Poul Cadovius Furniture
Danish, 1911-2011
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.
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Creator: Poul Cadovius
Dealer: Molecula
1960s Poul Cadovius Modular Teak 3-Bay Danish Royal System Wall Unit Shelving
By Poul Cadovius, Royal System
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
This highly versatile and functional “Royal System” was originally designed by Poul Cadovius in 1948. This three-bay teak shelving system offers a wide variety of storage and display...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Cadovius Furniture
Materials
Metal
1960s Poul Cadovius Modular Teak 3-Bay Danish Royal System Wall Unit Shelving
By Poul Cadovius, Royal System
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
This highly versatile and functional “Royal System” was originally designed by Poul Cadovius in 1948. This useful three-bay teak shelving system offers a wide variety of storage and ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Cadovius Furniture
Materials
Metal
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Simply hung on brass pins and hangers from holes that run the full length of the six uprights, offering a wide variety of storage and display options.
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Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Cadovius Furniture
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1950s Teak 4-Bay Modular Danish Royal System Shelving Poul Cadovius Bar 17 piece
By Poul Cadovius, Royal System
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
This highly versatile and functional “Royal System” was designed by Poul Cadovius in 1948. This particular set is first generation ‘Danish Royal’ characterized by the rarely seen ‘orange-slice’ brass handles. Simply hung on brass pins and hangers from a series of holes that run the full length of the five uprights, and offers a wide variety of storage and display options.
Comprising four bays consisting of two drop-down cupboards, the first with a single shelf, the second a bar containing two bent ply drawers and wire bottle holder. A three-drawer chest of drawers, two sliding glass fronted cabinets, one twin-door cupboard with sliding doors and six shelves of various sizes. Supplied with a single key, which opens both drop-down boxes.
There are some obvious areas of wear, which I’ve photographed, however as it has been very well looked after over the last 70 odd years the decision was made to retain its original finish and patina - it has simply been cleaned and polished, and in our opinion looks just as it ought to.
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Poul Cadovius Modular Teak 4-Bay Danish Royal System Wall Unit Shelving Bar 60s
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H 77.96 in W 125.99 in D 14.77 in
1950s Teak Modular Danish Royal System Shelving by Poul Cadovius Office Desk Bar
By Poul Cadovius, Royal System
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
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Simply hung on brass pins and hangers from holes that run the full length of the four uprights, offering a wide variety of storage and display options.
This particular modular arrangement comprises of two chests of drawers, each with three drawers, a drop down leather covered desk...
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Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Cadovius Furniture
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H 75.6 in W 96.07 in D 14.57 in
Midcentury Modular Danish Royal System Teak Wall Unit Shelving by Poul Cadovius
By Poul Cadovius, Royal System
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
This highly versatile and functional “Royal System”, originally designed by Poul Cadovius in 1948, offers a wide variety of storage and display options.
This particular modular arrangement comprises 4 uprights, 3 shelves, 2 glass-fronted cabinets with adjustable glass shelves, 1 sliding door cabinet, 1 drop front basket weave cabinet with two green baize lined drawers and shelf, flanked by 2 twin-door cupboards each with an adjustable wooden shelf.
There are a couple of small marks to the top of the basket weave cabinet, which I’ve photographed, other than that it has been very well looked after and is in lovely period condition. Each shelf is stamped ‘Made in Denmark’.
Measures:
Four Teak uprights - 198cm long
Each individual piece is 80cm wide.
Shelves - 1 x 24cm deep and 2 x 20cm deep
Large glazed...
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1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Cadovius Furniture
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H 77.96 in W 94.89 in D 15.75 in
Midcentury Danish Rosewood ‘Cado’ Modular Wall System Poul Cadovius Home Office
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
This particular system is commonly referred to as ‘Cado’ to differentiate it from the ‘Royal System', also designed by Poul Cadovius.
The spectacular modular rosewood wall system is in really lovely condition with stunning figuring, showing only minimal signs of its previous life. Each individual piece simply hangs on the backboard using angled dowels and can be positioned at your discretion.
This particular system is unusual due to the addition of scribe panels either side – finishing the back boards off beautifully – three lighting bars and a pair of Cado speakers. The speakers are open-fronted Cado cabinets that were retro fitted (by the supplying dealer - probably Heals), with Wharfedale 10-inch woofers and single tweeter, and the sound quality is excellent. Each lighting bar simply hangs from brackets from the shelf above.
There are four cupboards; two with doors, one with four drawers, and another with sliding doors. The bureau opens to reveal four drawers and a filing slot – ideal for a home office desk. The glass-fronted cabinet has sliding doors and two original glass shelves.
As you would expect with a vintage piece, there is some UV fading on some of the back panels, and a few small marks, but nothing that detracts overall.
Complete with CITES Certificate.
The modular units consist of 20 pieces (plus lights and brackets):
5 x wall panels each measuring 80cm wide x 2.6 metres high, and 2 x scribe panels measuring 23.5cm wide x 2.6 metres high - 447cm total width (all 2cm deep).
4 x cupboards 80cm wide x 52cm high x 46cm deep
1 x Bureau unit 80cm wide x 43cm high x 38cm deep
1 x Glass fronted cabinet 80cm wide x 56cm high x 22 deep
2 x hi-fi speakers 80cm wide x 38cm high x 30 deep
5 x Shelves 80cm wide x 2cm high x 22cm deep
3 x Lighting bars 80cm wide x 5cm high x 6cm deep
10 x shelving brackets.
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Cadovius Furniture
Materials
Metal
H 102.37 in W 175.99 in D 18.9 in
Midcentury Danish Teak System ‘Cado’ by Poul Cadovius Modular Wall Shelving 60s
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
A highly versatile and functional three-bay teak Cado wall system by Danish designer Poul Cadovius. Comprising of three backboards, record cabinet, drop-down melamine bar, two-door c...
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Cadovius Furniture
Materials
Mirror, Teak
H 92.13 in W 94.49 in D 18.9 in
Poul Cadovius furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Poul Cadovius furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Poul Cadovius furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 118 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 5 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Poul Cadovius were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Dyrlund, Arne Wahl Iversen, and Cado. Prices for Poul Cadovius furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $200 and can go as high as $15,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,204.
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