Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.USM’s modular furniture has been a mainstay of the hip interior for a while — but you might not have noticed it. Slick and practical rather than ostentatious, the chrome-framed storage system has been a classic since the 1960s, by pure accident. It was originally conceived by architect Fritz Haller for the factory and offices he designed for the Swiss company — then a manufacturer of window fittings. The “very futuristic” factory drew visitors, says USM UK’s chief executive Mirko Müller, but the lasting takeaway was the utilitarian, adaptable, ball-jointed furniture. When the board of the Rothschild bank visited they asked USM to fit out the entirety of their new Paris branch. “This was when USM decided, OK, let’s do it. Let’s start producing the furniture,” says Müller. It has been much the same ever since, he says: “Not reacting to every trend and new direction is one of the secrets, I believe, why USM has been so successful.”Which makes its collaboration with interior designers Buchanan Studio all the more impactful. The 11 pieces, in a range of colours, playfully subvert USM’s precise engineering: edges are stacked to create a decorative double bullnose; different coloured panels are combined in a chequerboard; a pink cut-out peeks from a white side table; the Kiss table — far from USM’s usual efficient use of space — is in an X shape. Since 2018, London-based Buchanan Studio has carved a niche creating colourful, theatrical interiors — including a labyrinthine home and gallery space for artists Philip and Charlotte Colbert, and a dining greenhouse filled with oversized narcissus for Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons — as well as its own line of furniture marked by bold patterns and modern, chunky silhouettes. Husband and wife co-founders Angus and Charlotte Buchanan have been longtime fans of USM. Angus first discovered the range while doing work experience with Mario Testino as a teenager. The fashion photographer had “a full black USM office”, Angus says, “and I just remember thinking it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen: it was just so slick.”USM furniture features in many of their interior design projects. Clients, says Charlotte, might not immediately recognise the name USM until they see the pieces, “so they sort of don’t know they know it”. Their aim when beginning the collaboration, says Angus, was to take “this system which is so practical, utilitarian, perfectly conceived and engineered” and make it “a bit more playful”. It was Buchanan Studio that approached USM, but it comes at a time when the brand is experimenting more and more — one of the most Instagrammed highlights from April’s Milan Design Week was its bathroom installation for Pharrell Williams’ skincare brand Humanrace. This would not have been possible 20 years ago; USM was not open for these kind of designs“I was very open to it,” says Müller, who has worked with them on supplying furniture for their projects. “We need this fresh and new perspective from people outside the company.”“This is a piece of USM that we’ve had in our lives forever,” says Charlotte, pointing to a sideboard stacked with magazines in their London studio. Their own take is “a kind of beefed-up version”.“It feels quite exciting, this one, because it’s definitely not something USM would do. They’re so practical and sensible,” adds Angus. But USM wasn’t hard to persuade when it came to the Credenza. The custom pink — a signature of Buchanan Studio — was a little tougher. USM very rarely creates new colours, although an olive green introduced a couple of years ago has become a bestseller in the UK. “We did it in the end,” says Müller “and I think that makes it very exciting.” “This would not have been possible 20 years ago; USM was not open for these kind of designs.” With each piece available in a range of colours, including three shades of marble tops for some pieces and upholstered cushions for a bench and stool (something USM had never done before), narrowing it down was almost the hardest part of the project. “We had to draw the line,” says Angus. There were other difficulties, such as having to “cheat” USM’s programming. Both sides liken the furniture to Lego, but in reality there are a number of presets: the factory software couldn’t process some designs. “So we had to fake pieces, pretending we were putting feet here, and this, that and the other, because it was a ‘computer says no’ situation,” says Angus. But the hiccups haven’t put them off, says Angus. Would they do it again? “We can start tomorrow.”Prices £379-£21,794; buchanan.studioFind out about our latest stories first — follow @ft_houseandhome on Instagram
