A connector with six threaded holes forms the basis of USM Haller’s framework. Its modular furniture system grew from the design of a factory and offices.
Article
A low cabinet, a long shelf, and an office filing unit can share the same components. Look closely at USM Haller and the shiny corners stand out beside the colored panels. Wherever slender tubes meet, a small spherical connector joins them. Repeated across different sizes of furniture, it is the starting point of the system.
Each connector has six threaded holes for attaching tubes in different directions. Chrome-plated balls and tubes form a frame, with metal panels fitted between them. Round joints make rectangular furniture. The position of the frame and the choice of closed or open surfaces can be considered separately.
The idea began in a factory rather than a furniture shop. In the early 1960s, USM's Paul Schärer commissioned architect Fritz Haller to design the company's factory and offices. The buildings used a modular approach that could adapt to changing needs. The two applied the same idea to furniture for the interiors. Pieces made for the company's own offices became known outside them and attracted orders.
USM's history records a patent application for the joint in 1965 and the start of series production in 1969. A large order for a Paris bank's offices forms part of that development. Furniture intended to adapt a workplace eventually found uses in living rooms, shops, and libraries.
Modularity does not mean a user can casually undo a few fittings and resize the furniture at any moment. Alterations require the right components, structural planning, and assembly work. Yet choices can continue at the level of individual parts. Adding height, fitting a door, or leaving a compartment open can begin with the existing frame.
Beyond choosing a color, the revealing detail is where one tube meets another. The same joint supports different compartment sizes, arrangements, and combinations of open and closed sides. The small ball at a cabinet's corner is a working connection that shows how the furniture is put together.
Image description: USM Haller storage cabinet official introduction photo · USM
Image source: https://us.usm.com/pages/about-us-history
Sources and editorial notes
Editorial note: Factual statements are based on the sources above; interpretations reflect MUADAILY's editorial perspective. Image: USM Haller storage cabinet official introduction photo · USM.
Machine-translated from Korean. Read the original.
