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.
Vintage Danish Rosewood Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Danish Rosewood Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 4 bay shelving system model Cado. This is a original vintage floating book...
Rosewood
Vintage Danish Rosewood Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Danish Rosewood Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 4 bay shelving system model Cado. This is a original vintage floating book...
Rosewood
Danish Modern 3-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern 3-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Mid-Century Modern 3 bay shelving system model Royal. This is an original vintage floating bookcase desi...
Teak
Danish Modern Teak & Glass Cado Wall Unit Display Cabinet
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful teak wall display cabinet designed by Poul Cadiovious for the Cado wall system , this one has its own poles fo easy hanging on the wall and removable glass doors for easy s...
Glass, Teak
Poul Cadovius, Teak Royal System, Scandinavian Midcentury, Denmark 1960s
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Göteborg, SE
Poul Cadovius designed the Royal System shelving system in 1948. It was one of the world's first shelves that hung on the wall, freeing up floor space. The shelving system quickly be...
Metal
Danish Modern 1-Bay Walnut Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern 1-Bay Walnut Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 1 bay shelving system model Cado with back panel. This is a original vi...
Walnut
Danish Modern 1-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern 1-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Mid-Century Modern 1 bay shelving system model Royal. This is an original vintage floating bookcase desi...
Teak
Original Poul Cadovius Midcentury Bücherregal Wandregal Cado Teak
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes kleines Wandregal vom dänischen Traditionshersteller Cado aus den 1960er Jahren zum Verkauf an. Das Regalsystem wurde von Poul Cadovius entworfen und erl...
Teak
Danish Modern 2-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern 2-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Mid-Century Modern 2 bay shelving system model Royal. This is an original vintage floating bookcase desi...
Teak
Midcentury Walnut Cado Display Shelf
By Poul Cadovius
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Beautiful Walnut Cado System display shelf thats meant to hold books or flat artwork. The shelf has a beautiful catch at the bottom preventing a book from...
Rosewood
$1,264Sale Price|20% Off
H 18 in W 30 in D 16 in
Poul Cadovius Cado Teak Wall Shelf Units, 'Three Pieces'
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of three Poul Cado wall units. One is a three drawer cabinet measures - 30"W x 16"D x 18"H One drop down bar cabinet measures - 30"W x 14.5"Dx16H ...
Teak
Poul Cadovius hanging Royal Wall System 1950s Denmark
By Royal System, Poul Cadovius
Located in Den Haag, NL
For sale this iconic Royal System by Poul Cadovius 1950s in the rare African Bonkonko Wood Beautiful warm light color . 4 uprights 2 Cabinets 12 shelves ....
Wood
Large Danish Teak Wall Bookcase by Poul Cadovius, F139
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Large wall bookcase from the 60's designed by the Danish designer Poul Cadovius. This bookcase is composed of different modular elements on three ...
Teak
Danish Modular Wall System by Poul Cadovius, 1960s
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Beerse, VAN
Danish modular wall system, designed by Poul Cadovius in the 1950s. It’s made of teak wood and designed to be mounted directly to the wall. Such systems became popular in the 1950s...
Teak
$7,828 / set
H 78.75 in W 127.96 in D 15.75 in
Poul Cadovius Vintage 1960s Royal Teak Wall System with 4 Cabinets
By Poul Cadovius, Royal System
Located in Den Haag, NL
Look at this stunning hanging Wall System, warm Teak Color . Iconic design by Poul Cadovius . Signed . 4 Cabinets, one rare high Cabinet comes with two Thick glass shelves, one Cabi...
Teak
$4,523Sale Price|40% Off
H 73.04 in W 93.71 in D 16.54 in
1960s Poul Cadovius for Cado 3-Bay Rosewood Wall Unit
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Knebel, DK
1960s Poul Cadovius for Cado 3-bay rosewood wall unit manufactored by Cado We are selling this rosewood wall unit as is for a client who has owned it for many years but no longer ha...
Rosewood
$5,760 / set
H 84.25 in W 36.125 in D 12 in
Vintage Danish Teak Bookcases, Set of Three, Mid-Century Modern Wall Unit, 1960s
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
An elegant Set of Three Danish bookcases, crafted from teak veneer in a Mid-Century Modern style, featuring multiple shelves for ample storage and display. Each bookcase is made fro...
Teak
$6,200
H 72 in W 95 in D 20 in
Poul Cadovius "CADO" 3-bay Rosewood Modular Shelf System Wall Unit Denmark 1960
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Buffalo, NY
Stunning "CADO" 3-bay Rosewood Modular Shelf System Wall Unit designed by Poul Cadovius ,made in Denmark consisting of 4 modular cabinets and 10 adjustable shelves which can be arran...
