Poul Cadovius Lighting
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
Mid-Century Space Age Danish RS 37 Flower Lamp by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Hamburg, DE
Very rare flower lamp by the danish manufacturer cado after a design by poul cadovius from the 1960s.
A simple and elegant design. The lamp consists of two half shells that are conn...
Category
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Cadovius Lighting
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'CADOVIUS 900 LAMP', Golden Pendant Lamp by DK3
By Poul Cadovius, DK3
Located in Paris, IDF
CADOVIUS 900 LAMP pendant lamp by DK3
Size : L: 123 / D: 27 / H: 25 cm
Colors: Brass
Materials : Aluminum anodized
Steel wire: 400cm
Light source: Max 40W E14 (220V – 240V / 50 Hz)
Bulbs not included
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The 900·00 lamp, designed by Poul Cadovius in the early 1970’s. Many of his products, like the world-renowned shelving system ROYAL...
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Mid-Century Danish Space Age RS 37 Flower Lamp by Poul Cadovius, 1960s
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Hamburg, DE
Very rare flower lamp by the danish manufacturer cado after a design by poul cadovius from the 60s.
a simple and elegant design. The lamp consists of two half shells, which are conn...
Category
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Cadovius Lighting
Materials
Metal
Danish Shelf Lamp by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Shelf Lamp by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s.
Original Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern lighting Model RS 80 designed for Cado Shelving Systems Den...
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Cadovius Lighting
Materials
Metal
Mid-Century Space Age Danish RS 37 Flower Lamp by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Hamburg, DE
Very rare flower lamp by the danish manufacturer cado after a design by poul cadovius from the 1960s.
A simple and elegant design. The lamp consists of two half shells that are conn...
Category
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Cadovius Lighting
Materials
Metal
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Poul Henningsen est le fils illégitime de l'auteure Agnès Henningsen et de l'écrivain satirique Carl Ewald. Il a passé une enfance heureuse dans une maison moderne qui a été souvent visitée par les intellectuels de la région. Entre 1911 et 1917, Poul Henningsen suit une formation d’architecte sans pourtant en obtenir le diplôme.
Durant les années 1920, Poul Henningsen a fait sa percée littéraire. Il a édité la revue Kritisk Revy (1926-1928, "Examen critique») dans laquelle lui et ses collègues méprisent le style ancien et le conservatisme culturel, reliant ainsi les thématiques politiques de l'époque . En même temps, il débute comme écrivain pour une revue sur les bienfaits d'une vie simple, en harmonie avec la nature et une sexualité plus libre . Il était l'homme qui a fait des revues danoises des armes politiques au service de aile gauche sans abandonner son caractère de divertissement (la soi-disant PH-revues 1929-1932).
En 1933, il édita son ouvrage le plus célèbre Hvad med Kulturen? ("Qu'en est-il de la culture ?") Une critique polémique, audacieuse et urgente de la vie culturelle danoise avec son snobisme et sa nostalgie du passé, en dépit de tous les efforts de la percée du modernisme. Il a essayé de faire un parallèle entre la pruderie, moralisateurs et penchants fascistes; il a également accusé les sociaux-démocrates de manquer d'une ligne culturelle ferme et conséquente. Ce livre ainsi que ses activités dans son ensemble lui ont donné une réputation de semi-communiste ("compagnon de route"). Dans cette période, il se tenait en fait proche des communistes sans les rejoindre. Il a participé à la propagande anti-fasciste, en essayant toujours de faire des connexions entre la culture et la politique.
Parmi ses autres initiatives durant cette période, il y a eu Danmarksfilmen en 1935, (en français : Le Film du Danemark) aussi connu comme Danmarksfilm PH. C'est un film sans prétention et non traditionnel dépeignant la vie contemporaine dans le Danemark d'une manière vivante et un peu irrespectueuse dans lequel les visuels sont saccadés par les rythmes de jazz. Il a été condamné et déchiré par la plupart des critiques, mais il est plus tard réhabilité et est devenu l'un des classiques des films documentaires danois. Il a également écrit des manuscrits de films.
Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale et l'Occupation allemande du Danemark il a gardé un profil bas et s'est enfui vers la Suède en 1943. Après la guerre, il s'est dissocié du communisme qui lui reprochant son humanitarisme de façade dans son attitude lors de l'accord conclu avec les nazis ainsi que pour son scepticisme croissant au sujet de l'Union soviétique et à bien des égards, il a été isolé. Cependant, il a continué à écrire et à débattre, et au cours des années 1960, la nouvelle génération à de nombreux égards a fait de lui une sorte de gourou. Dans ses dernières années, il est devenu un membre de l'Académie danoise et a soutenu le nouveau mouvement des consommateurs.
À bien des égards, Poul Henningsen est l'homme qui a achevé les travaux de Georg Brandes...
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Poul Cadovius lighting for sale on 1stDibs.
Poul Cadovius lighting are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Poul Cadovius lighting, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original lighting by Poul Cadovius were created in the Scandinavian Modern style in scandinavia during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider lighting by Jørn Utzon, Fritz Hansen, and Alfred Homann. Prices for Poul Cadovius lighting can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,234 and can go as high as $2,234, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,234.
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