We learn about the two very collectible types:
‘Royal System’ and ‘System Cado’
Continuing my research into midcentury modern shelving systems, Cado “floating” wall systems are now also in my sites. Like the String System that recently profiled, Cados are Scandinavian-designed — and they are hot collectibles. Unlike Strings, you cannot get them new today, so you must be on the lookout. You know how I say that at estate sales, you need to look to the windows for potentially lovely window treatments? Well now, I add to that list: Look to the walls for potentially valuable shelving systems. Above: Christa’s Cado Wall System. Continue for more views of her Cado… for historical info about this wall system… and for shopping tips.
Christa’s Cado wall system:
Christa writes:
Hi Pam -
I don’t have the String system, but the similar, all wood version of the Cado system…interesting that such similar ideas all were designed at around the same time .
I ended up getting mine from CraigsList, but it did take months and months to find it.
The reason…well my wonderful mid century split level has some floors that are, well, wobbly if you walk to hard…especially the dining room. My vintage blonde china cabinet was great, except that every time somebody walked by it, it would sway and things would clank and clunk inside (it made me afraid for my grandmother’s china!)
So a teak Cado system, that attached to the wall ( they have floor standing ones as well) Solved the problem. Too bad the wobbly floor itself is not so easy to fix!This type of system is so flexible (actually have Elfa in my daughters room and our study) and can work just about anywhere you want to put it!
I took these a while ago, I have done some “tweaking” since I took these, especially with the Viking glass, ( LOVE Viking Epic…I have gotten slightly addicted) I got some more pieces, I move things around…it is a constant thing.
I have another wall-mount and one other cabinet for the Cado, but as you can see, two bays were all I had space for or need , but I have them safely tucked away in case I change my mind and want to put this somewhere else.
The “down side” to this (the Cado)…actually getting it on the wall…if your measurements are not PERFECT, the dowels on the back of the cabinets will not go in the holes. I learned that my studs are not straight in the walls…as if I got the upright in a stud at the top, it would not go in a stud at the bottom. It took about 4 hours, 3 people,( myself, DH, and a very patient and tall friend ) several bruises each and much cursing to get it up. I would assume that when the system was new there was some sort of template, so you could easily get things lined up, but those are long gone I fear.
Thank you, Christa, for sharing these photos and advice. Your home is drop dead gorgeous!! Readers, check out Christa’s etsy shop, The Red Retro Shop, here.
About the Cado wall system
I went searching all over the internet trying to piece together a timeline history of the Cado system. The timeline is incomplete, I note* where I am missing info or am confused.
- According to the 20th Century forum, the official name of this design is the Royal System. Although then I read there was also a design called System Cado. Confused*. In any case, these were designed by the Dutch architect Poul Cadovius, and manufactured by Cado, Cadovius’ eponymous company.
- I found a Wikipedia entry for Poul Cadovius. It appears to be in Danish, and the translate pop up is not popping. However, I think I can read that Cadovius died just last year, 2011. He lived to age 99! I also am going to guess that the Cado wall unit was spotlighted (introduced???) at the Milan Trienniele in 1957? Can anyone translate for me?
- I scanned the Wiki on Danish Modern Design – and he does not seem to be mentioned. It is interesting — the Cado wall units seem to be very popular — very well known — but there is very little information I can find overall on Poul Cadovius, Cado manufacturing, and the history of these units.
- At Made-Good – a site about Danish design – they describe the impetus of the Royal System: ”Poul Cadovius, was in the fifties looking for a furnishing system which would give a maximum of comfort, underline the personal atmosphere of the interior, was easy to assembly, offer a lot of combination possibilities and made the living space larger.” They add that, “In the late 60s [1964, another post indicates] he (Cadovius) (als0) bought the famous manufacturer France and Sons and produced many more furniture under the label of Cado.” Cadovius/Cado went on to produce a variety of other furniture designs.
- This Design Addict forum says the first Cado was a freestanding system — they have a photo — and that it was designed in 1955. Design Addict also has a classifieds section that indicates that the Cado system was available in a number of woodgrains — teak, walnut, mahogany, rosewood… — as well as white. You can also see the variety of components.
- The Good Mod adds that, “These systems could be ordered from catalogs and furniture stores in the 1960?s – 70?s. There were many different types of cabinets, shelves, lights, standards or uprights and styles. Whether you needed a desk, a table, a stereo cabinet, china cabinets or a chest of drawers, you could customize the system to fit your needs.”
From Roche-Bobois
- Looks like Roche Bobois started distributing the Cado system in 1962. [I'm confused about when Cado manufacturing came into the picture.] Note, they say it marks the end of conformity in shelving sizes, “The break in conventional sizes has just begun.”
- On this forum I read that there are two designs of the Cado system — one with metal fixings, one with wood. Here is an edited excerpt: [One design] has the metal fixings and supports which hang in the sides of the wall battens. Here is a clear example. [The other design] has wooden supports with angled wooden dowels in the back which fix into angled holes in the front of the wall battens. (Christa has this all-wood system; here is another clear example. The joinery involved means these systems are often considered more desireable. This also means it’s a nightmare to put up as there is zero tolerance. The [system with metal fixings] is much more forgiving and is easier to find. *Still confusion over which was called Royal System vs. System Cado. Confused*.
