Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
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.
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather, Teak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Wool, Chestnut
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Rush, Wood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Fabric, Rosewood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Fabric, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Textile, Rosewood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Cotton, Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Rush, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Upholstery, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Chrome
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
20th Century Neoclassical Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Cado Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Cado office chairs and desk chairs for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Cado
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 7, 2024The difference between the Cado System and the Royal System lies in their designs. In 1948, designer Poul Cadovius introduced Royal System wall shelving made up of a system of rails that lent an open, airy feel to it. Unveiled by Cadovius in 1960, the Cado System built on the Royal System, with wood paneling added to the rails. The Cado System collection also included coordinating furniture, such as tables and sofas. Find a range of Poul Cadovius wall units on 1stDibs.