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Danish Modern Teak & Glass Shelving System Abstracta by Poul Cadovius, 1960s

About the Item

Ingenious minimalist shelving or display unit SYSTEM ABSTRACTA designed by Poul Cadovius, Denmark, in the 1960s. The system consists of black metal tubes with patented connectors, floating teak wood and thick glass shelves. The minimalistic and modern looking furniture system is perfect for conscious storage and clean exposure of your objects. Beautiful vintage condition with few signs of wear. This particular system was bought in the 1960s and was used as display unit in an antiques shop in Denmark. Marked with "Made in Denmark" label. 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 SYSTEM, followed by the award-winning SYSTEM ULTRA in 1957 and SYSTEM CADO in 1960. All three systems were based on a groundbreaking wall-mounted shelving concept, where the idea was to move the furniture off the floor onto the walls, leaving more space in the room. All his life Poul Cadovius was an exceptional entrepreneur and innovator, and he achieved to take more than 400 patents during his long career. Besides designing furniture Poul Cadovius also owned a boatyard and developed many other different products such as building material and fiberglass components like the in Denmark well-known mushroom-formed bus shelter. And then he invented the award-winning and world-renowned SYSTEM ASBTRACTA, which was used as exhibition halls at the Cologne Furniture Fair in 1962.

Creator:
Poul Cadovius (Designer),Cado (Manufacturer)
Dimensions:
Height: 51.19 in (130 cm)Width: 59.06 in (150 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)
Style:
Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Glass,Metal,Teak
Place of Origin:
Denmark
Period:
1960-1969
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1960
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Good original condition. Small chips to a few of the edges of the glass and some wear to teakwood shelves.
Seller Location:
Odense, DK
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3793132198832
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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.