I had first noticed USM Haller shelving in the pages of Architectural Digest in 2017 and loved how industrial the steel panels and chromed tubing looked, the vivid colors the powder-coated steel comes in, and how flexible the modular system could be. That modularity — not to mention USM’s durability — was maybe even better illustrated in a 2023 AD story photographed by my friend Brian W. Ferry about a Philip Johnson house upstate, where the kitchen cabinets were all assembled from preowned USM parts.

The timing for that second article was fortuitous: My husband and I were gut renovating our apartment at the time, and he had rejected my suggestion that we go with built-in shelving in our living room because he has always disliked the constraints it puts on you. It was easy to convince him that the USM Haller system was a good investment for the opposite reason: We could configure our own shelving from the parts to fit the space we wanted it to go in, and, if we ever moved, it could get disassembled and reconfigured however we wanted. Plus, because of its heavy-duty stainless-steel construction, it would likely outlast us.

USM Modular Furniture started as a family-run metalworking shop and locksmith in Switzerland in 1885 and by the early 20th century was manufacturing sheet steel and parts for construction. In the 1960s, Paul Schaerer, the grandson of the USM founder, commissioned Swiss architect Fritz Haller to design a new factory and office building for the company, which he did using a steel modular system. Schaerer and Haller then designed furniture to go with the buildings, and the USM Haller system was born.

We could not be happier with our USM Haller shelving now that we’ve lived with it a couple of years. We never worry about scratches or dings — it’s impervious to all the wear and tear our two-kid, two-animal household throws at it.

We’ve partnered with USM Modular Furniture to give one Secret Strategist reader a USM Haller O118 side table. The winner can choose from seven colors: steel blue, anthracite, graphite black, yellow, beige, or olive green, all of which have four- to six-week shipping times, and white, which ships in one to two weeks.

Enter the sweepstakes by signing up for the Secret Strategist newsletter below (or reenter your email address if you’re already a subscriber) for a chance to win. Entries for the sweepstakes are open now until July 25. Participants must subscribe to the Secret Strategist newsletter to be eligible to win.