Midcentury Walnut Cado Display Shelf
About the Item
- Creator:Poul Cadovius (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 5 in (12.7 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 13 in (33.02 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Minor losses.
- Seller Location:BROOKLYN, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1793239094652
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: BROOKLYN, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Pair of Midcentury Paul McCobb Single Bookshelves #1516 Walnut FinishBy Planner Group, Paul McCobbLocated in BROOKLYN, NYPair of vintage midcentury Paul McCobb single high bookcases bookshelves #1516 original walnut finish over solid maple with black iron 4 leg base. Beautiful bookcase set by Paul McCo...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsIron
- Pair Mid century Paul McCobb Double Bookshelves #1516 Walnut Finish Iron BaseBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in BROOKLYN, NYPair of vintage midcentury Paul McCobb Double high bookcases bookshelves #1516 original walnut finish over solid maple with solid Iron 4 leg Iron base. Beautiful bookcase set by Paul...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsIron
- Pair Mid century Paul McCobb Triple Bookshelves #1516 Walnut Finish Iron BaseBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in BROOKLYN, NYPair of vintage midcentury Paul McCobb triple high bookcases bookshelves #1516 original walnut finish over solid maple with solid Iron 4 leg base. Beautiful bookcase set by Paul McCo...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsIron
- Unique Folding Bookcase in RosewoodBy Odense Møbelfabrik, J. Ingvard Jensen OdenseLocated in BROOKLYN, NYScandinavian Danish Modern at its finest. Likely unique piece as we have found no other example. Rosewood with brass hinges and circular inserts pulls on either side. Box shape 20'' cubed looks beautiful with striking rosewood grain. Each of there 4 shelves are just shy of 9'' tall. Brilliant design when folded upright reveals an angled bookcase...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsBrass
- Original Midcentury Alvar Aalto Coat Rack / Shelf Stora Enso Building FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in BROOKLYN, NYFor your consideration is this original coat rack with shelf designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek circa 1960 featuring birch wood, metal coat hooks and early nickel plated steel hanger ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsSteel
- Original Midcentury Alvar Aalto Coat Rack / Shelf Stora Enso Building, FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in BROOKLYN, NYFor your consideration is this original coat rack with shelf designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek circa 1960 featuring birch wood, metal coat hooks and early nickel plated steel hanger ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsSteel
- Chinese Scholars' Display Shelf, c. 1850Located in Chicago, ILCollecting was a popular pastime for well-to-do Ming and Qing dynasty gentleman, and a shelf like this one would have been an ideal place to display jades, curios, porcelain, and col...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Shelves
MaterialsElm
- Vintage Modern Circular Étagère Display ShelfLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis stylish Mid-Century Modern shelf unit includes smoked glass shelves in an x-style frame, ideal for shop or home display. Vintage display étagère...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsChrome
- Wired Shelf, Solid Freestanding Display and Storage, in Stainless Steel, WalnutBy Rached SultanLocated in beirut, LBThe Wired shelf is a raw free-standing piece with industrial strength. The piece proudly displays its building material featuring exposed fish mouth welded ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Lebanese Minimalist Shelves
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Wired Shelf, Solid Freestanding Display and Storage, in Stainless Steel, WalnutBy Rached SultanLocated in beirut, LBThe Wired shelf is a raw free-standing piece with industrial strength. The piece proudly displays its building material featuring exposed fish mouth welded ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Lebanese Minimalist Shelves
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Danish Modern Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960sBy Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in Asaa, DKVintage Danish teak wall unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1960s. Mid-Century Modern 4 bay shelving system model Royal. This is a original vintage floating bookcase designed in 1948...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsTeak
- Danish Modern Modular Teak Wall Unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado 1950sBy Poul Cadovius, CadoLocated in Asaa, DKVintage Danish teak wall unit by Poul Cadovius for Cado, 1950s. Mid-Century Modern 2 bay shelving system model Royal. This is a original vintage floating bookcase designed in 1948 by Danish architect Poul Cadovius. Cadovius had the revolutionary idea to design a floating, modular shelving system that would maximize floor space and signify the end of conformity in shelving. The Royal System shelving unit...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsTeak