It all began with the production of venetian blinds in a small wooden shed some where in Denmark in 1945.
A young man, Poul Cadovius, had various business ideas and soon he started the production of a shelving system – the famous Royal System. The new ideas and the growing succes forced Poul Cadovius to moved Copenhagen, where he established a whole-sale department.
The Grand President chair 265 prototype for the launch in 1968 by Steen Østergaard for Poul Cadovius. This particuler item was one of the first test models for the future Grand President chair. We at Deerstedt are proud to present this item in our collection. This item use to be owned by Heintz Fahrenholt factory manager of Abstracta Tonder.
The succes was striking: The range of materials for the Royal System grew and counted walnut, mahogany, light and dart oak and the big hit: teak.
New premises were required and in one of the new halls, they even built a yacht for Cadovius and a new adventure had seen the day light: shipyard entreprise.
The company was succesful and new design ideas were launched: the Pia chair, the Butterfly shelf, Ultra Line and System Cado.
Poul Cadovius bus stop and Grand President chair
New factories and new showroom opened up around Denmark and abroad.
Awards was raining down over the danish company and Cadovius and in 1960 a small gadget aroused tremendous interest and was discussed on television and in the press all over the world. The gadget was System Abstracta.
The System Abstracta consists of tubes and connectors allowing you to build individual shelving. This was so innovative and new that The Modern Museum of Art in New York choose to display the System Abstracta and still does.
In Denmark and in Germany Cadovius expanded the factories and they were as space aged as his design: Bubble buildings that looked like UFO’s at night when they were lit.
In the late 60’s he began using a new material: glass fiber. In the southern part of Denmark his factory made iconic bus shelters and they started to create furniture as well.
Cadovius teamed up with Steen Østergaard, who designed space age furniture. This cool space age design even made it to the movies: His Grand President chair was featured in Captain Kirks Apartment in Startrek.
Poul Cadovius created design items that were and still are timeless and contemporary.
Picture taken a few miles from where the Abstracta factory once were. Bus stop shelters produced by Abstracta / Poul Cadovius is a common sight in this region of Denmark.
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