Earlier this spring, Lisa Sullivan, Owner/Designer of Swank Interiors Palm Springs, was on the road and came across an incredible find -- a full 5 bays of a 1950's CADO Royal System Wall Unit! What was most spectacular about this was that it had been with the original owners since the late 1950's. They were retiring and sizing down and their new home would not fit this design masterpiece. And as a final gesture of the care and respect they had given this wall unit over the years, as it was disassembled to come to our Palm Springs shop, a piece of felt was cut to cover each shelve and cabinet for shipping.
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| 5 Bay CADO Royal System available at Swank Interiors |
First some history of the designer --
Poul Cadovius was a Danish furniture designer who lived from 1911 to 2011. In the mid 1940's he established the furniture-manufacturing company Royal System in Denmark. His original factory, dating to 1946 and used for the production of fibre glass boats, is now part of Aarhus University in Denmark.
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| The Cadovius Building at Aarhus University, Denmark |
Throughout the 1950's, 60's and 70's, Cadovius was one of the most influential designers of the Danish furniture industry and furniture design. In 1964 he purchased S. France & Co. and produced furniture under the CADO label -- chairs, sofas and tables. He registered over 400 individual patents, ensuring his legacy.
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A 1962 ad for CADO designs
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A 1978 ad in Progressive Architecture magazine
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But it was the CADO Royal System wall unit that Cadovius is most remembered for. This shelving system was the largest furniture success the Danish furniture industry has ever had. Cadovius, much like American designer George Nelson and his OMNI system, was looking for space solutions -- "...for a furnishing system which would give a maximum of comforts...was easy to assemble, offer a lot of combination possibilities and made the living space larger." Like his fellow Scandinavian designers, Cadovius was seeking solutions for smaller homes to accommodate family life. The system was successful by providing a timeless combination of shelves and cabinets in various dimensions. Whether you needed a desk, a table, a stereo cabinet, china cabinet or chest of drawers, you could customize the system to fit your needs.
Below are some pictures of the CADO system available at Swank Interiors, Palm Springs.
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A cabinet with dividers for records, books or magazines and a desk
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Additional bays with shelves of various depth, 2 cabinets; note how shelf heights can be made to create "tuck in" space for a 1969 Harvey Probber ottoman that can be pulled out for a visitor!
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For more information regarding our system, click below:
So stop by Swank Interiors, Palm Springs, to see this iconic Danish wall system and other mid-century finds.
