What cup of coffee—or sandwich plate or cocktail glass—wouldn't look better sitting on this elegant Eames table?
Charles and Ray Eames applied the same breakthrough technology that resulted in their famous molded plywood chairs to create this simple, lightweight, imaginative table in the mid-1940s.
The table's round, slightly indented top and gently curved legs are shaped by sandwiching thin wood veneers under heat and pressure. The curved legs are eight-ply molded plywood with natural face veneers. Available veneers are cherry, walnut, natural cherry, ash, and ebony-stained ash.
Light Weight, Nice Size
The production methods used to produce the table met one of the Eames criteria for this furniture: It had to be lightweight and easy to pick up and move around. It's also a nice size—34 inches in diameter, 15½ inches high.
Another reflection of
their design principles.
An Impressive Display
Tables to Go with the Chairs
While working on their molded plywood chairs in 1945, designers Charles and Ray Eames decided to experiment with using molded plywood for tables, too. And they produced a slew of them: rectangular, round, with wire legs and plywood legs. The coffee table was one of these early originals.
The Eameses wanted the plywood tables to be designed according to the principles that had guided their design of the plywood chairs: The tables were to present a minimal statement, be capable of mass production, sell for a low cost, answer a wide range of home needs, and be easily moved and stored.
George Nelson is Impressed
The plywood tables and chairs were shown at an exhibition at the Barclay Hotel in New York. George Nelson, the new Herman Miller design director, saw the coffee table and other ground-breaking Eames molded plywood pieces at that showing. He was so impressed that he told company president DJ De Pree that Herman Miller had to hire the Eameses.
Nelson was impressed by the Eameses' ground breaking work in molded plywood.
Charles and Ray Eames Come to Herman Miller
De Pree demurred—the company was still very small at the time and he wasn't convinced that it needed any designer other than Nelson. But finally he gave in and went to see the Eames molded plywood pieces when they were shown at New York's Museum of Modern Art. De Pree was won over, and soon afterward, Charles and Ray were designing for Herman Miller. The table went into production in 1946.
With regular care and maintenance, your Herman Miller product will provide many years of superior performance and satisfaction. To maintain quality, please follow the cleaning procedures outlined here.
The instructions for the care and maintenance of Herman Miller products are provided to you as a service. No warranty is implied since results may vary.
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Wood & Veneer
This includes Herman Miller products finished with wood veneer or recut wood veneer, except the oiled Eames Lounge Chair
and Ottoman with Rosewood, Oiled Walnut, or Oiled Santos Palisander veneer unless specifically noted.
Normal Cleaning
Dust regularly with a slightly damp, soft, lint-free cloth. Wipe dry with a dry, soft cloth in the directionof the wood grain.Spills should be immediately wiped up with a damp cloth.
Once a month
Clean the surface with a soft cloth dampened with a quality cleaner formulated for wood furniture. Wipe the surface in the direction of the wood grain to remove dirt and fingerprints. Wipe dry with a clean, dry cloth.
Twice a year
Apply a good quality furniture polish with a soft cloth. Do not use aerosol-powered cleaners or polishes.
Also, do not use polishes containing waxes or abrasives, or polishes that are oil based.
Stains
Herman Miller veneers meet strict testing standards for resistance to wear, light, stains, water, and pressure. To reduce the risk of damage, take some precautions: Use coasters for glasses and mugs. If a glass top is added to the veneer surface, be sure it rests on felt pads. Don’t place a potted plant on a veneer surface unless it’s in a water-tight container or in a drip tray.Don’t let vinyl binders stay on a surface for very long. Use protective pads under equipment with “rubber” cushioning feet. Some chemical compounds used in the feet on office equipment, such as printers and monitor stands, may leave permanent stains or marks.
Minor repair of water rings, stains, and scratches
Rub the surface lightly in the direction of the wood grain using No. 000 steel wool. Apply a scratch-removing polish with a color and value that simulate the veneer. If the scratches are deep, consult a professional furniture refinisher.