- I cannot find any information on when sales of the Royal System ended.
- Interesting article — more info about Poul Cadovius’ career here. A photo too. Scroll to “The Story Behind Circulhuset” about half way through the PDF. In short, she says Cadovius was a well-known and prolific designer, with 400 patents. She also says that Cadovius had gone bankrupt by 1981.
But golly gee, looky here, the Cadovius’ Abstracta modular shelving, designed in the 1960s, still is for sale — looks like it’s manufactured in K-zoo! That’s Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Elvis still lives, btw. The Abstracta appears to be mostly targeted at the retail display market, but there are a few pieces designed for home: The cube table! Of course, we all recognize the cube table!
And… how’s this for some loveliness — a video that shows the original turntable and speakers:
Cado wall systems buying guide:
My tips:
- Cado systems seem to be well known among dealers and collectors. They are very recognizable to the infomed — which now includes you. However, that means, that if a dealer or collector gets one in-hand, he or she will price it accordingly — likely starting at $1,000 or more, depending on the pieces available and the condition.
- If you are looking for a bargain, I’d say try estate sales and vintage stores, especially those in smaller cities or towns where they be fewer buyers tuned into the mid mod. Look to the walls! Keep your eyes peeled! I tend to think that Cados were pretty popular back in the day — they are out there to be discovered.
- You can also watch craigslist. Search Cado, teak, danish modern, midcentury, shelves, wall unit… etc. Mix up your terms. For example, I spotted this unit for sale in the New York City area, and the seller gave me permission to feature the photo here:
Cado wall system with desk, $1250 (link now gone): Beautiful and practical Danish modern teak wall system designed by Poul Cadovius. This system as shown in the photos is particularly rare as it comes with a separate drop-leaf desk. The condition overall is in good condition with a few scapes and bumps that comes with age.
- You can also find Cado wall units on ebay and etsy — but you will likely not be able to see what you are buying in person, of course.
So there you have it: Cado wall systems. Paol Cadovius, well done!
In addition to Cado, a Norwegian company named Bruksbo also made a similar wall system called “Veggen De Luxe”. Here are some images on Flickr (not mine, but same as the unit I bought about 15 years ago):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/livingmodern/3812156726/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/livingmodern/3812159180/in/photostream/
thank you! As you may be able to tell, I’m trying to develop a ‘catalog’ of all these systems. keep ‘em coming, readers!!!
The Bruskbo unit is far superior to the CADO System, using blockboard construction with thick veneers, cabinets are much lighter in weight than the heavy CADO pressboard cabinets, although the early CADO units were constructed of blockboard as well. by the way those links that Kevin posted from flicker are of my home interior, I have been collecting the Bruksbo units for 18 years now and have many pieces throughout my home. I also just picked up a very large Kopenhavn wall mounted unit with lots of cabinets that I would like to sell if anyone is interested? Has anyone ever heard of the NON STOP freestanding wall unit by Poul Cadovius? designed in the 1970′s , I found a large system at an estate sale with most of the system still in the original boxes, it is all rosewood shelves with extruded aluminum uprights. I cannot find anything on the internet about this unit?
Nice glass collection! It and the wall system are well suited to this house. Thanks for sharing!
Your post prompted me to check for a name/brand on the wall unit in our study. We recently purchased a 1964 “time capsule” house from the original owners. Our unit is by Kopenhaven. A tip to those who may be buying a home: be sure to specify in your purchase agreement that the sale of the home includes all “furniture attached to the wall”. We did this to make sure that the Kopenhaven unit and other original wall storage units were not removed by the former owners.
Great tip, Kristine!
Thanks for the research. Like Christa, I have a ranch that doesn’t have the wall space for many bays (in fact, I have the same set). Just for market information, I bought 3 bays on ebay for $900 plus shipping in 2007. I sold the extra pieces, including a bar cabinet for $350 on craigslist. I love the look and functionality, but plan your arrangement a head of time…it can be difficult to move the pieces around.
You did such a great job on this, how about another challenge…Dillingham furniture? I can’t find any information on it!
Hi Pam
Love your articles on the shelving systems.
I think you’ll find there are two different shelving systems by Cadovius. Christa’s is indeed the Cado system, with solid shelf supports underneath. The last photo is an example of the Royal system with the wire supports locking in on top of the shelves.
I found a Royal system set last year that I need to restore. Still looking for a few components like the slanted display shelf.
Cheers
Jamie
I hear you, but then I saw comments on another blog (linked to) that indicated the names were often interchanged. *confused*
Don’t believe everything you read on a blog!
haha, i totally agree!!!
For what it’s worth: I owned a contemporary design shop in Simsbury Ct from 1967 until 1980. We sold Royal System(s) from the beginning to the end. We had a 3 bay display, which I own to this day. (These units were not for the economy minded!) There were 2 versions; “Cado” had the wooden brackets and “Royal System”, which used wire brackets. “Royal” was what we showed and sold and I can’t remember if Cado was even available to us. “Royal” was also available in walnut but we sold about 99% in teak. The install took someone who understood that the verticals were spaced in metric so it needed anchors that did not necessarily hit studs. Also the horizontal spacing was critical as the pieces were all notched to wrap the verticals and be snug to the wall.
