Some objects become so synonymous with order and restraint that we forget they’re ripe for rebellion. The USM Haller system, long a darling of architecture studios and impeccably ordered homes, is one such icon. But leave it to Buchanan Studio, the exuberant London duo, to remind us that even Swiss precision has room for play, by reimagining the classic with a wink, a flourish, and a generous dose of British irreverence.
The new collection, Tessellate, comprises 11 exuberant variations on the Haller archetype, injecting personality into the famously austere system first designed in 1963 by architect Fritz Haller. Buchanan Studio , founded in 2018 by husband-and-wife duo Angus and Charlotte Buchanan, approached the collaboration not as a novelty, but as a deeply personal project. The first piece of furniture they purchased as a couple was a USM credenza. It became a mainstay in their home and projects, serving as a quiet but constant design companion.
Now, that intimacy with the brand has borne fruit. From upholstered benches in Buchanan’s own ‘Ticking Rose’ fabric to checkerboard side tables in USM’s signature chrome and a newly introduced custom pink, each piece in the Tessellate series subverts the system’s famed utilitarianism. The shapes have been softened. Edges exaggerated. Function is still core, but now it’s cloaked in delight.
“Humanity has reasserted authority over the machine,” one might say, and the spirit of William Morris would likely agree. What the Buchanans have achieved is a subtle undoing of modernism’s hard edges: not by replacing its logic, but by coaxing out its soul.
One standout piece, ‘The Kiss,’ takes the standard rectilinear form and stretches it into a sculptural X, while others introduce materials never before seen in USM’s catalogue, including marble tops and upholstered seating. These details feel less like add-ons and more like a generational shift, a fresh articulation of what modular furniture can be when invited into the world of narrative design.
It’s also emblematic of a broader movement in the design world: a return to character, imperfection, and emotional connection in the objects we live with. Just as modernist design is being reappraised for its warmth as much as its rigour, see ICA Milano’s recent Formafantasma show or the rise of “soft brutalism”, Tessellate speaks to a future of design that is layered, expressive, and unafraid of joy.
The limited-edition collection will be available exclusively through Buchanan Studio’s online shop starting 8 May 2025, but its message, that even the most rigid systems are ripe for reinvention, will likely resonate far beyond.
