Danish Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius, 1960s

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Danish Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius, 1960s

About the Item

Danish modular teak wall unit by Poul Cadovius, 1960s Danish modular teak wall unit by Poul Cadovius, 1960s This wall unit has 7 back walls, of which we have now used 5. The wall panels are 80 cm wide and 227 cm high. with 2 display cabinets 1 drawer 1 sliding wardrobe 1 valve box 2 small shelves 4 large shelves 1 desk This wall unit is in top condition despite the years. Made of teak wood. Poul Cadovius The Danish designer and manufacturer Poul Cadovius was born in Frederiksberg in 1911. Originally trained as a saddler and upholsterer, Cadovius became interested in industrial design and founded his own furniture manufacturing company in 1945 under the name Royal Systems. Soon after, Cadovius had the revolutionary idea to design a floating, modular shelving system that would maximize floor space and spell the end of conformance in shelving. The Royal System shelving unit (1948) won the gold medal at the Finnish Furniture Fair in 1950 and the silver medal at the XI Triennale di Milano 1957 and remained a hallmark of modern design from the 50s and 60s. Sometime between 1964 and 1967, Cadovius bought the renowned furniture manufacturer France & Søn - credited with the industrialization of teak furniture production - and eventually renamed the company CADO. Cadovius has collaborated with the impressive selection of iconic Danish designers through France & Søn and CADO, including Sigvar Bernadotte, Grete Jalk, Arne Vodder, Edvard Kindt-Larsen and Finn Juhl. Pieces manufactured by CADO include Ditte & Adrian Heath's 594 dining table and chairs (1971), Steen Ostergaard's Lounge Chair and Model 290 chairs (1968), Ole Wanscher's Senator Chair series (1960), as well as a series of 1960s coffee tables by Cadovius with the use of aluminum, rosewood and hand-painted designs by Susan Fjedldoe Mygge. Its minimalist aesthetic is considered a perfect harmony between form and function - industrial and organic, affordable and elegant. Although the Royal System shelving was his most important contribution to Danish modernism, Cadovius registered over 400 patents during his long career, leaving behind a legacy that inspired many future designers.

Creator:
Poul Cadovius (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 89.38 in (227 cm)Width: 157.49 in (400 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Teak
Place of Origin:
Denmark
Period:
1960-1969
Date of Manufacture:
1960
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Oostrum-Venray, NL
Reference Number:
Seller: 21000000392301stDibs: LU5799225927632

Shop All Poul Cadovius

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. He followed it 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.