POUL CADOVIUS. Shelf system, Royal System, Denmark, designed in 1948.

Teak. See last picture for how the system looks assembled. Shelf system with 8 shelves, 1 magazine shelf, 3 cabinet parts, 6 stands for wall. Height 200 cm. The width of the sections approx. 80 cm.

Poul Cadovius was a prominent Danish furniture architect and manufacturer born on September 27, 1911 in Frederiksberg. He founded the furniture company Royal System in 1945, which not only had factories in Denmark but also its own departments and licensed factories abroad. Known as one of the pioneers of wall-mounted furniture design, Cadovius created the iconic 'Royal System' shelving system in 1948. The system represented an innovative change in that furniture no longer had to stand on the floor, but instead was mounted on the walls to free up floor space and create a feeling of more space and light in the interior.

The Royal System consists of wall-mounted wooden rails, shelves with brass or stainless steel hangers and various cabinets. The system could be adapted in many different individual combinations, either as a modern desk system or as a library solution with different cabinets. Already in the 1960s, the Royal System was known for its versatile design and was described as a shelving system with "up to 16 million possible combinations".

Cadovius registered over 400 patents during his long career and was not only known for his shelving system but also for other furniture series such as System Ultra, System Cado, system abstracta and Cadomus. He was also one of the first furniture architects to experiment with plastic materials in his designs. In addition to furniture, he also designed the characteristic sculptural weather shelters for bus stops.

Poul Cadovius died in 2011 at the age of 99, leaving behind a significant legacy in furniture design. His work has continued to inspire future generations of designers and his Royal System remains a prominent symbol of Danish modern design.