Poul Cadovius On Sale
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
Teak
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Teak
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Wood
Vintage 1960s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Bookcases
Plexiglass, Teak
Early 2000s American Black Forest Bedroom Sets
Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Upholstery
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American Bohemian Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
2010s Austrian Jugendstil Chandeliers and Pendants
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Fabric, Velvet, Lacquer, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile, Wood
Antique 19th Century British Late Victorian Bookcases
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Dining Room Tables
Marble, Onyx, Statuary Marble, Brass
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Center Tables
Wood, Birdseye Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Benches
Leather, Wood, Oak
2010s Austrian Art Deco Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
20th Century American Organic Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Bamboo, Rattan
Recent Sales
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
Metal
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Glass, Palisander
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Vitrines
Glass, Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
Metal
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Settees
Cotton, Rosewood, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vitrines
Chrome, Metal
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
Glass, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
Metal
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Metal
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Settees
Rosewood, Teak, Cotton
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
Glass, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Living Room Sets
Rosewood, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Metal
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dressers
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
Teak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Rosewood
Poul Cadovius On Sale For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Poul Cadovius On Sale?
Poul Cadovius for sale on 1stDibs
While Poul Cadovius is most famous for his modular floating shelving system, his career in design didn’t actually start with wall units.
Born just outside of Copenhagen in 1911, Cadovius began manufacturing window treatments in the 1940s with his partner, Hother Brønner. He soon turned his focus from Venetian blinds to furniture, finding success designing svelte pieces in teak, a richly colored hardwood favored by the Danish mid-century modernists.
In 1945, Cadovius founded the furniture manufacturer Royal System with his designs, including the 1948 Royal System shelving unit, a space-saving solution that underscored Cadovius’s penchant for problem-solving in a multifunctional way. Rather than balance shelves on wooden or metal legs, it held them to the wall with brackets.
Cadovius followed the Royal System shelving unit with the System Ultra in 1957, the System Cado in 1960 and the System Abstracta, which was installed throughout the exhibition halls of the 1962 Cologne Furniture Fair. All expanded on his idea of wall-mounted shelving that saved space while offering functionality, allowing for limitless combinations of storage, shelves, work surfaces and other units. The Royal System proved to be especially popular and is still produced by Danish furniture brand dk3 today, with early models continuing to be in demand.
Along with the shelving systems, Cadovius designed everything from lounge chairs to mushroom-shaped bus shelters, and he held over 400 patents. In addition to being a designer, he was also an entrepreneur with an eye for opportunity, such as purchasing Danish manufacturer France & Søn in the mid-1960s and folded it into Cado, a company he founded years earlier. He used this as an occasion to experiment with his designs, conceiving such unusual pieces as an aluminum-based dining table topped with rosewood and hand-painted by artist Susan Fjedldoe Mygge.
Cadovius’s innovations in shelving continued throughout his career, with examples like the sculptural Butterfly shelf and vertical pieces mixing shelving and storage. In 2018, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Royal System, dk3 reissued the celebrated shelving system as well as a more compact version reimagined for 21st-century homes.
Find a collection of vintage Poul Cadovius storage cabinets, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.