The Royal System

Recently we have talked extensively about the evolution of our dining set. Therefore, we thought it would be appropriate to spend a few more moments in the dining room and close with the last intrinsic item of this area - a wall hang storage unit, the Royal System designed by Poul Cadovius (1911-2011) next to the dining table. We have briefly mentioned this lovely teak-made storage unit before, but given its importance not only for us but also regarding the furniture produced in the MCM era it has simply not received quite enough attention yet.

Royal System by Poul Cadovius

Launched in 1948, the Royal System was one of the world's first ever wall-hung shelving sets. The clever idea that furniture should not take up any floor space was certainly innovative and as stated by Poul Cadovius himself the benefits of this system for the end user were evident: "Most of us live on the bottom of a cube. If we put the walls even with the floor, we get a lot of space to live on."

We have mounted the system up to the living rooms brick wall. This positioning is not a coincidence.  The fact that the system hangs up on the wall creates one of the greatest assembly restrictions. The unit is very heavy and it must be mounted on a wall that can withstand its weight.

Wall attachment 

At the time of its launch, the Royal System was considered ground breaking not only because of the wall-mounted concept, but also due to its other key design driver - modularity. The system consists of stringers, hangers, shelves and cabinets and it can be mounted on the wall in several different combinations and layouts based on owner's preference.

The above mentioned features combined with its teak styling typical for MCM era set ideal grounds for international success. From 1950's to the 1970's this system was perhaps the largest success the Danish furniture industry has ever presented.

Beauty dressed in teak

Originally the Royal System was produced at Poul Cadovius factory in Randers, Denmark and during the peak period of production the process employed up to 300 men. In addition to the Danish factory the wall system was also produced under a license in more than 30 countries.

Attention to detail

Even though the Royal system remains probably the most well known item designed by Cadovius, it is important to remember that during his career Cadovius's work resulted in over 400 patents - the last one at the age of 90, making him certainly one of the most influential players in the golden era of Danish design. We are glad we are able to witness the beauty and functionality of his work every day in a very prominent place of our home.

To close the story, let's move away from furniture and take a peak of a curiosity in the bedroom.  Recently we found a new cover for our bed. According to its function, during the daytime it covers the bed and in the evening it is removed and usually simply dropped on the floor next to the bed.

New bedcover

But consider yourselves warned: when visiting us in the autumn or winter time one needs to be extra careful moving around the house. Thou shall not step on any clothes left on the floor or sit on a pile of pillows on the sofa. Thou shall certainly not be too hasty in picking up the bed cover in the morning as it is very likely a sleepy, warmth-adoring surprise lies underneath...

A snoring surprise