USM Modular Furniture
USM Modular Furniture
Est. 1885
About
USM is a Swiss manufacturer best known for the USM Haller modular furniture system, a configurable steel furniture system used for storage, shelving and workspace furniture. The company, U. Schärer Söhne (USM), is based in Münsingen, Switzerland, and its furniture is used in offices and homes, recognisable for its tubular-steel frames, connecting balls and metal panels. The company was founded in 1885 by Ulrich Schärer in Münsingen, originally as a metalworking business producing items such as ironware and window fittings. It remained a family-owned company and operated in metal hardware for decades before moving into furniture in the twentieth century. The turning point came in the 1960s, when Paul Schärer, a grandson of the founder, commissioned the Swiss architect Fritz Haller to design a new building for the company. For their own use they developed a modular furniture system based on chrome-plated steel tubes joined by a distinctive connecting ball, with metal panels — the USM Haller system. The ball connector was patented in 1965, and the first external order followed in 1969, from a bank in Paris. The USM Haller system is the company's defining product and has remained largely unchanged in its essential design, valued for its modularity, durability and the ability to be reconfigured and extended over time. It is produced in a range of colours and configurations for storage, sideboards, shelving and workspace furniture. USM's products are used in offices and residential interiors and are sold internationally through USM showrooms, dealers and design retailers. As a family-owned Swiss company whose metalworking origins date to 1885 and whose Haller system dates to the 1960s, USM is closely identified with modular steel furniture.
Specifications
- Price Range
- $$$
- Founded
- 1885
- Headquarters
- Münsingen, Switzerland
- Certifications
- GREENGUARD GoldCradle to Cradle
Resources
Common Questions
USM (U. Schärer Söhne) is headquartered in Münsingen, Switzerland, where it has been based since its founding. It sells internationally through USM showrooms, dealers and design retailers. Its furniture is used in offices and homes.
USM was founded in 1885 by Ulrich Schärer in Münsingen, Switzerland, originally as a metalworking business making ironware and window fittings. Its modular furniture system came later, in the 1960s. It has remained a family-owned company.
The USM Haller system is the company's defining modular furniture system, developed in the 1960s by Paul Schärer and the architect Fritz Haller. It uses chrome-plated steel tubes joined by a distinctive connecting ball, with metal panels, to create configurable storage and workspace furniture. The ball connector was patented in 1965, with the first external order in 1969.
USM is a family-owned Swiss company, U. Schärer Söhne, founded by Ulrich Schärer in 1885 and developed by later generations of the Schärer family. It is not part of a larger group. It is based in Münsingen, Switzerland.
USM products are sold internationally through USM showrooms, dealers and design retailers, for both office and residential use. Buyers typically purchase through these official channels. furniture.directory is an independent directory and does not sell furniture directly.