# #539 Jon Thorson (USM North America CEO) | How Does a Piece of Furniture Become an Icon? Design, Culture and Obsession with Detail

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/theboldway-329028/539-jon-thorson-usm-north-america-ceo-how-does-a-piece-of-furniture-become-an-icon-design-culture-and-obsession-with-detail
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/theboldway-329028/539-jon-thorson-usm-north-america-ceo-how-does-a-piece-of-furniture-become-an-icon-design-culture-and-obsession-with-detail.md
Podcast: [TheBoldWay](https://stenobird.com/podcast/theboldway-329028)
Published: 2026-07-03T03:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.audiomeans.fr/file/nTLjBrCvPC/266fd310-daba-44e3-9cba-eb801bd86ff0.mp3?_=1782474730
Audio file: https://audio.audiomeans.fr/file/nTLjBrCvPC/266fd310-daba-44e3-9cba-eb801bd86ff0.mp3?_=1782474730
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/theboldway-329028/episodes/539-jon-thorson-usm-north-america-ceo-how-does-a-piece-of-furniture-become-an-icon-design-culture-and-obsession-with-detail
Duration seconds: 6419

## Resource

👉 Mon sponsor du mois | Shopify📧 Ma newsletter | S'abonner🖥️ Ma chaîne YouTube | S'abonner— Thanks to Jon Thorson for opening the doors of the USM showroom in SoHo, New York ! Jon runs USM North America, yes, that Swiss modular furniture you've seen everywhere: in the coolest creative studios, but also at your dentist, your lawyer, your bank, and probably at your parents' place. He's the guy who took an 1880s Swiss family business and made it sexy again for an entire generation of New York creatives. And his own story is wild: a kid from Nashville who came to New York to become a furniture designer, never quite became "the designer"… and ended up a CEO instead. In this episode, Jon tells us how a Swiss factory became a global design icon almost by accident, how you actually get a piece of furniture into the world's most beautiful rooms, and why "everybody's a designer" when the product is a system. We also get into the stuff nobody talks about: a brutal 50% tariff on steel, the art of collaboration, AI and robotics, and why New York is still five years ahead of the rest of the world. A masterclass on patience, taste, and building something that lasts. Let's go.Timeline 01:26: Meeting Jon Thorson in USM’s SoHo showroom and discovering his role03:18: Understanding USM: its modular system and place within the creative world04:39: USM’s Swiss origins: from metalworking to the accidental creation of the Hallersystem09:45: From Nashville to New York: fine arts, illustration and the dream of becoming a designer13:08: Learning at BDDW: from fetching coffee to managing the showroom17:00: Lessons from 15 years in high-end furniture: listening, observing and progressing18:34: When everyone becomes a designer: constraints, modularity and timelessness24:00: Joining USM and adapting…

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