When styles collide: a perfect mixture of the old and new

Traditional and classic spaces don’t necessarily have to be furnished with traditionalist or classical pieces. Instead, a suite of modernist furniture can be just what space needs to bring it into the twenty-first century, while also letting the traditional features stand out by creating a stylish and varied environment in which they can shine.

When you raise a family in your home, there aren’t many opportunities to give it a full makeover. This is why Chantal and Dominique took the opportunity to bring radical change to the idyllic farmhouse that they’d called home for 30 years after their children flew the nest.


Though still very much a picture-perfect French farmhouse on the outside, the interior they created is a perfect mix of the traditional and the contemporary - a mixture that itself feels enticingly modern. The core of the redesign was the introduction of furniture that would enhance the building’s old architectural details, bringing the decor into the twenty-first century while still feeling natural and complementary to the traditional, rural setting. The furniture they chose also had to meet a key functional requirement: to bring the family’s impressive collection of books and other objects into one place.

The family found the perfect solution to both their stylistic and their functional goals in one place: the USM Haller system. Making the most of the modular system, they designed a bespoke suite of furniture for their expansive new office-library that spans the farmhouse’s second floor. Now every book has its home in a large shelving unit featuring a mixture of open shelving and lockable doors, finished in cool grey and playful bright yellow. The piece slots in perfectly with space’s majestic old beams.

The suite also features a USM Haller table for reading and work, and a series of unique cabinets, also finished in a bold yellow, tailored to meet diverse purposes, from document storage to providing the right place for printing supplies. Maybe best of all, the pieces’ modularity means that the family can adapt them to changes in the environment at any time - whether it’s next week or in another 30 years.

Design your own bespoke furniture suites - for the home office or wherever else - with the USM Haller collection. Visit our interactive 3D online configurator to get a feel for the system’s possibilities, or get in touch with one of our experts to work on perfect designs for your home.