Charles and Ray Eames designed the CTW-3 in 1945 as part of their first furniture collection for Herman Miller — an attempt to bring honest materials and democratic design into the American home. The aniline dye process they used was deliberately transparent, letting the natural grain of the ash plywood show through rather than hiding it under opaque finish. The result is warm, almost sculptural — a table that reads as a single continuous form despite being bent plywood on wire legs.
This example dates to c. 1955, early production, in a rich terracotta tone that's deepened beautifully with age. Clean and intact.
Herman Miller · USA · 1945, c. 1955 Aniline-dyed ash plywood 15½"h × 34" diameter (39 × 86 cm) Provenance: Alan Moss Gallery, New York
Charles and Ray Eames designed the CTW-3 in 1945 as part of their first furniture collection for Herman Miller — an attempt to bring honest materials and democratic design into the American home. The aniline dye process they used was deliberately transparent, letting the natural grain of the ash plywood show through rather than hiding it under opaque finish. The result is warm, almost sculptural — a table that reads as a single continuous form despite being bent plywood on wire legs.
This example dates to c. 1955, early production, in a rich terracotta tone that's deepened beautifully with age. Clean and intact.
Herman Miller · USA · 1945, c. 1955 Aniline-dyed ash plywood 15½"h × 34" diameter (39 × 86 cm) Provenance: Alan Moss Gallery, New York
