Modular furniture? Yes, please!

We’re big on modular furniture and you should be, too. What’s not to love?   Modular furniture, when designed well,  is the stunning result of an art form that blends the aesthetics of architecture, the minimalist practicality of industrial principles, and the hapticity of beautifully-engineered materials, all sprinkled with the fairy dust of “oh-my-god-that-is-just-so-durned-ingenious”.

USM’s London showroom. Or our dream office

How USM does it

Let’s take a look at the daddy of modular furniture, USM. Founded in Switzerland in 1885 as a metalwork company, this family business started to develop modular furniture design nearly a hundred years later, in the early 1960s. This came about as a result of the influence of engineer Paul Schärer and architect Fritz Haller. Haller designed USM’s new factory using versatile steel modular construction principles and Schärer liked it so much that he and Haller designed the factory’s new workstations and furniture the same way.

Their series of pieces could be configured, adapted, reconfigured and dismantled to fit the purpose. Word caught on, so in 1969 USM began manufacturing and selling the USM Haller systems business-to-business, with a first order of 600 workstations for Rothschild Bank in Paris. Nice work!

It’s crazy practical

USM used just three key ingredients: an elegant ball joint, chrome connecting tubes, and panels. 

 For true modularity, each stage of construction has a use.

The frame is a display cabinet:

 Add back panels and it’s a bookshelf:

Add a front and it’s a cupboard:

And holy crap, is that a room divider? Ingenious.

And don’t forget the bookshelf-with-a-sneaky-drawer combo:

Haller E

The signature Heller line has become so iconic that MOMA has had its sticky paws on it since 2001.  Although it’s kept true to the original philosophy and construction, USM has introduced a new development – Haller that lights up!  Haller E  is a cable-free with interchangeable built-in warm or bright LED's that turns your Haller into a, well, Haller with lights. Ground-breaking? No. But gorgeous? Oh yes.

CA Moden Home is one of the largest North American distributors of the complete USM Haller system. We have a team of USM specialist that range from factory certified CAD draftsman to USM trained assemblers. We also can take any of your older USM Haller pieces and reconfigure them into a different more useful piece, supplying any parts necessary. If you need something faster please browse our"Quick Ship" pre-assembled units. Although limited in options and colors they are the alternative to a 12-14 week ship time from Switzerland.

 Nothing says “Cool Bar” like Haller E.

Haller isn’t all about customizable cupboards – there are tables, desks, and accessories within the range. And in 1989 it launched USM Kitos, a suite of work surfaces that blend with Haller but focused on work: height-adjustable, designed for every device and, like Haller, in an array of materials and finishes.

And now? Modular furniture design has taken off: all the colors in all the sizes.

CA Modern Home is proud to be an authorized USM dealer. Call us now to request a trade quote. 1800.605.1859

If you have any question about any USM product you already own or thinking about purchasing you can respond to this blog or email us at sales@camodernhome.com

 If you are in South Florida, Miami or South Beach area, please stop by our main showroom located at 1560 Lenox Ave Miami Beach Fl, 33139. We have many USM floors samples for you to see.

Images Copyright USM