November 5, 2023, 11:10 am | Read time: 5 minutes

Anyone scrolling through social media these days will quickly notice that a particular piece of furniture is being showcased more or less prominently on fashion-conscious influencer profiles. The former office furniture from the Swiss company USM Haller has now become a trendy sideboard for clothing, shoes, and other everyday needs. Some say it’s too good for office documents and supplies. Others struggle with the hefty price. One thing is certain: this statement piece definitely captures the spirit of the times. But why is the furniture with the distinctive ball joint only now receiving applause?

Arrived in Pop Culture

A proud four-figure sum is required if you want to adorn your home with a USM Haller sideboard. Not exactly cheap for a single piece of furniture–yet its current success shows no signs of waning. The almost plain design of the furniture system, made of chrome-plated metal tubes and enhanced only by colorful panels, was long considered anything but tasteful, at least for private spaces.

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In office settings of the early ’70s, it was a different story, and it remained popular for many decades. Nowadays, a USM Haller sideboard is a staple in every trendy agency or hip old apartment, fitting the current zeitgeist of individuality with its customizable design and color options.

Its iconic ball joint sets it apart from other furniture systems. Today, the sideboard, which has made a significant impact on pop culture, is already 60 years old and is considered one of the most important classics in both Swiss and international design history.

From Ironworks to Collection

It was unexpected that USM furniture would find its way into modern interiors. The company, founded in 1885 in Münsingen, Switzerland, by Ulrich Schärer (hence the name USM), was initially a hardware store and ironworks.

Nearly 80 years later, the actual creation began when Schärer’s great-grandson, Paul Schärer, collaborated with architect Fritz Haller in 1963 to develop a practical shelving solution–initially for internal company use. It was meant to be a system that could grow over time with the increase of documents. However, the modular furniture system was so brilliant that it went into serial production in 1969 and quickly became a bestseller.

International success was not long in coming, leading to the opening of showrooms around the globe–from Paris to Tokyo. Eventually, the inclusion of USM Haller furniture in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York marked another milestone.

A Piece of Furniture Without a Homely Character?

Although it took some time, it’s remarkable that the USM Haller sideboard is now part of numerous interiors. Everything about this piece of furniture screams work–the very thing you want to minimize in your private spaces. The stark, not very homely character of the steel frame construction seemed out of place in a cozy setting. At least, that’s what people thought until recently.

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But with the home office that moved into all our homes during the pandemic, so did office furniture, especially the USM Haller sideboard. Its trump card? An exceptionally minimalist design that gains individuality through a choice of 14 different colors.

The famous sideboard isn’t exactly brimming with details. No problem, as the sophisticated ball joint, measuring just 2.5 cm, which perfectly holds together the chrome-plated metal tubes and powder-coated panels, already draws plenty of attention.

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Moving-Friendly: The USM Haller Sideboard

So what speaks for the inclusion of the USM Haller sideboard in modern living spaces? Quite a lot, as its clear structure alone hits the nerve of the times. All furniture in the system is based on a simple construction that requires only a few, but very high-quality materials.

Thanks to its modular design, all shelves, highboards, and sideboards are extremely flexible in their assembly, making them easy to reconfigure and expand at any time. This fact aligns with the current zeitgeist, especially among younger generations who tend to move more frequently.

This hand-in-hand principle between minimalist design and function-oriented furnishing thus bridges the gap to the fundamental idea of the Bauhaus style. As a result, the most common configurations of USM Haller are currently found not only in doctor’s offices, banks, offices, and hotels but also as storage solutions in stylish old apartments.