Royal System
Poul Cadovius founded the furniture manufacturer Royal System in 1945. While the Danish designer is most famous for his novel modular floating shelving systems, 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.
Royal System was a home for producing Cadovius’s designs, which 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.
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 by vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors and design enthusiasts alike.
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 vintage Royal System shelving units, bookcases and other furniture on 1stDibs.
| Average Sold Price |
| $4,146 |
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| Materials |
| Related Creators |
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Royal System
Teak
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Royal System
Metal
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Royal System
Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Royal System
Metal
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Royal System
Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Royal System
Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Royal System
Walnut
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Royal System
Teak
Royal System Sale Prices
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Material | Creation Year | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| $4,146 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $1,300-$10,987 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |
Creators Similar to Royal System
Royal System furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
- 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.