60s 70s Teak Teak Shelf Wall Unit Cado Poul Cadovius Danish Design
View Similar Items
60s 70s Teak Teak Shelf Wall Unit Cado Poul Cadovius Danish Design
About the Item
- Creator:Poul Cadovius (Designer),Cado (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 80.71 in (205 cm)Width: 64.57 in (164 cm)Depth: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960-1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Neuenkirchen, DE
- Reference Number:Seller: 2247810305921stDibs: LU6630228912112
Poul Cadovius
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.
Cado
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.
- 60s 70s Teak Teak Shelf Wall Unit Kai Kristiansen Danish Design 60sBy Kai KristiansenLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI60s 70s teak teak shelf wall unit Kai Kristiansen Danish Design 60s Object: wall unit Manufacturer: Kai Kristiansen Condit...Category
Vintage 1970s European Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- 60s 70s teak shelf wall shelf Wall Unit Germany string shelf Danish designLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI60s 70s teak shelf wall shelf Wall Unit Germany string shelf Danish design Object: wall shelf Manufacturer: Condition: good - vintage Age: around 1960-1970 Dimensions: Width = ...Category
Vintage 1960s German Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- 60s 70s teak wall shelf shelf Pedersen & Hansen Viby J. Denmark DesignBy Pedersen & HansenLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI60s 70s teak wall shelf shelf Pedersen & Hansen Viby J. Denmark Design Object: shelf Manufacturer: Viby J. Condition: good - vintage Age: around 1960-1970 Dimensions: Width = 9...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Shelves
MaterialsTeak
- 60s 70s Shelf Wall Shelf Whb Germany String Shelf Danish DesignBy WHB furnitureLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI60s 70s shelf wall shelf WHB Germany string shelf Danish design Object: wall shelf Manufacturer: WHB Condition: good Age: around 1960-1970 Dimensions: ...Category
Vintage 1970s German Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- 60s 70s Oak String Shelf Wall Shelf String Shelf Danish Design, DenmarkLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI60s 70s OAK String shelf wall shelf String shelf Danish Design Denmark. Object: wall shelf Manufacturer: Condition: good - vintage Age: a...Category
Vintage 1970s German Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- 60s 70s Teak Coffee Table Cado Danish Design DenmarkBy CadoLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI60s 70s teak coffee table Cado coffee table Danish Design Denmark Object: coffee table Manufacturer: Cado Condition: good - vintage Age: around 1960-1970 Dimensions: ...Category
Vintage 1970s European Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Danish Modern Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1950sBy Cado, Poul CadoviusLocated in Asaa, DKVintage Danish teak wall unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1950s. Mid-Century Modern 2 bay shelving system model Royal. This is a original vintage floating bookcase designed in 1948 by Danish architect Poul Cadovius. Cadovius had the revolutionary idea to design a floating, modular shelving system that would maximize floor space and signify the end of conformity in shelving. The Royal System shelving unit...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsTeak
- Danish Modern Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960sBy Cado, Poul CadoviusLocated in Asaa, DKVintage Danish teak wall unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Mid-Century Modern 4 bay shelving system model Royal. This is a original vintage floating bookcase designed in 1948...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsTeak
- Mid-Century Danish Modern Poul Cadovius "Cado" Teak Wall UnitBy Poul CadoviusLocated in Wilmington, DEMid-Century Danish Modern Poul Cadovius for Cado Denmark Teak Wall Unit Offered is a Danish modern teak wall unit that was designed by Poul Cadovius for Cado Denmark in the 1960s. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
MaterialsGlass, Teak
- Danish Modern Poul Cadovius Cado Teak Modular Wall Unit ShelvesBy Poul CadoviusLocated in Chesterfield, NJLarge three bay teak Cado wall system designed by Poul Cadovius and made in Denmark. This unit has beautiful color and a nice active grain pattern, and includes three wall panels for...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Cabinets
MaterialsTeak
- Danish Poul Cadovius Wall Unit, Mid-Century Modern Shelf Royal System, DenmarkBy Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in München, BavariaDimensions (Width x Depth x Height) ca. 240 x 40 / 50 x 203 cm Elevate your living space with this vintage mid-midcentury modern Poul Cadovius Royal System Wall Unit, a true masterpiece of Scandinavian design. Crafted by the iconic Danish designer Poul Cadovius in the 1950s, the Royal System is celebrated for its versatility, functionality, and timeless aesthetic. Crafted in solid teak wood and veneer this wall unit seamlessly blends into various interior styles. The unit features a combination of open shelves that come in different depths, one of them working as desk, two closed cabinet boxes, a display case with two glas shelfs and one small chest of drawers providing ample storage space while maintaining a sleek and uncluttered appearance. The modular design allows for customization, making it adaptable to different room configurations and needs. This Vintage Poul Cadovius...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsGlass, Teak
- Small Poul Cadovius Wall Unit, Mid-Century Shelf Royal System, DenmarkBy Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in München, BavariaDimensions (Width x Depth x Height) ca. 82,5 x 40 / 50 x 203 cm Elevate your living space with this vintage mid-midcentury modern Poul Cadovius Royal System Wall Unit, a true masterpiece of Scandinavian design. Crafted by the iconic Danish designer Poul Cadovius in the 1950s, the Royal System is celebrated for its versatility, functionality, and timeless aesthetic. Crafted in solid teakwood, walnut and veneer this wall unit seamlessly blends into various interior styles. The unit features a combination of open shelves and a cabinet, providing ample storage space while maintaining a sleek and uncluttered appearance. The modular design allows for customization, making it adaptable to different room configurations and needs. This Vintage Poul Cadovius...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsGlass, Teak