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.
1960s Poul Cadovius Cado Dining Table in Teak with Two Leaves 94"
By Poul Cadovius, Royal System
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Rectangular Drop-Leaf Dining Table in Teak, designed by Poul Cadovius for Royal System in Denmark in the 1960s. We have had the table freshly refinished, revealing an exqui...
Steel
$1,464
H 78.94 in W 32.88 in D 9.65 in
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
$4,394
H 78.75 in W 96.07 in D 14.97 in
Danish Modern 3-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1950s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern 3-Bay Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 3 bay shelving system model Royal. This is an original vintage floating ...
Teak
$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
$2,402
H 58.47 in W 64.38 in D 14.97 in
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
$5,520 / 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...
Brass, Metal
Danish Rosewood Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
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
$1,874
H 77.96 in W 31.5 in D 18.9 in
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
$6,154
H 78 in W 96.6 in D 15.8 in
Poul Cadovius Royal System Teak Modular Wall Unit Danish Mid-Century Modern 1960
By Royal System, Poul Cadovius
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impressive Danish Mid-Century Modern modular wall unit crafted in warm teak and dating to the 1960s. This versatile wall-mounted system combines generous storage with a functional wo...
Teak
$3,222
H 78.75 in W 64.57 in D 13 in
Poul Cadovius Freestanding Modular Wall Unit System for Royal System, 1960s
By Poul Cadovius, Royal System
Located in The Hague, NL
Original freestanding wall unit designed by Poul Cadovius, model Royal, in the 1960s for Royal System, Denmark. Freestanding wall unit consists 3 black metal uprights, one cabinet an...
Metal
1960s wall shelf, Poul Cadovius
By Poul Cadovius, Cado
Located in Neuss, NW
Classic shelving system from the 1960s. The high-quality containers and shelves are veneered in teak. The system consists of nine shelves, a record container, and three wooden ladder...
Wood, Teak
$10,000
H 96 in W 94.75 in D 20 in
Poul Cadovius for Cado/Royal System 3-Bay Wall Unit in Brazilian Rosewood
By Royal System, Poul Cadovius
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Designed in the late 1960s by Poul Cadovius, this 2nd generation wall unit was produced by Cado during the same time period. Cado as a company was founded when Poul began selling his...
Glass, Rosewood
$1,640
H 16.74 in W 63 in D 15.75 in
Danish Modern Oak Floating Sideboard by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s.
By Cado, Poul Cadovius
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Modern Oak Floating Sideboard by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1960s. Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern 2 bay wall unit model Cado with back panels. This is a original vintage floatin...
Oak