Yikes! I have a huge fear of molly bolts. And metric. Great story – and clarification!!!!
Postscript!
Never knew Cadovius designed Abstracta.
We used a wall of Abstracta, with glass shelves, formed into a sort of “jungle gym”, to display dining chairs.
Get old, learn more!
Steve Philips
Very cool, Steve! Send me a pic!
Another similar system to look into: Kai Kristiansen’s FM reolsystem. A Google image search will bring up some examples, and you can see it in action in a couple of photos from my old apartment (recently sold) linked below — I had a rosewood system in the dining area and teak in the living room.
http://concord1br.tumblr.com/
One dealer had warned me that they were designed for European stud spacing, not American, and I spent several sleepless nights after installing them waiting for the heavy-duty wall anchors to fail and everything to come crashing down, but they held up for years.
Thanks, Peter!
Yes the Royal Systems were then replaced by System Cado which was heavily sold during the ’80′s in the US before the dollar crashed in Europe and shops closed here in the US one after the other. I was with Scandinavian Design out of Chicago that had spread to several states including California but by ’88 it was no more with one remaining shop in Chicago run by the Presidents heirs.
These wall systems are very well engineered. Furniture designers in Denmark and Norway have architectural degrees and apprentice by working throughout Europe for 15 years to be come a master. The length of the supporting wall strips places the weight of the shelving on the entire wall and attaching to studs is not necessary. I have had a shelving system in place for over 20 years that held really heavy reference books with no problem. Don’t use molly bolts they just leave really big holes and don’t make a difference.
I also am familiar with Bruskbo, the Norwegian company that used solid lumber. It is tricky using lumber versus processed wood but the Norske’s knew what they are doing. They also created the idea of bending layers of wood electrically to form permanently bend wood frames for chairs and tables–Ekornes, Westnofa and several others.
Thanks to the makers of this site in compiling information on a wonderful era when Scandinavia was once a prominent figure in the US furnishings world.
I recently moved I have the Cado royal system with the metal brackets.
the shelves came with me but unfortunatley not the brackets. Does anyone know where to find some..I would buy more shelves etc.
I have a large amount of Cado in rosewood (system wooden dowles), wall panels, bar units, display cabinets, shelves etc. Cado offered these in teak or rosewood. In the rosewood there were two varients available in eith Rio or Santos Rosewood. I remenber that back in 1986 you would be looking to pay around £700 per panel, bar unit, draws etc and between £100 – £180 per shelf and a shelf light was around £80. I think I still have the original cataloge somewhere.
I have a Royal System in teak, it was bought through Gumtree, our local Craigslist equivalent from a retired couple who were scaling down.
Neither I nor they knew the true cost of it and I bought it for R900 ($120USD), I now know I got a deal and them some!
It was bought by them from the Danish consulate in Durban, South Africa in the mid 60′s and they wanted what their paid for it back then.
You can see a pic of it in our Design Sponge sneek peek here: http://www.designsponge.com/2012/04/sneak-peek-matt-kathy-allison.html
I just read your information on the Cado Royal Systems Shelving. We have inherited a house that is full of them, in almost every room. Do you have any suggestions on how to sell them?
Wow! Lucky you! You can try craigslist or ebay — or perhaps you might find a dealer who is interested. If you don’t mind sharing, where are you located?
We live in South Carolina, but the house with the Royal Systems is located in Florida.
Maxanne, do you have photos of the units you are looking to sell? My husband and I are in the process of buying an Eichler, and are looking for some Cado units.
Hello, all, please put this on our buy/sell forum for vintage steel kitchen cabinets: http://retrorenovation.com/forums/ Good luck
Allison,
Unfortunately no pictures at this time. We live 11 hours from where they are located and will not be returning until October.
Doe’s anybody know anything about a Yugoslavian wall system. I’m sure that it’s just a knock-off, but it is actually really nice.
D.J.- We have a wall unit that was made in Yugoslavia, as well. Free standing, and very well designed, IMO. Not sure if it is the same as yours, but I have a few pix up at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=314003102038700&set=a.314001432038867.60769.272411022864575&type=1&theater
I would be interested in learning the identity of the manufacturer and designer, myself. I got it from an estate sale, and was told it was from the early 70′s and was over $1K at the time. I have no idea if that was just talk, however.
author: I was one of the original sales representatives for cado and royhal systems in the USA. I sold many systems and all of the accessories available for this company. If you would like further information, please email me at your convenience.
Bill
PS: Poul cadovius was a Dane not a dutch architect.
I have a multi-bay, free-standing rosewood Cado System that uses matching wood side panels (approximately 80″ high x 12″ deep x 1-1/2″ wide) to support the shelves and cabinets. The side panels are connected via a set of 3 stretchers.
