Rare Poul Cadovius Chess Table
View Similar Items
Rare Poul Cadovius Chess Table
About the Item
- Creator:Poul Cadovius (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 19.3 in (49 cm)Width: 37.8 in (96 cm)Depth: 37.8 in (96 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960's
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93001326974
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.
- Vintage Danish Coffee Table by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1970sBy Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in Asaa, DKVintage Danish coffee table by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1970s Beautiful and spectacular round coffee table with aluminum tulip base designed...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Poul Cadovius Chess TableBy Poul CadoviusLocated in London, LambethBeautiful pair of side tables with a playing surface in rosewood and teak inlay. Simple flexible design circa 1960s by Poul Cadovius for France & Son.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsRosewood
$2,796 / set - 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
- 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
- Rare Poul Kjaerholm PK59 Oak-Topped Coffee TableBy Poul Kjærholm, E. Kold ChristensenLocated in Brooklyn, NYMatte chrome-plated steel frame with figured oak veneer top, circa 1957. Stamped for E. Kold Christensen, Denmark to underside stretcher. The PK-59 table has been out of production f...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsOak
- Poul Cadovius Bench Coffee Table in RosewoodBy Poul CadoviusLocated in Grenoble, FRPoul Cadovius bench coffee table in rosewood, base lacquered in black. Rare and original piece in very good condition.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsRosewood