Adaptions is the name of an exhibition currently running in London at Aram, a historic furniture showroom and design gallery, which asked ten British designers to reinterpret the USM Haller furniture system produced by Swiss company USM Modular Furniture.

Now an icon of international design, USM Haller is a modular system created for the office, but its extraordinary versatility, combined with a minimalist design that almost invites play, has allowed it to take a place of honour in many residential and commercial spaces. The almost unlimited customisation possibilities - dimensions, materials and finishes are the main variables - have led to an infinite number of solutions.

It is precisely because of the modular components and the infinite number of possible combinations that USM  issued a brief to design studios, asking them to use the pieces of the USM Haller system to create innovative creations designed to improve people’s daily lives.

Until 14 December, Aram's exhibition spaces, renovated and relaunched this year to mark the brand's 60th anniversary, will host the creations of ten studios, not only in the field of design, but also in the fields of art, architecture and textiles. Each approach has produced unique results: some projects enrich USM Haller's components with the integration of new materials, while others offer a completely original reinterpretation, exploring the modular system in a completely new light.

Among the most interesting interventions, Mitre and Mondays proposed folding stools with a metal frame made of USM pieces and a bright blue belt as a seat, while Studio Rhonda designed a pull-out unit made from a 1988 Volkswagen T25 van. On the other hand, the (mainly Italian) lesson of furniture as a companion in life inspired Mair Cook, who hybridized USM Haller with a hand-woven lampshade to create a lamp designed for night-time feeding.