of design history USM Haller is clearly founded in functionalism. Characterized by the principle "form follows function", a principle which first achieved prominence after the First World War, for all in terms of and in relation to the Bauhaus school, but which really became established after the Second World War as the epitome of modern construction. In USM Haller units the ideals of functionalism are expressed in a very particular way: The furniture can be adapted to meet the changing demands of the location and so remain flexible in its functionality. The reduced, minimalist design results from the focus on functional aspects and helps the system present its timeless aesthetic. It is therefore no surprise that nearly fifty years after its creation Fritz Haller's USM sideboards and their simple design are not only popular office furniture but increasingly also finding their place in the living areas of the globe.

Timeless and functional furniture solutions with USM office furniture.

USM Haller furniture system

Production

USM produces the USM Haller System at its main facility in the Swiss village of Münsingen. There, not only are all items manufactured and the metal shelves powder coated in the 15 standard USM colours. For sales in Germany the individual components are brought to Bühl, Baden-Württemberg where they are assembled by trained personne. USM attaches great importance to the responsible use of energy, reduction of emissions and handling of raw materials in all aspects of the production and logistic chains. In addition the USM modular furniture concept is ecologically sustainable in its own right: because USM Haller only use quality materials, USM products are very durable, have a long effective life and must, theoretically, never be replaced, Rather converted. Re-built.

Fritz Haller designed the USM modular furniture system in the 1960s.

Designer

Although Fritz Haller achieved a global fame thanks to a furniture design episode, he principally worked as an architect and for all an architect of large scale buildings such as schools, office buildings and industrial facilities.His famous USM system was developed in connection with an architectural commission. Entrusted with the construction of new facilities for USM by company boss Paul Schärer, Haller developed the USM units for the interiors of the USM building. In the following years, USM Haller would become one of the most successful modular furniture systems in design history. For his pioneering furniture design Fritz Haller has received numerous awards and seen his work featured in the permanent collection of many museums. Fritz Haller died in 2012 in his native Switzerland.

USM Haller