Rosewood
$7,800 / set
H 80 in W 95 in D 21.25 in
Poul Cadovius for Cado Rosewood 3 Bay Danish Modern Shelving Unit
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in New Windsor, NY
Rosewood three bay modular shelving unit designed by Poul Cadovius for Cado. Circa 1968. The Cado System is comprised of 26 separate parts: four wall mounted brackets, 12 shelf supports, three cabinets and seven shelves. There are two drop front cabinets, one for records which includes wire partitions and the other has a mirrored back with white laminate tops and the largest has two doors with a sliding surface for a stereo turntable...
Metal, Brass
Danish Rosewood Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Rosewood Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s. Danish Mid-Century Modern 1 bay shelving system model Cado. This is a original vintage floating bookcase designed by Danis...
Rosewood
$6,716
H 79.53 in W 96.07 in D 22.05 in
Danish Teak 3-Bay Cado Modular Shelving System Poul Cadovius Bookshelf Desk 1960
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
A lovely 1960s three-bay Danish teak CADO shelving system designed by Paul Cadovius consisting of 11 shelves, four uprights, plus 22 brackets. These designer shelves are fully modula...
Teak
Sold
H 77.96 in W 190.56 in D 15.95 in
Danish 6-Bay Modular Teak Corner Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish 6-Bay Modular Teak Corner Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Large and impressive Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 6 bay L-shaped shelving system model Royal. This is...
Teak
Sold
H 68.9 in W 119.49 in D 9.45 in
Danish Walnut Shelving System Royal by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1950s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Walnut Shelving System Royal by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1950s. This is an early version of the Royal wall unit by Poul Cadovius with beautiful stained walnut veneered shelves...
Walnut
Sold
H 97.64 in W 125.99 in D 22.05 in
Large four-part bookcase, by Poul Cadovius, Editions CADO, Denmark, circa 1960
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Paris, FR
Cado shelving system by Poul Cadovius in exotic wood veneer, composed of: – 4 rack panels: H 248 cm (97.6 in) x W 80 cm (31.5 in) x D 5 cm (1.97 in). – 1 cabinet with 4 compartments, blue-gray and black background: H 56 cm (22 in) x W 80 cm (31.5 in) x D 24 cm (9.5 in). – 1 empty cabinet. H 56 cm (22 in) x W 80 cm (31.5 in) x D 24 cm (9.5 in). – 2 cabinets with two sliding glass doors and glass...
Wood
Sold
H 78.75 in W 94.49 in D 14.57 in
Poul Cadovius, Teak Royal System, Scandinavian Midcentury, Denmark 1960s
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Göteborg, SE
Poul Cadovius designed the Royal System shelving system in 1948. It was one of the world's first shelves that hung on the wall, freeing up floor space. The shelving system quickly be...
Metal
Sold
H 79.73 in W 190.56 in D 12.8 in
Vintage Danish Oak Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Danish Oak Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 6 bay shelving system model Cado. This is a original vintage floating bookcase...
Oak
Sold
H 95.67 in W 94.89 in D 15.75 in
Vintage Danish 3-Bay Rosewood Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s.
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Danish 3-Bay Palisander Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 3 bay shelving system model Cado with back panels. This is a origi...
Rosewood
Sold
H 76.19 in W 157.88 in D 18.9 in
Vintage Danish 5-Bay Rosewood Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Danish 5-Bay Palisander Modular Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 5 bay shelving system model Cado with back panels. This is a origi...
Rosewood
Sold
H 69.1 in W 96.07 in D 12.01 in
Danish Modern 3-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern 3-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Mid-Century Modern 3 bay shelving system model Royal. This is an original vintage floating bookcase desi...
Teak
Poul Cadovius Midcentury Bücher- Wandregal Royal Systeme Cado
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes großes Wandregal vom dänischen Traditionshersteller Cado aus den 1960er Jahren zum Verkauf an. Das Regalsystem wurde von Poul Cadovius entworfen und erla...
Teak
Sold
H 77.96 in W 31.5 in D 18.9 in
Danish Modern 1-Bay Modular Oak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern 1-Bay Modular Oak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 1 bay shelving system model Cado with back panel. This is a original vinta...
Oak
Sold
H 67.33 in W 63.19 in D 15.75 in
Danish Modern 2-Bay Modular Oak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern 2-Bay Modular Oak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 2 bay shelving system model Cado with back panels. This is a original vint...
Oak
Sold
H 69.1 in W 96.26 in D 12.01 in
Danish Modular Royal Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modular Royal Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Mid-Century Modern 3 bay shelving system model Royal. This is an original vintage floating bookcase designed in...
Teak