Reconfiguring a USM Haller: add, remove, rework
A USM Haller is not a finished piece of furniture so much as the current state of a system. Fritz Haller designed it in 1963 with Paul Schärer as a set of components (tubes, connecting balls, panels) to be assembled as needed, and USM has sold it on that principle since 1965. That is why, twenty or forty years after purchase, a sideboard can be lengthened, lose a level or become two separate units.
It still helps to know what is straightforward, what needs extra parts, and what is best left alone.
What can change
- Length. Adding or removing a bay is the most common request. A bay that comes off frees up panels, tubes and balls that can be used elsewhere.
- Height. Levels can be added or removed. Above a certain height the unit must be fixed to the wall, and that fixing belongs in the plan from the start.
- Number of pieces. A long storage unit can become two pieces for two rooms. Extra tubes and balls are then needed to close off each new end.
- Use. Swapping an open level for drop-fronts, drawers or doors changes what a piece is for more decisively than changing its size. An office unit with hanging-file drawers can become a living-room sideboard, and the other way round.
Why it works, and where the limits are
The system has kept its assembly principle and its dimensions, so as a rule a recent component fits onto an older frame. What differs from one period to another is less the mechanics than the appearance, and three things deserve checking before anything is bought.
Colour. Two panels in the same colour made years apart do not always look identical, and a panel that has spent years in daylight may have shifted. Placed directly next to an older panel, a newer one can stand out. On a separate bay, or across a whole level, the difference usually goes unnoticed.
The joints. A frame that has been taken apart many times has tired balls and screws. Before adding anything, the joints that stay in place are checked and anything worn is replaced. Grafting a new bay onto a damaged joint only moves the problem along.
Stability. A taller or longer configuration does not behave like the old one. The intended load, especially for files or books, is decided before the components are chosen, not after.
New or second-hand?
Additional components can be bought new, from USM and its dealers, or second-hand. Colour matters more than price in that choice. To extend an older piece directly, a second-hand component of the same period will often be closer in shade. For a separate bay, or for a uniform unit in a current colour, new parts are perfectly fine.
Either way, nothing is bought until the plan is settled. The exact list of components to add or remove (tubes, balls, panels, drop-fronts, shelves) follows from the chosen configuration, not the reverse. Buying first and designing afterwards nearly always leaves you with some parts too many and others missing.
The method
- Survey what you have: dimensions, number of bays and levels, a list of components, photos of every side.
- Measure the destination, including skirting boards, sockets and radiators. A unit that hides a socket or sits against a radiator often ends up being rebuilt a second time.
- Draw one or two configurations and derive from them the list of parts to acquire and those that will be freed up.
- Approve the plan, and only then buy.
- Dismantle, assemble the new configuration, check it is square, and adjust each front one by one.
Dismantling and reassembly follow the same rules as a house move: nothing is fully tightened until the frame is complete, diagonals are checked before the final tightening, and a screw that goes in at an angle is never forced.
What is best avoided
Do not cut down a panel, drill a shelf or alter the depth of a component. These changes cannot be undone, they rule out any return to a standard configuration and they take away part of the piece's value.
Nor should parts from another manufacturer be added to a USM frame. Similar dimensions are not identical dimensions: the part sits badly, strains the neighbouring joints, and the whole unit becomes a hybrid assembly, which counts against it on the day you want to sell.
Finally, do not throw away the parts you remove. A dismantled bay keeps its value and can complete another unit, in your home or someone else's.
We plan reconfigurations on paper and carry them out on site, as described on our USM Haller reconfiguration page. Because our sales are final, the plan is agreed with you before any component is bought. Modules you no longer need can be sold to us, with a valuation within 24 to 48 hours (see sell to us). For a study, send dimensions, photos and the intended use through the contact form.
By
LAPIERRE MARKET