Only once in the last 3 years have I come across a Cado system that also uses these side panels. Of course, this is the part that I’ve been seeking to expand my current configaration. Any suggestions for a source of these, or even what they were orginially called, would be helpful.
Hi Bill,
Were you national or regional? Did you know Ygal Zohar who worked for Royal System in NY in the 70′s? Also, my parents owned a modern scandinavian furniture store in Manhattan that was the top seller of Cado called Interiors & Sound…they out sold Roche Bubois on Cado.
I have many fond memories as a teen going on the installations.
Shalom Eli,
I know Bill very well, and he knows me just as well.
How are you?
Yigal Zohar
Shalom Yigal!
I didn’t expect to get a reply from you here…how wonderful! How are you?. My father passed away in July 2011, it was sudden. My mother is in good health and spirits living in Florida, I know she’s going to be excited to hear that we connected. Please stay in touch, you can reach me at wineforall@me.com
Sincerely,
Eli
Hi Bill,
I have recently made a purchase of a 4 shelving royal unit on Ebay. I finally just got the delivery the other day and I am concerned this is not the real deal because it feels like particle board compressed and painted.
If I were to send you a picture of the shelf I have, could you tell me if it is indeed Cado?
Thanks,
Ginger
Sorry, Ginger — I think you should really be talking to the seller….
I will but I wanted to be sure I was not going to accuse someone of selling me a fake without some assurance. I assume the real Poul Cadovius shelves would be real slabs of wood and NOT particle board with an acrylic that peels off.
Thank you
I am not an expert on this…
Hi Ginger,
I took a few shelves of my unit to a neighbor so he could help me identify the wood. he said the shelves does are veneered. A quality veneer is actually a good thing. Do your pieces have Made in Denmark on the back?
Jill
We have free-standing Cado poles from the 1960s. They are 95″ tall but ceilings in our new home will be only 90 ” tall. What can be done to make them usable again?
Hi Bill,
How are you? We used to know each other so well.
Are you still working? I left Cado went they went under and went to other pastures. Currently I am retire in paradise, South Florida, and having a blast.
What about you?
Yigal Zohar
Hi,
But I did want to mention in relation to DJ’s comment above that I do have one of the Yugoslavian units and it is really amazing. It is not wall mounted but free standing and 3 bays wide.
I have a decent sized “Royal” Cado it seems that I’m about to install. I am fearing the anchor bolts/ metric challenge
Lucky you!
Hi Gerard,
There shouldn’t be any issue of metric vs SAE, I installed many Cado/Royal wall units as a teen working for my father…it was toggle bolts all the way(three per rail). This was my fathers instructions and may not have jived with Royals instructions…but our installs never had a follow up problem.
Gerald,
Write me an email with any question about Cado/Royal. I was the operations manager of the company for many years and can help you with any question. I ran many installers for many years, and have deep knowledge of both the product and the installation.
Yigal Zohar
Peoples: Please take this over to the forum: http://retrorenovation.com/forums
Hi Pam, It’s good to see the blog with Poul Cadovius featured, along with his wood systems and Abstracta. I purchased the Abstracta System and brought it to Kalamazoo in 1998. In doing all of that I had the pleasure of visiting Poul at his Svendborg, Denmark home three times, the first time when he had just turned 89 and was still designing. He passed away in 2011 just a few months short of 100! I invite you to visit my blog at: http://bannersanddisplay.blogspot.com/search/label/Abstracta Thank you, Roger
I have a similar system designed by Thygersen and Sorensen for the Hansen & Guldborg Furniture Company (Denmark). Rather than wooden dowels it has metal clips attached to the brackets and metal clips for haning up cabinets, I am searching for extra clips to hang spare cabinets and brackets to hang up spare shelves. Does any one know where I may find these?
Hi,
I have a Cado wall system like the one pictured on this site with the wood panels. It was in the house when we moved in, in the basement. i always thought it was interesting but just recently found out that it is a Cado wall system. We have no use for it and I would like to sell it. Do you have any suggestions about how to go about that? Sell each piece or sell the system in it’s entirety? Also, do I do Craigslist or is there some other site?
Thanks much
We inherited the Cado system from my Uncle and Aunt. It’s a Cado system which they bought in NYC. We’ve had it on the wall for over 17 years.
We’re downsizing and would love to sell it. Since it has a very limited audience, anyone looking for it, let me know. Its in excellent condition and includes the bar, record, misc cabinets, set of draws, and the glass case.
Norm — I suggest craigslist or ebay. Good luck.
Thanks. I thought of this thread since afficiando’s might be watching it.
You can post on our buy/sell Forum if you would like (no buying/selling on the main blog or it would be chaos): http://retrorenovation.com/forums/ Good luck!
Hello Norm,
I’m in NYC and I’m in currently looking to purchase a Cado Wall System. Shout back if you are still looking to sell. Cheers! Angela
Angela & all — all buying / selling really needs to go over to the Forum: http://retrorenovation.com/forums/
I will not let any more be listed here… again, go over to the Forum. Thanks!
To all:
From an olde (1968-80) Royal System dealer, installer and current owner Royal System — in teak!
Royal System shelves were veneer over particle board. Never warps.
Inserts for brackets were lined with poplar so they are light in color.
SVP
Thanks, good to know.
Thanks, Steve!
To add a bit from one who was in the furniture business for 30+years:
Knock not veneer: In case goods, a properly veneered piece of stock, (quality cured core, properly applied, and thickness of, veneer built in proper facility) is superior to solid wood for the flat plane components. Dimensionally stable and no warp.
Low cost case goods necessarily have cheap veneers. Price point indicative of quality of product….. OK,that’s obvious…
SVP
SVP
I’m trying to figure out what kind of unit this is and the system to hang it:
http://retroseksual.com/pics/cadodetail.jpg
As you can see it has a horizontal wood “lip” on the top (there’s also one on the bottom), and then horizontal metal “clips” on each side (just on the top, not the bottom).
I want to hang just one cabinet as a “fauxdenza” but I want to make sure it’s secure to the wall!
The seller of that one and the person I bought mine from, labeled them as “Cado”, but obviously not since they don’t have the dowels.
THANK YOU!!!
Christie B:
You REALLY DO have a Royal System cabinet piece!
Steel pins (super dowels!, I guess you could say) were inserted into the holes in the sides of the vertical rails and the case pieces were hung on the dowels…. Note the notch in the top of the case piece to fit around the rail so the top of the piece fits flush with the wall surface.
Steve Philips
Thanks for your help, Steve!
@Steve – you are a treasure trove of information! Thank you!!
I’m having trouble wrapping my head around how it would hang. With that notch on the edges, I can’t figure it out!
I want to hang it by itself and I want it to look like it’s floating. If I can get one support (the vertical piece) and cut it to fit behind on both sides would that work? No metal rods needed?
Or, am I totally misunderstanding this type?!!
Pam/Christy:
Treasure Steve here.
Step#1:
First go to flavorsandmore.com so you can see that I’m not a Random Royal System Stalker! (You might even email our site to verify that I’m actually real!)
Step #2:
Then we should go to emailing each other out of this venue to preserve your privacy —– unless Pam has another/better idea.
I’ve got a couple of ideas as to how to hang your orphan piece and think that photos would help far more than my potentially windy 10,000+ words.
You guys let me know how to implement this..
Happy New Year, the year of the hanging cabinet.
SVP
@Steve, I went to the link and read some of your articles. They are not only informative but hilarious!!!
@Pam – could you email us privately with one another’s email addresses?
Thanks!!
Christy, I prefer not to be in the middle of things like this. I hope you understand. Can you contact him via his website? I think that’s what he was suggesting.
christy — i can see his contact box at the top of his site….
Pam/Christy B.:
Correct!
Will respond once we have your e-mail address
SVP
Hi Steve,
As suggested, I’ve sent 2 messages through the “Contact” button on the Flavors and More magazine site, asking that they be forwarded to you.
I haven’t heard back yet – hopefully you are enjoying a nice, long, relaxing vacation somewhere!
Hope to hear from you soon!!
Thanks in advance.
I am very interested in a cado system but I have not been able to determine one thing – can these be used as book shelves or are they not strong enough? I’ve never seen books on a cado – only figurines etc.
Very strong. Some people put tvs on the units. I am trying to figure out how to sell mine.
i am looking on craigslist and ebay for local pick up in NY. there is also a way to sell here on the forum. http://retrorenovation.com/forums/ if you are within 100 miles of NYC and you list there maybe i can buy yours!
Unfortunately, Wisconsin. Not a huge market around here for Danish furniture!
First: Apologies to Pam. Truly. Edit this however you wish.
Second: Note to Christie: Evidently I’m so preciously wonderful that our site protects me from any/all possible evil slights arriving via spamishness.
So: Just repeat your lovely flattery (above) about my wonderfulness to our site. Then we (F&M) can capture your address — for me!…..
Third: More apologies to Pam. Really, though I was more easily found. Looks as though I’m in the Witless Protection Program
SVP
haha. I like that, “The Witless Protection Program.” Will steal it sometime soon.
Jason:
Jill is correct.
As long as verticals are properly installed, books are not a weight problem on (the Royal System version) of Cado.
“AS long as verticals ARE properly installed…”!!
SVP
Pam: Through many convolutions, Christy B’s email address is still not valid. But if she’s still keeping up here’s what I tried to send her. Photos needed —- but not to be!
SVP
First I am sure that you have a piece of a Royal System system, not a piece of Cado. The bracket shown gives the big clue.
Since I own, and once sold & installed only Royal System, I am ignorant about Cado other than these differences. Royal has vertical standards (strips prox 1 5/8″ wide) with holes that are equally spaced vertically (prox 1 3/4) and drilled parallel to the wall surface —- meaning they are on the sides of the standard. The holes in Cado are on the face of the standard.
Shelves use a uniquely shaped bracket that fits into an upper hole and a small pin that fits in a lower hole to support the shelf.
Cabinet pieces use a long pin — that’s really a short bar — that fits into the hole. That odd bracket on the back of the cabinet hangs over the bar. Small cabinets have top brackets and large cabinets have brackets top and bottom. When the cabinet is hanging, it is designed to overlap the standard only half way. That’s so cabinets can be placed adjacently. Thus the bar was long enough to go though to stick out on both sides to hold those adjacent cabinets.
(Pam: I had included photos here showing a cabinet hanging, and the hanging pin without cabinet on it, but i-m-a-g-i-n-e.)
So (finally!!) here’s simply what I’d do. Cut a piece of wood the height of the cabinet and about 1 1/2″ inches wide. Drill a hole in the side of that wooden piece the diameter of a 20 penny nail at the top — in line with the upper bracket. Same at the bottom. Screw your strip to the wall plumb vertical. Stick the nails in the holes. Repeat this on a strip for the other side. Hang ‘em level with each other. Hang the cabinet!
Probably missed something critical. Clarity? Questions?
SVP
We purchased our Cado system from Royal – product of Denmark via a decorator in Bayside NY in 1969. The unit which consists of three shelves, a drop leaf bar unit, sliding glass display unit and sliding wood door unit all were mounted on wood poles with adjustable metal “feet”. which were able to accommodate for different height ceiling. When we moved in 1986, I wrote to the company and was able to purchase the wall rails since I was installing the unit in a low ceiling basement family room and the poles were too long. I still have the unit with both mounting systems It has the wooden dowel system which hung on either the tension poles or the wall rails. I don’t have the metal attachments. the shelve supports are wood and look like boomerangs. The system is in amazing condition since we have alway felt it was very well constructed unlike most of the us furniture we have bought over the years. We are now in our fourth home and I am going to have the unit mounted on a new familyroom walls. Wish us luck… My husband recalls how difficult it was to line up the rails so the dowels sit properly. It is nice to know that they system has appreciated, By the Way, we live on Long Island NY.
Pam,
Good morning. I just purchased a condo and I think I might have had one of Paul Cadovius wall units in my second bedroom. We removed it from the wall and are currently storing it in our guest closet. How can I know for sure that it is one of his? And if it is one of his, do you have any recommendations on how to sell it?
Thanks,
Chris
Pam:
Get Chris to take photos of the vertical supports (standards) to see the “holes”, the shelf brackets to see their forms and the back corner of the cabinets to get a look at the supports.
One of us here will be able to ID the system from those details.
Steve
I’m not sure if anyone saw my response above, but I was wondering if anyone could identify my wall unit. It is Yugoslavian made, and from the early 70′s, from what I was told. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=314003102038700&set=a.314001432038867.60769.272411022864575&type=1&theater
Any help is appreciated.
Dear Yetti:
Doesn’t look like any Royal System that we ever sold.
Does anyone else think it’s a Royal something?
Steven
Could it be a Khoury?
Lot of great info on this blog ;D
Royal System by Paul Cadovius is now made by http://www.dk3.dk
The system Abstracta (1962) – can stand in the middle of a room !
Have a look at this site (in danish) :
http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Dansk_Biografisk_Leksikon/Kunst_og_kultur/Arkitektur/Arkitekt/Poul_Cadovius
and
http://www.denstoredanske.dk/index.php?title=Kunst_og_kultur/Kunsthåndværk_og_design/Kunsthåndværk_i_Danmark_efter_1850/Poul_Cadovius
I live in France (but are danish) and selling danish design…
I started a Scandinavian showroom in 1973 and participated in a national royal system/cado contest. I was fortunate enough to win an all expense paid trip to Denmark..We were hosted by Mr. Cadovious and flown to his factory in a town called Randers.It was a spectacular trip and an experience that I will never forget! Poul first designed and mfg. the royal system which used the metal wire hangers to support the shelves. He then decided toi improve on the royal system and started mfg. of the Cado system which used wood brackets with dowels that supported the shelves from the bottom side . Although the systems are similar,the parts are not intrchangeable.I happen to have the deep tv shelf and 3 8 inch shelves that are brand new and still in the original cartons if anyone has interest! I sold and installed mostly cado should anyone have questions.
Alfredo:
Great info !
Do you have some old photo from the visit to the factory in Randers, DK – Love to see some photo of the production.
Where did you have you showroom ?
Thansk !
Alfredo:
Great back story on the Cado and Royal System history, and an exciting, special trip for you.
Would have thought that Cadovious would have gone from the more complex Cado (manufacturing tolerances, etc..) to the simpler Royal..
Was Cado also produced in teak and walnut? Also was it tougher to install than RS and where was your showroom?
SVP
My grand parents (DK) got Royal System for there living room in 1965. My grand mom (87 years) still have it in here home. Some in the living room and some in the office. I took a photo when we were there for christmas. See it on FaceBook here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=525610300792131&set=a.371648592854970.91325.162551163764715&type=1&theater
Sorry for the long link ;-/
I have 4 units plus 6 shelves of various widths of the CADO system (wooden support brackets + dowels) in Teak, plus the original catalogue. These were purchased from Osterman Peterson (Copenhagen) in the 1970′s when I worked in Geneva. I have since moved house 8 times in the UK and each time the flexibility of the system has proved to be an asset.
I bought a system in rosewood from Scan Furniture in Washington, D.C. 40 years ago. I still have about 9 shelves and the brackets and would love to sell them. Ideas?
Hi. I’ve found a shelving unit that sounds like it may be a Cado, or something similar. From looking on the web, it looks like a Royal System (has brass hangers) with ant legs (but the legs are wooden, not metal) It has 5 or 6 shelves. Also came with a handful of wooden dowels. It is a floorstanding unit.
How do I find out who made it? Is there a particular place I’d find a trademark?
Thanks for your time
Vivian:
Get a photo in to Pam so that she can publish it.
There are several of us out here who can identity a Royal System, or a Cado, if we can get a look at it!
Difficult otherwise.
Steve V
Vivian: I cannot process individual photos like this. Suggested: Post photo of a photo sharing site. Then post link here.
Hi Pam and Steve. I will send in a pic as soon as I can take one. It won’t be for another 2 weeks as I won’t be where the shelves are until then. This is very generous of you both. I was just looking for what the trademark would look like and where I’d find it, and instead you’re willing to look at a picture! You guys are great
Thanks very much
Vivian
Hi Pam. I’ve taken the pics, and hope they are enough to identify them. The vertical wood plank seen in some pics is part of a bookcase, not the shelves. I tried to take some pics of the metal details, top and bottom, the legs and the shelves in general.
Thank you
Vivian
https://plus.google.com/photos/117471183768430708057/albums/5869873760654265457
I’m not an expert – but other folks in this thread sure appear to be!
Vivian:
Well, speaking for me, “great” is exactly how I try to describe myself whenever I meet anyone. Oddly only my dog agrees — and that’s because I hold her food dish..
Seriously I can’t remember ever seeing a trademark anywhere. The detailing of how the shelves are supported is really the giveaway…. Cado from below and Royal System from above.
Steve
To all:
Coincidently a friend just sent me a photo of a proported “Royal System” in what appears to be a painted (white) finish. Believe the piece is located in Europe.
Have any of you, especially you who sold Royal, ever heard of this?
Steve
Hi Pam,
I was the operations manager for Cado/Royal System USA from 1973 through 1982. I worked with the company for many years before they asked me to join them.
Paul Cadovious, a Danish designer, was a pioneer in taking furniture off the floor and saving floor space in the shrinking European apartments. That included a desk units, a bar units, and much more.
He started with crude shelves and cabinets (with doors hanging with chains), to using more and more sophisticated hardware, some specially designed. The name of his company was Royal System. The cabinets had two metal brackets in the back that hung on two metal pins inserted int the side of the rails. The shelves rested on metal pins in the back and were suspended with metal brackets in the front.
He later designed what he called System Cado. It was an all wood system, where both shelves and cabinets used diagonal dowels inserted into diagonal holes in the uprights. All units could be moved up, down, and sideways by the customers themselves.
At the time, his factory was the largest factory maker in Denmark. He had centers, wholly owned , all over the world. We only ran the American part, and had offices, showrooms, and a sales force in New York, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angelle. The rest of the country was served by wonderful, commissioned sales reps.
Paul Cadovious’ company was very successful, and he, being very proud and very stubborn, decided to spread, and purchased an existing free standing Danish furniture maker by the name of France and Son, with the furniture sold through his existing network.
That was successful, too, but he wanted more. That is when he purchase a Danish metal system maker, Abstracta.
That was not a natural match, and didn’t fare so well. He, while running his empire with an iron fist, started designing prefabricated bus stop that were not well received by the Danes in the street.
He then started to branch into real estate, and started losing money, especially a house called the Circle House. Since he brought into the Danish economy much foreign currency, and the government underwrote some of his operations, they asked him to stop losing money and get out of the real estate business. But no one could tell him what to do, not even his government. So they broke up his company, and all the parts were sold separately.
The profitable part, the wood furniture, was grabbed very quickly by three of his previous heads of the Cado company, like the previous sales and production managers, who could not stand Cadovious’ very strong and stubborn personality, but knew the company well. Once he was not in the picture, they felt comfortable buying it knowing its value.
They then started selling the wholly owned worldwide branches, made a lot of money, and closed the factory. For example, the American part was sold to a West Coast furniture maker, owned by a wealthy gentleman who was also the Swedish honorary consul.
The end of the company followed soon after.
Pam, I have only told you the minimum necessary to give you the flavor of the man and the company. I have many more stories, both in the USA and in Denmark. If you want to know more, please send me an email.
Yigal Zohar
Yigal, thank you so much for this information — it’s terrific! I will email you when I get a chance. Thank you!!!
hi yigal – i have a question about the “basket weave” cabinets for the royal system that open to make a desk. what is the black metal wine-rack-looking apparatus on the inside left of the cabinet intended to do? i can’t figure that out.
many thanks,
jason
For bottles!
Yigal
we have not been able to use our free-standing Cado tension poles because they are about 95″ long and our ceilings are several inches lower. How can we adjust them to fit a 90″ ceiling? Or would you advise us to sell the system which has wood brackets and a variety of teak shelves?
