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!!
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 (now offline) says the first Cado was a freestanding system — they have a photo — and that it was designed in 1955. Its classifieds section also indicated 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.”
- 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. [Thanks to the seller for giving me permission to feature this photo.}
- 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!
Robbi Bennett says
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.
Peter says
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.
pam kueber says
Thanks, Peter!
JD says
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.
Steve Philips says
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
pam kueber says
Very cool, Steve! Send me a pic!
Steve Philips says
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.
pam kueber says
Yikes! I have a huge fear of molly bolts. And metric. Great story – and clarification!!!!
Jimmijams says
Don’t believe everything you read on a blog! 😉
pam kueber says
haha, i totally agree!!!
Jimmijams says
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
pam kueber says
I hear you, but then I saw comments on another blog (linked to) that indicated the names were often interchanged. *confused*
KathleenLou says
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!
Alfredo says
Just came across your inquiry re. Dillingham.It was a laminate product made in S.C.back in the late 70’s and 80’s.their big claim to fame was a bedroom group designed by Pierre Cardin.There are [EDITED – just say “people”] out there claiming the product was made in France by Pierre Cardin himself and nothing could be farther from the truth.Buyer Beware!!
Alfredo Catani
P.S.
I was a dealer for Dillingham back then.
Kristine says
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.
pam kueber says
Great tip, Kristine!
Jay says
Nice glass collection! It and the wall system are well suited to this house. Thanks for sharing!
Kevin says
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/
pam kueber says
thank you! As you may be able to tell, I’m trying to develop a ‘catalog’ of all these systems. keep ’em coming, readers!!!
James says
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?