Other Damage
Wood is susceptible to bruising and scratching from heavy office equipment, so we encourage a protective surface is placed underneath. Objects should be lifted instead of dragged across a surface. Protective pads should be used under items with a rough bottom, like pottery. Denting, caused by extreme pen pressure when writing, can also damage veneer. Use desk pads or some other protection where a lot of paperwork is done.
Sunlight can damage veneer as well, so veneer surfaces should not be in direct sunlight. To help a surface age evenly, users can periodically move items on their desks so that the entire surface is exposed to an even amount of light over time. In addition to light, extremely high or low humidity is a damaging environmental factor. Herman Miller suggests maintaining a relative humidity of 35-65 percent.
The Herman Miller Warranty – Our Promise
Products and Warranty Periods
12 years - All products sold under the Herman Miller brand including Aeron chairs; Eames aluminum group chairs, executive chair, soft pad chairs, table universal base, and table segmented base; Embody chairs; Caper chairs; Celle chairs; Claw round and square tables; Envelop desk; Envelope chair; Everywhere tables; Flo monitor support and dual monitor support; Full Round Table; H Frame credenza, coffee table, and side table; I Beam coffee table; Mirra and Mirra 2 chairs; Nelson pedestal table; Renew oval and rectangular sit-to-stand tables (2-year exception noted below); Sayl chairs; Scissor chair; Setu chairs; Sled base credenzas and pedestals; Sled chair; Tablet mount; Tu storage; Tuxedo sofa, bench, museum bench, club chair, ottoman, and settee; Tuxedo Classic club chair, sofa, corner sofa, settee, corner settee; Swoop work table and coffee table are backed by our 12-year warranty, except as limited or described below.
5 years - AGL table; Ardea personal light; Bevel sofa group; Bolster sofa group; Capelli stool; Distil desk and table; Eames chaise, desk units, wire base elliptical table, Hang-It-All, lounge chair and ottoman (except white ash), molded fiberglass chairs and stools, molded plastic chairs and stools, molded plywood coffee table, rectangular coffee table, molded plywood folding screen, molded plywood lounge and dining chairs, molded wood side chairs and stools, sofa compact, storage units, two- and three-seat sofas, walnut stool, wire-base low table, and wire chairs; Flute personal light; Girard color wheel ottoman, environmental enrichment panels, hexagonal table, and splayed leg table; Goetz sofa; Hanging file folder; Nelson basic cabinet series, coconut chair, thin-edge bed, daybed, marshmallow sofa, miniature chests, pedestal stool, platform bench, platform bench cushion, swag leg group, thin edge buffet, thin edge cabinet, thin edge chest, thin edge bedside table, thin edge chest cabinet, thin edge double dresser, x-leg table; Noguchi table and rudder table; Polygon wire table; Thrive cable management clip, Mobile CPU holder, desktop power outlet, HM Connect-S300, keyboard/mouse support, magazine holder, marker/eraser holder, pencil drawer; Tone Personal Light; Twist LED task light; Wireframe sofa, chair, and ottoman; Logic Power Access Solutions; Ode lamps; Swoop lounge chair and ottoman
3 years - Eames aluminum group outdoor, lounge chair and ottoman in white ash, table outdoor, and wire base low table outdoor; Nelson pedestal table outdoor
2 year - Renew Sit-to-Stand tables power leg access option
1 year - Formwork; Nelson bubble lamps
Other Manufacturers' Products
2 years - Magis- and Mattiazzi-branded products are warranted for two years from the date of purchasse by the original purchaser.
What's Covered
Our warranty covers everything—including electrical components, casters, pneumatic cylinders, tilts, and all moving mechanisms. It recognizes the changing nature of work and the need for products that can stand up to continuous use. And it means that when warranty work is performed in the U.S. and Canada, Herman Miller foots the bill.
At Herman Miller, we work for a better world around you. Our products—and our promise to stand behind their quality 100 percent—are designed to improve your environment whether it's an office, hospital, school, home, an entire building, or the world at large.
How to Schedule Service
If you need product service or repair, please contact the Herman Miller dealer, retailer, or our online store where you purchased your product. They will be able to make the final determination whether the issue is specifically covered under the warranty and eligible for replacement or repair.