Dear Ruth,
The choice is obviously yours. But, if you choose to keep the system, here is what you need to do:
1. Measure the depth of the hole in the top of the pole. Write it down as DISTANCE 1.
2. Insert the spring first, then the metal plate/stem (with the two screw holes in the plate and no holes in the stem) into the top of the pole.
3. Insert the metal plate/stem with the holes in the stem (and with the small metal pin and metal ring that covers it, into the furthest hole from the flat plate) into the bottom hole.
4. Measure the entire assembly, and determine how much it is longer than the ceiling height. Write it down as DISTANCE 2.
5. Remove the upper metal plate/stem and the spring from the top hole.
6. Cut the upper part of the wooden poles by the amount of DISTANCE 2. You can re-shape the cut end of the wooden pole to resemble the original shape of the end of the piece that you cut, but it is not necessary.
7. Re-drill the hole in the top of the pole to be of the same depth as it was in the original pole, DISTANCE 1.
8. Insert the spring first, then the metal plate/stem into the top hole that you have just drilled.
8. You are now ready for the installation.
9. When the installation is done, MAKE SURE that you anchor each plate into the ceiling with two screws to secure it. If you have the original screws, use them. Else, use any short screws that will fit in the small holes and bite into the ceiling.
Yigal
Yigal Zohar,
Many thanks for the clear directions about what we need to do to make our Cado poles fit the lower ceiling height. We will be trying them out in the next few months following our move. I am lucky indeed to have found you! Thank you again for helping us salvage our Cado system! Ruth Miller
Hi Pam,
In 1973 my wife and I bought a three bay rosewood System Cado (I still have the Cado brochure). The system includes the desk, three drawer cabinet, display cabinet with the two glass shelves and sliding glass doors, magazine shelf, three or four nine inch shelves, two 12 inch shelves, five of the solid rosewood wall attach sticks, and all of the wood angle brackets. The beechwood pins on all of the items are intact, and everything is in excellent condition. We haven’t used the system for the past twenty years, and have kept it in a controlled storage environment.
We were thinking that we might like to sell it for the right price, but we don’t know what that might be. Would appreciate any help along that line from you or your readers. Thank you.
Regards,
Richard Boerner
Huntington Beach, CA
Hi. Does anybody know if this set of shelves is Cado? It looks like the Royal system, but it is completely freestanding as the legs stick out back and front.
I’d like to sell this and want to make sure I have the proper info on it before I do.
Any help would be appreciated
https://plus.google.com/photos/117471183768430708057/albums/5869873760654265457
Hi Vivian,
What the photos show is Royal System. Cado is all wood, including brackets No metal what-so-ever.
Yigal
Hi Vivian:
Royal System for sure but a question to Yigal…
The “foot system” holding this up…
We only sold RS in teak. This appears to be in walnut.
Did both woods have this base available?
Steve
Hi Steve and Yigal.
The feet are exactly why I wasn’t sure about the shelves. I can’t seem to find a picture of them.
You mentioned the feet being walnut. Could you please tell me the type of wood used for the rest of it? I’ve seen teak and rosewood mentioned on here, but I can’t tell the difference.
And is there any way to tell when this was made?
Thanks very much for your time
Vivian
YES!
V:
Can’t remember the feet.
We never sold that configuration but Yigal will know if existed either here in the US or in Europe or both.
Trying to describe wood is tough:
Teak will run to yellowish-brown, rosewood is dark reddish-brown, and walnut is just brown…
SP
Royal System was manufactured only in teak and walnut. After a good number of years, they almost look the same, unless you are familiar with their distinctive grains.
System Cado was manufactured in teak, walnut, rosewood, mahogany, and oak.
Thank you for the info, Yigal. Would this type of freestanding shelves unit be considered rare? Most of the others seem to be able to be wall-mounted as well.
Do you know approximately when it would have been made?
And, it appears two types of wood were used. Any idea which two these may be?
Thank you for your time, and letting me dip into your well of knowledge
Hi Vivian,
I started working for Royal/Cado in 1973. That free standing Royal system was no longer manufactured by then. You could only hang it on wall rails.
Cado could be installed on special wall panels, on wall rails, and mounted on free standing poles or floor to ceiling tension poles.
Royal was manufactured in both teak and walnut, Cado in teak, walnut, oak, mahogany, and rosewood. All shelves and cabinets were made from particle board veneered, while all support parts, such as rails, poles and brackets were solid. Fronts of cabinets had a solid strip glued to the particle board prior to it being veneered.
Hope this helped,
Yigal Zohar
Hi Yigal. Thanks very much for the info. Just one more thing, if you don’t mind? During what time was the Royal system made?
You’ve been very kind
Vivian
We’ve own a System Cado for over 30 years. Today, a cabinet came off the wall and fell down on the floor! How can we find someone in the NY area to put it up for us? We live in central Westchester County.
Hello, I just bought a investment condo and they left a Cado unit in the guest bedroom and it is in really nice condition. Does anyone know anyone who is looking for one? I am located in Orlando, Florida?
sure – me! can you send a photo?
Send me an email address and I will send them to you.
jason.orans@gmail.com thanks.