France & Son Danish Modern Rosewood Chessboard Coffee Table by Poul Cadovius
About the Item
- Creator:France & Søn (Manufacturer),Poul Cadovius (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Mid-20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Structurally solid and sturdy with original finish. Finish wear on top including scratches as pictured that were blended out with polish and not very noticeable under normal viewing condition. Light wear around edges as pictured.
- Seller Location:West Chester, PA
- Reference Number:
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.
France & Søn
Danish manufacturer France & Søn is best known for its prolific output of elegant mid-century modern furnishings in teak and leather, yet its multinational beginnings took shape during the 1930s.
After businessman Charles William Fearnley France (1897–1972) moved from his native England to Denmark in 1936, he began to operate a small mattress factory alongside his friend Eric Daverkosen, a Danish cabinetmaker, under the name France & Daverkosen. Shortly afterward, Daverkosen passed away, and when Denmark was invaded during the Second World War, Charles was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany. When he was released, the British entrepreneur set out to produce furniture in the early 1950s, setting up a shop in Hillerød to manufacture the kind of sleek beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. In 1957, France’s son James joined the business, and the company changed its name to reflect the addition.
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, France & Søn produced a stunning array — and staggering quantity — of designs, with elegant modernist lounge chairs and armchairs, teak and rosewood dining tables and other furnishings by the likes of Finn Juhl, Grete Valk, Ole Wanscher, Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen all gracing its catalogues.
Even as there was a focus on mass production at France & Søn — and the brand doesn’t quite enjoy the same renown as fellow mid-century Danish furniture makers such as Carl Hansen & Søn — Charles France believed in making quality furniture, and the company’s offerings evoke the warmth of the handcrafted work that is typically associated with Scandinavian modernism.
In the 1960s, the company was bought by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s. Surviving examples of early work from the brand as well as modern icons by the likes of Verner Panton that followed in later years continue to be in demand.
Find a collection of France & Søn furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Chadds Ford, PA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Vatne Mobler Falcon Rosewood Coffee Table BaseBy Vatne MøblerLocated in West Chester, PAVatne Mobler “Falcon” Coffee Table Base in rosewood circa 1970. Will be shipped disassembled and very easy to assemble with the eight bolts and the All...Category
Mid-20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Gio Ponti for M. Singer & Sons Walnut Coffee Table with Travertine TopBy Gio Ponti, M. Singer & SonsLocated in West Chester, PAMid-Century Modern coffee table with a travertine top on a sculptural solid walnut base. Top measures 60” x 15 7/16” x 3/4”. Designed by Gio Ponti for M. Singer & Sons circa 1950s un...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTravertine
- Postmodern Plaster Coffee TableBy John DickinsonLocated in West Chester, PAPlaster postmodern coffee table circa 1970 with column like round legs and rounded corners. Incised design on the top with blue accent.Category
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPlaster
- 1980's Postmodern Boomerang Glass Brass Coffee TableBy Pace Furniture CompanyLocated in West Chester, PAVintage boomerang shaped glass coffee table on one piece brass finished sculptural base. Circa late 20th century unmarked. 18” width at center of boomerang glass 1/2” thick glassCategory
Late 20th Century American Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Regency Faux Bamboo Octagonal Glass Coffee TableLocated in West Chester, PARegency style faux bamboo octagonal glass top cocktail table in a black and gold finish with intentional distressing throughout. Base without glass measu...Category
Late 20th Century American Regency Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGlass, Stained Glass, Wood
- Kittinger Faux Bamboo Tortoise Shell Coffee TableBy Kittinger Furniture CompanyLocated in West Chester, PAThis elegant cocktail table dates to the 1950's and was manufactured by Kittinger Furniture of Buffalo, New York. The tray style top has the original faux tortoiseshell lacquered fin...Category
Vintage 1950s American Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
- Scandinavian Modern Rosewood Coffee Table by Poul Cadovius, 1960sBy Poul Cadovius, France & SønLocated in London, GBSometimes called the chess boggie woogie table, this rosewood parquet table sits on two sled legs and is refinished by our experienced restorers.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- Scandinavian Modern Square Rosewood Coffee or Cocktail Table by Poul CadoviusBy Poul Cadovius, France & SønLocated in London, GBA timeless piece of Scandinavian Modern Design, by one of the best proponents of their craft. This table designed by Poul Cadovius with it’s clean crisp lines and natural material wi...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- Poul Cadovius Rosewood Coffee Table Designed For France & Son Circular 1960sBy Cado, Poul CadoviusLocated in High Wycombe, GBPoul Cadovius Rosewood Coffee Table Designed For France & Son Circular Top Inlaid With Brushed Chrome Floral Decoration Made In Denmark 1960's Poul Cadovius (1911 - 2011) was one of the most colourful and successful persons in the history of Danish furniture industry. He was originally educated as an upholsterer but became very interested in design at an early stage, and in 1945 he established his own furniture manufacturing company Royal System. A few years later, in 1948, he designed the iconic shelving system ROYAL...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Poul Cadovius Coffee Table in Rosewood, Denmark 1960sBy Poul Cadovius, France & SønLocated in Esbjerg, DKPoul Cadovius coffee table in veenered rosewood, steel details. Made by France & Son.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Poul Cadovius Coffee Table in Rosewood, Denmark 1960sBy Poul Cadovius, France & SønLocated in Esbjerg, DKPoul Cadovius coffee table in partly solid rosewood, chess pattern. Made by France & Son.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- Santos Rosewood and Aluminium Coffee Table by Poul Cadovious for France and SonBy Poul Cadovius, France & SønLocated in Little Burstead, EssexA very nice coffee table, sometimes by Poul Cadovious, the nicely figured Santos Rosewood ( a species which does not require CITES certification) with aluminium edges and legs. A ver...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsAluminum