Poul Cadovius Set of 2 Teak Butterfly Shelves for Cado, 1950s Denmark
View Similar Items
Poul Cadovius Set of 2 Teak Butterfly Shelves for Cado, 1950s Denmark
About the Item
- Creator:Poul Cadovius (Designer),Cado (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 9.85 in (25 cm)Width: 9.85 in (25 cm)Length: 9.85 in (25 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:The Hague, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: 14-01-12021stDibs: LU2448322574932
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.
- Poul Cadovius 'Royal System' teak shelfs and brass brackets, 1960s DenmarkBy Poul CadoviusLocated in The Hague, NLThis Mid-Century teak wall-mounted shelving system, made by Danish designer Poul Cadovius has interchangeable shelves mounted on teak risers and brass paginated brackets. The shelf ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
MaterialsBrass
- Poul Cadovius 'Royal System' teak shelfs and brass brackets, 1960s DenmarkBy Poul CadoviusLocated in The Hague, NLThis Mid-Century teak wall-mounted shelving system, made by Danish designer Poul Cadovius has interchangeable shelves mounted on teak risers and brass paginated brackets. The shelf ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
MaterialsBrass
- Poul Cadovius Mid- Century Modern Modular Teak Wall Unit Shelving for Cado, 1960By Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in The Hague, NLDanish modern teak wall unit designed by Poul Cadovius, Denmark, circa 1960s. This piece is contains 7 shelves and one sliding door cabinet, a drawer cabinet and a display cabinet....Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsMetal
- Poul Cadovius 'Royal System' teak desk shelf and brass brackets, 1960s DenmarkBy Poul CadoviusLocated in The Hague, NLThis Mid-Century teak wall-mounted shelving system, made by Danish designer Poul Cadovius . This shelf is mounted on teak risers and brass patinated brackets. The shelf can be used ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
MaterialsBrass
- Poul Cadovius 'Royal System' walnut shelfs and black brackets, 1960s DenmarkBy Poul CadoviusLocated in The Hague, NLThis Mid-Century walnut wall-mounted shelving system, made by Danish designer Poul Cadovius has interchangeable shelves mounted on wooden risers and black metal paginated brackets. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
MaterialsBrass
- Poul Volther Set Of 6 Dinning Room Chairs "3705" For Fremel Røjle, Denmark, 1960By Frem Røjle, Poul VoltherLocated in The Hague, NLMid century modern period set of 6 dinning room chairs. A quit rare set which is designed by Poul Volther and produced for Fremel Røjle, Denmark, 1961. Model no- 3705. The chairs a...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- Set of 6 Scandinavian Modern "Butterfly" Shelves in Brass by Poul Cadovius, 1958By Poul CadoviusLocated in Odense, DKWall shelves made by Danish Designer Poul Cadovius in 1958. They can be hung in different ways and can also be used for decorational purposes only. Very rare brass edition. Great con...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsBrass
- Poul Cadovius Shelves Set of 6 Copper " Butterfly" Denmark, 1950By Poul CadoviusLocated in Paris, FRSet of 6 Wall shelves Model " Butterfly " made by the Danish designer Poul Cadovius in Denmark 1955. They can be hung in different ways and can also be used for decorative purposes o...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsCopper
- Set of 6 Butterfly Shelves in Teak by Poul Cadovius, 1950'sBy Poul CadoviusLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länSet of 6 Butterfly Shelves in Teak by Poul Cadovius, 1950's Additional Information: Material: Teak Style: Mid century, Scandinavian Produced in Denm...Category
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
MaterialsTeak
- Danish Modern Teak & Glass Shelving System Abstracta by Poul Cadovius, 1960sBy Cado, Poul CadoviusLocated in Odense, DKIngenious minimalist shelving or display unit SYSTEM ABSTRACTA designed by Poul Cadovius, Denmark, in the 1960s. The system consists of black metal...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsMetal
- Wall Unit in Elmwood by Poul Cadovius for Royal System, Denmark, 1950sBy Royal System, Poul CadoviusLocated in Amsterdam, NLBlack wooden risers and elmwood veneer book shelves and cabinet with black metal hooks. This wall unit consist of: 2 x shelf 80 x 20 cm 1 x shelf 80 ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- Poul Cadovius 'butterfly" wall shelves 3 units Denmark 1950By Poul CadoviusLocated in Paris, FRSet of three midcentury shelves in metal. Model 'Butterfly' Designed and made by Poul Cadovius 1960s. in Denmark white. red, green inside, black outside length about 29.5cm x 29.5cm ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsMetal, Sheet Metal