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Tables! Tables! Tables!

DTM-20 (Dining Table Metal)

1949

This square table could be used as a stand-alone card table or set up as an extension at the end of the larger DTM-1 dining table. The design’s steel legs fold into a recess underneath its top, making it easy to move and store. This example has its original canvas straps, which secure the folded legs in place for shipping or storage. Promotional material for the DTMs often included images of the table in its collapsed form; when the legs are folded into the tops’ underside, they create a surprisingly attractive pattern that made for an eye-catching image in catalogs and brochures. This aspect of the series epitomizes the Eameses’ belief that every detail of a design should be resolved in as simple and attractive a manner as possible. This approach is also evident in the mechanism by which the table’s legs are held in place when unfolded: simple bent metal clips and stability brackets.

  • Manufacturer: Herman Miller, Inc.
  • Medium:Micarta, Baltic birch plywood, steel with zinc coating, canvas, rubber
  • Dimensions:29 x 34 x 34 in. (73.7 x 86.4 x 86.4 cm)
  • Design Date:1947
  • Item:2015.1.21