1958 Danish Walnut Cado Wall Unit with Corner Section by Poul Cadovius
View Similar Items
1958 Danish Walnut Cado Wall Unit with Corner Section by Poul Cadovius
About the Item
- Creator:Cado (Designer),Poul Cadovius (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 78 in (198.12 cm)Width: 116 in (294.64 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 22
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Art Glass,Walnut
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU137423678962
Cado
While Danish furniture company Cado is popular among collectors of Scandinavian modern furniture for its well-crafted chairs, sofas, coffee tables and dining tables, the brand is best known for its sculptural wall shelving systems created by renowned Danish designer Poul Cadovius (1911–2011), Cado's founder.
The Copenhagen-born Cadovius initially studied to be an upholsterer and saddler before pursuing furniture design. He began his career in the 1940s making Venetian blinds and other window treatments before shifting his focus toward designing versatile furnishings that could be adapted to all sorts of interior spaces.
In 1945, Cadovius founded the furniture manufacturer Royal System intending to produce his designs for postwar homeowners. His visionary works included 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. The wall unit was practical and functional, but it was also decorative, made of rich and exotic woods like walnut, rosewood and teak, a favorite wood of Cadovius’s and a highly sought-after material among mid-century modern designers.
Cadovius established Cado in the late 1950s. The manufacturer followed the Royal System shelving unit with several other modular storage designs including the System Ultra in 1957, System Cado in 1960 and System Abstracta in 1962. Two years later, with more than 400 patents to his name, Cadovius purchased premier Danish furniture manufacturer France & Søn and incorporated it into Cado.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Cado collaborated with influential Danish and European designers of the era such as Steen Østergaard, best known for his stackable Cado 290, a Space Age fiberglass-and-polyamide nylon lounge chair; Finn Juhl, a stylistic maverick who embraced expressive, free-flowing shapes in chair and sofa designs much earlier than his colleagues; and Ole Wanscher, who drew on Shaker furniture and Chippendale forms and created the widely loved Colonial chair and coffee table for P. Jeppesens Møbelfabrik.
Cadovius’s designs — as well as the other works manufactured by Cado — are widely coveted by vintage furniture enthusiasts all over the world. In 2018, the Danish brand dk3 reissued the Royal System as well as a more compact version.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Cado case pieces and storage cabinets, seating and tables.
Poul Cadovius
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.
- 1958 Danish Rosewood Cado Wall Unit by Poul CadoviusBy Poul CadoviusLocated in Los Angeles, CAHighly versatile and functional wall unit in Brazilian rosewood by Danish designer Poul Cadovius. Wall unit is in excellent condition. Each support rail is 78" long and each cabinet ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsRosewood
Price Upon Request - 1958 Danish Teak Royal Cado Wall Unit by Poul CadoviusBy Poul CadoviusLocated in Los Angeles, CAHighly versatile and functional Cado wall unit in walnut by Danish designer Poul Cadovius. We currently have many different Cado pieces in stock and can customize your order to include the type and number of pieces you need. We have both the Royal System and the Cado systems...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsTeak
- Teak Cado System Wall Unit by Poul CadoviusBy Poul CadoviusLocated in Los Angeles, CAHighly versatile and functional wall unit in teak by Danish designer Poul Cadovius. The unit shown is an example of what we typically stock. Units are sold by the component- wall r...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsTeak
$15,000 / item - 50 Piece Barzilay Walnut Wall UnitBy BarzilayLocated in Los Angeles, CAWe have over 50 pieces of this amazing Barzilay walnut wall unit with aluminum accents. Please contact us for custom pricing and visit our L...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsAluminum
$6,850 / set - Rosewood Cado System Wall UnitBy Poul CadoviusLocated in Los Angeles, CAHighly versatile and functional Cado System wall unit in Brazilian rosewood by Danish designer Poul Cadovius. Wall unit can be customized with va...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsRosewood
Price Upon Request - 90 Piece Teak Wall Unit by Scandiline, Norway CustomizableBy Scandiline 1Located in Los Angeles, CAWe have over 90 pieces of this is a great Scandinavian Modern wall unit made from beautifully selected teak veneer over solid wood. Current inventory includes over 10 solid teak wall panels...Category
Vintage 1960s Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsTeak
Price Upon Request
- Modular Wall Unit in rosewood by Poul Cadovius for Cado, Denmark, 1960sBy Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in Ranst, VANDanish modular wall unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, Denmark 1960s. This rosewood setup has one storage cabinet, two display cabinets, one desk...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsWood
- Wall Unit in Elmwood by Poul Cadovius for Royal System, Denmark, 1950sBy Royal System, Poul CadoviusLocated in Amsterdam, NLBlack wooden risers and elmwood veneer book shelves and cabinet with black metal hooks. This wall unit consist of: 2 x shelf 80 x 20 cm 1 x shelf 80 ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- Danish Modern Teak & Glass Shelving System Abstracta by Poul Cadovius, 1960sBy Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in Odense, DKIngenious minimalist shelving or display unit SYSTEM ABSTRACTA designed by Poul Cadovius, Denmark, in the 1960s. The system consists of black metal...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsMetal
- Danish Mid Century Wall Unit with 8 Shelves, circa 1950 - 1960sBy Cado, Poul CadoviusLocated in New York, NYChic architectural wall unit having eight shelves, 5 smaller ( 36 W x 10 D inches ) and 2 wider ( 48 W x 10 D inches ). The shelves rest in metal brackets, which attach to the vertic...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- Poul Cadovius For Royal System Cado Danish Rosewood Four Bay Wall UnitBy Poul Cadovius, Royal SystemLocated in Peabody, MARoyal System “Cado” four bay wall unit in rosewood, designed by Poul Cadovius circa 1960s, Denmark. Purchased by prior owner in 1973. It features floor to ceiling wall panels, floor ...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsRosewood
- Poul Cadovius Mid- Century Modern Modular Teak Wall Unit Shelving for Cado, 1960By Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in The Hague, NLDanish modern teak wall unit designed by Poul Cadovius, Denmark, circa 1960s. This piece is contains 7 shelves and one sliding door cabinet, a drawer cabinet and a display cabinet....Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsMetal