Mid-Century Easy Chair by Arne Vodder for Cado, 1960s

Though very little biographical information survives for Danish architect-designer Illum Wikkelsø (1919-1999), the rich, organic quality of his designs found on the vintage market affirms his status as an active proponent of Scandinavian modernism in the postwar era.

Like most Danish designers at the time, Wikkelsø studied cabinetry, graduating from the Copenhagen School of Arts & Crafts. He later held positions with the cabinetmaker Jacob Kjaer and the architectural firm of Peter Hvidt and Orla Molgaard-Nielsen. In 1944, Wikkelsø moved to Århus to work as an interior designer.

In 1954, he began designing his own furniture and, a few years later, established a workshop. Like many of his Danish contemporaries—Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, and Hans Wegner, for example—Wikkelsø’s designs emphasize formal simplicity and biomorphic silhouettes. Wikkelsø’s background in cabinetry engendered in him a profound understanding of materials and an excellent attention to detail. Working with teak and rosewood, he captured delicately sculptural forms. Wikkelsø believed that furniture should be built to last while cradling the body and pleasing the eye.  

Well-known designs from Wikkelsø’s career include T118 Coffee Table (ca. 1950s), Gyngestol Rocking Chair (1958), and Model 91 Lounge Chair and Ottoman for Mikael Laursen (ca. 1959), among others. A number of Danish manufacturers produced Wikkelsø’s designs, such as C.F. Christensen, Holger Christiansen, Eilersen, Farstrup, Silkeborg, and Søren Willadsen.

Given the popularity of vintage Cado shelving units and other pieces of furniture, it is surprising that so little information about the Danish manufacturer’s history survives.

Cado began as modernist furniture producer France & Søn, which was founded by British entrepreneur Charles W. France and Danish cabinetmaker Eric Daverkosen circa 1948 in Denmark (originally named France & Daverkosen after its founders). The company entered a new phase when successful Danish designer Poul Cadovius (1911-2011) took ownership sometime between 1964 and 1967. The iconic Senator Chair (1951) by Ole Wanscher—along with a number of designs by Grete Jalk, Finn Juhl, and Arne Vodder—continued to be produced by Cado into the late 1960s.

Cado is best remembered for the modular wooden wall units designed by Cadovius. Named Royal System, the space saving exemplar of Danish modernism dominates Cadovius's legacy, even as he patented approximately 400 designs in his lifetime. Unfortunately, there is no information as to what happened to the Cado business after the 1970s.