USM Haller Clothes Rack/Bench

The Design

With the USM modular furniture system a wide range of furniture objects can be constructed from three basic elements: metal tubes form the framework, chrome plated brass balls act as the connection points and metal or glass panels used provide decoration and cladding. The spectrum of possible configurations ranges from simple shelving constructions such as the popular USM Haller Sideboards, over tables and roll containers all the way up to to modern wardrobes. Originally, the architect Fritz Haller developed the USM furniture in the 1960s as office furniture for the new USM administrative building; however with the first large order, in 1969 for the Rothschild Bank in Paris, series production began. And thus the USM Haller success story that continues to this day. Characteristic of USM Haller shelving is its modular character and minimalist design. And the classically elegant effect created by the different surfaces and the clearly defined structure.

Designer

The architect Fritz Haller was born in Solothurn, Switzerland, in 1924 and designed a wide range functionalist buildings, such as schools, workshops and office buildings. In 1961, then USM CEO Paul Schärer commissioned Fritz Haller with the construction of new manufacturing and administration buildings, a commission for which the architect subsequently designed the USM office furniture as a complementary interior design. This is Haller's only furniture design and has become his most famous work and his modular shelving system has not only received numerous prizes but in 2001 was added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Fritz Haller died in 2012 in his native Switzerland.

Production of the USM Haller panels in Switzerland

Manufacturer

The USM Haller wardrobe is the result of a long history: In 1885, Paul Schärer's ancestor Ulrich Schärer founded USM as a metalworking shop and hardware store in the Swiss town of Münsingen near Bern. With the production of window closures and the introduction of general metal and sheet metal processing in the first half of the twentieth century, the business not only expanded but the conditions for the production of the shelving system by Fritz Haller were laid. Since 1969, the furniture produced in series in Münsingen; since 1988, the furniture has been protected by copyright and was classified as a work of applied art in a judicial procedure. With showrooms from Tokyo to New York, USM has made a name for itself worldwide and now focuses exclusively on the manufacture and development of USM Haller furniture.. So ist z.B. seit 2017 die Integration von Licht- und Stromversorgungselementen in USM Haller Regalen möglich: for example, in 2017 USM launched the integration of light and power supply elements into USM Haller units.

USM Haller wardrobes are timeless and functional

Production

The USM Haller shelves, which were developed in the 1960s in Münsingen, Switzerland, and all the basic USM building blocks are still produced there, and the metal trays are powder coated in the 15 USM colors USM. The final assebly for the German market takes place in Leipzig: the transport of individual parts is space-saving and thus ecologically more meaningful, however, the company also fulfills its ecological responsibility in other ways. All production processes are justifiable from the point of view of environmental protection, the concentration on a singl production site reduces the CO2 emissions through transport routes and last but not least the high quality and flexibility of the USM furniture system bequeath the objects a very long life. In addition, the USM furniture has been awarded the Greenguard Indoor Quality Certificate, which guarantees low-emission products and thus a healthier indoor climate.

Historical Context

Whoever attempts to place the USM Haller wardrobes in furniture history, inevitably stumbles across the famous Louis Sullivan quote "Form follows function." As early as 1896, the American high-rise architect explained his idea of the design of an objects: much misunderstood over the following decades as a call to plain or purely functional architecture, it is much more about making the form of an object dependent on its function. The USM modular furniture system, which offers individual solutions for office and residential facilities, meets this requirement. Another typical feature of 1960s functionalist objects is their timeless design. Thanks to USM Haller's clear lines, the furniture continues to enjoy great popularity to this day and in many different areas.

Further development of the USM portfolio: storage boxes