[AD] A simple, organised home with USM modular furniture

[AD – This is a paid partnership with USM, the products were loaned for the purposes of this post. Styling and photography: Cate St Hill]

A simple, organised home starts with good quality, flexible storage. I always think that the perfect storage system is one that will blend in and become part of the backdrop of a room, while also allowing that same space to tell a story about your lifestyle, tastes and all the things that you hold dear. You need enough space to hide away the clutter you don’t want to see everyday, but you might also want to have a few of your favourite things out on display. Because it is those objects that bring a space to life and make it feel like home.

For today’s post, I’ve styled the iconic Haller system by Swiss furniture manufacturer USM in my own home – to show how this clever, modular storage system can be curated and customised to reflect your needs and personality.

You might remember I visited USM’s factory in the Swiss village of Münsingen back in April (see the behind the scenes post here). For over 50 years, the family-owned company has been creating modular furniture designed to last a lifetime, forsaking trends in favour of innovation, sustainability and timeless design. Their Haller system has become a design classic – much loved for its flexibility and clean, functional aesthetic.

Made of sheet-steel panels joined together with chrome tubes and ball connectors, the Haller system can be configured into endless arrangements, from shelving units and storage cabinets to bedside tables and wardrobes. Seeing all the parts being made in the factory, I was impressed by the level of precision and couldn’t wait to see how the design would translate in a real home – a Victorian home with wonky walls, small alcoves and tricky spaces for storage. In part one here, I’m showing an example of a sideboard that could be used in a living room, dining room or kitchen, no matter the style or period of your home.

The great thing about the Haller system is that it’s adaptable and fully customisable – you can build your own design, configure different modules, doors and shelves, and choose from 14 different colours. You could create something quite compact or extend the frame to cover whole walls with storage. Our open-plan living space is quite small – we have these two alcoves either side of the fireplace to utilise, which is quite common in old houses in London. I’ve never wanted matching built-in cupboards with shelves like many homes have; I’ve always imagined something lighter, more open and more contemporary in style to contrast with the architecture.

This little two-toned unit fits in perfectly. No surprises I chose grey here! The clean lines reference those in the kitchen next door, while the colour build on the tones already in the space. A darker Mid-grey gives the structure some weight at the bottom, getting lighter and transforming into Light grey and then glass panels as you go further up. You could extend it all the way up to the ceiling, but I wanted it to relate to the change in scale from kitchen units to living room furniture. With the Haller system you can always add to it further down the line, if your budget changes or you move and need to adapt it to a different space.

The bottom drop-down door is useful for hiding away things. I’ve then used the shelves for different sets of items and tried to theme things together – piles of books on one, a perforated shelf for nice glassware above, an angled shelf sandwiched in the middle, and a mini cocktail cabinet on the top shelf.

I hoard magazines and have piles of them dotted around the house. It always seems a shame to not be able to see their beautiful covers, so I love the idea of having a few carefully chosen editions out on display. The magazines could be changed around, creating a different theme every so often. They almost become like a piece of art in the room. The shelf can then be lifted up to conceal anything you don’t need out.

When styling something like a shelving system I try to stick to two or three colours – here it’s green and grey. To create a sense of balance and cohesiveness, try repeating elements and evenly distributing them across the display. This could be tones, but also patterns and shapes. So we have the curve of the plant pot, the candle holder and the black tray for the bottles. The green spines of the books, the green glasses and the green plants at the top. There’s also the graphic font of the gin bottle, the Alvar Aalto book and the Kinfolk magazine. They all help to create something that is easy and natural on the eye.

The Haller system transforms from day to night with smart, in-built Haller E lighting elements. These innovative lighting modules can be discreetly slotted into pre-cut recesses in the furniture’s frame, so they’re almost completely invisible when not switched on. You can even have USB ports for charging devices. Here the e-Lights are concealed in the front tubes, directing ambient light towards the back of the shelves and giving the design a warm glow in the evening.

There’s no ugly cables out on display – instead the power runs through the structure itself. A single connector leads from a Haller e-Ball (a smart version of the ball that connects the metal tubes together) at the back of the unit to the plug socket. The lights can be turned on and off, and dimmed, by clicking an e-Power Supply that slots under the shelving system until only the switch is visible. You can simply push it with your foot. How clever is that!

Right, I think that makes it cocktail o’clock! I’ll be back soon with a look at how you can use the modular Haller system in a bedroom to create a smart, multi-functional bedside table. It’s a completely different look and just shows how wonderfully versatile this design is. Stay tuned!