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.
Collectable Mygge & Bjorn Wiinblad France & Sons Mid Century Modern Dining Table
By Poul Cadovius, Bjorn Wiinblad, Susanne Fjedldoe Mygge
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this sublime original fully stamped and signed Bjorn Wiinblad and Poul Cadovius for France & Son Denmark dining table with the top painted by Susan...
Iron
$20,577
H 30.71 in Dm 63 in
Mid-Century Modern Ferreirinha Round Dining Table, Ebony, Handmade by Greenapple
By Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Mid-Century Modern Ferreirinha Round Dining Table, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. The Ferreirinha round dining table pays homage to Antónia...
Travertine, Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
Ico Parisi Style Mid-Century Modern Italian Dining Table, 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Dining table in dark walnut and top in Italian bronzed glass in the Ico Parisi style of the 50s. The table has a beautiful sculptural shape. The table has been polished with shellac ...
Glass, Walnut
$4,755Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.14 in Dm 47.25 in
Mid-Century Modern Dining Table by Romeo Rega, Italy, Circa 1974
By Romeo Rega
Located in bari, IT
70's table composed of an elegant mix of metals with polished brass and steel finish. The central base is made of full honey-colored plexiglass with a diameter of 20 cm. The smoked glass top in the image is 15 mm thick and can also be modified with a more generous size top up to 150 cm, designer Romeo Rega little chipping on the side of crystal plane. Romeo Rega is born in Rome on 10 October 1925, third of six children, born and raised in the Trastevere district, in the heart of Rome. THE FIRST BIG STEPS. He is 27 years old when, in 1957, he enrolls in the Albo provinciale delle imprese artigiane (Provincial Register of Craft Enterprises) and opens his first workshop in Vicolo della Frusta 6, where he collaborates with talented masters of wrought iron and forging. At this point arrives the first important order: the design and manufacturing for Cinecittà of the chariots for the American colossal film Ben-Hur, which will be published in 1959. He stays in Vicolo della Frusta until the end of the 1960s, a period in which he dedicated himself to his favorite activity: the design of his own pieces and the relations with people. Among his clients there are personalities from the world of cinema and entertainment, such as Marcello Mastroianni, Renato Rascel and his wife Giuditta Saltarini, Massimo Ranieri...
Crystal, Brass, Stainless Steel
Heywood Wakefield Mid Century Dining Table
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Heywood Wakefield mid century dining table Table measures: 50 wide x 34 deep x 29.5 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had i...
Wood
$3,715Sale Price|35% Off
H 32.29 in W 69.3 in D 33.86 in
Mid-Century Modern Dining Table by Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1956
By Paolo Buffa
Located in bari, IT
Simple but elegant inlaid and worked wood table attributed to the early work of Paolo Buffa late 1950s. The table presents two hidden drawers that, in addition to being storage, can ...
Wood
Mid-Century Modern Chrome Jax Tripod Dining Table after Milo Baughman
By Milo Baughman
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A sleek and stylish glass topped dining table in the manner of Milo Baughman. It features a tubular chrome base with a thick heavy glass top.
Chrome
Roche Bobois Mid Century Burlwood Dining Table
By Roche Bobois
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Roche Bobois mid-century burlwood dining table. This table measures: 79 wide x 47 deep x 29 inches high with chair clearance of 27 inches. ...
Metal
$5,144Sale Price|25% Off
H 31.5 in Dm 51.19 in
Mid-Century Modern Flip Flap Dining Table by Dyrlund, Denmark, 1965
By Dyrlund
Located in bari, IT
Probably the first table model flip flap by Dyrlung Smith the table can offer with the flip flap system a diameter of 190 cm max. Name Flip Flap table ...
Wood
$2,796Sale Price|30% Off
H 30.1 in W 63 in D 37.8 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Dining Table, Metal and Glass, Circa 1970
Located in High Point, NC
A 20th century Italian dining table made from metal with a glass top. This trestle table is constructed of thick, bent metal bars an...
Metal
$2,972
H 29.53 in W 86.62 in D 35.44 in
Mid-Century Modern Extendable Dining Table by Paolo Buffa, Italy
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Antwerp, BE
This is a superb 1950s Italian dining table attributed to Paolo Buffa. A beautiful dining room table in mahogany colored walnut that is also extendable on both sides to a length of 2...
Wood
$1,554Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.11 in W 70.87 in D 36.23 in
Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Table, Brass and Glass, Circa 1968
Located in bari, IT
Table with feet in wood and terminal in brass, on top molded restro glass depicting black Carrara marble. Although not attributed to any designer of th...
Brass
$7,602Sale Price|30% Off
H 30.71 in W 78.75 in D 37.41 in
Vittorio Dassi Iconic Design Mid-Century Modern Italian Dining Table, 50s, Rare!
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Beautiful table designed by the famous Italian Mid-Century Modern designer Vittorio Dassi, 1950. The exceptional woodwork is highlighted by the curved green glass top with gold leaf ...
Marble, Brass
Poul Cadovius Tile Top Round Table 1960's
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Shibuya-ku, 13
This round table, featuring a tile top that radiates modern sensibility, is a piece by Danish furniture designer and craftsman POUL CADOVIUS. Made in Denmark during the 1960s (estima...
Metal
Midcentury Poul Cadovius Rosewood Dinner Table for France & Son
By France & Søn, Poul Cadovius
Located in Hillringsberg, SE
A beautiful dining or center table with a rosewood sequence matched veneer top in a radiating pattern around an inlet aluminum circle, with aluminum trim and aluminum pedestal extend...
Aluminum
Sold
H 27.56 in Dm 55.12 in
Poul Cadovius spectacular round aluminium & Teak Table for France & Son, 1960´s
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Large round dining table with trumpet foot in metal and metal detail in the centre of the top. Designed and produced in Denmark by Poul Cadovious.
Teak
Sold
H 92.92 in W 33.47 in D 63 in
Danish Modern Teak Wall Unit or Home Office by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in The Hague, NL
Danish modern teak wall unit with writing table/ dining table, designed by Poul Cadovius, Denmark, circa 1960s. This piece is contains 3 shelves (L x 20cm, W x 80cm) and extendable ...
Metal
Sold
H 28.25 in Dm 54.13 in
Aluminium Dining Table Hand-Painted by Susanne Fjeldsøe for Poul Cadovius, 1960s
By Susanne Fjedldoe Mygge, Poul Cadovius
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Poul Cadovius aluminium base dining table decorated by Susanne Fjeldsøe also known as the artist, Mygge. Signed. Original enamel finished has preserved the beautiful artwork unde...
Chrome
Poul Cadovius Cado Aluminium Dining Table by Susanne Fjeldsoe AKA Mygge
By Susanne Fjedldoe Mygge, Poul Cadovius
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Poul Cadovius aluminium base dining table decorated by Susanne Fjeldsøe also known as the artist, Mygge. To preserve the painted top, our cabinet ...
Chrome
Mid-Century Modern Dining Table by Poul Cadovius for France & Son
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Chicago, IL
This beautiful circular table has a bookmatched rosewood top raised on a tapered aluminum pedestal base that envelops the table’s edge. The chic metallic frame compliments the glossy...
Metal
Pair of Rosewood "Chess" Side Tables by Poul Cadovius
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Pair of rosewood "Chess" side tables by Poul Cadovius for Cado.
Rosewood
Table by Poul Cadovius, Susanne Fjedldoe Mygge. ca. 1965
By Susanne Fjedldoe Mygge, France & Søn, Poul Cadovius
Located in Berlin, DE
Table by Poul Cadovius, Susanne Fjedldoe Mygge. ca. 1965
Aluminum