"This book is published in conjunction with the exhibition "Beauty: Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum," February 12, 2016-August 12, 2016."

Includes index

Ethereal : Sou Fujimoto Architects ; Humans since 1982 ; Tuomas Markunpoika ; Maiko Takeda ; Sissel Tolaas -- Intricate : Sandra Backlund ; Homa Delvaray ; Hechizoo ; Mary Katrantzou ; Richard Niessen ; Non-Format ; Kustaa Saksi ; Studio Job ; Hans Tan ; Terhi Tolvanen ; Vlisco -- Transformative : Melitta Baumeister ; Dokter and Misses ; Elastic ; Jantje Fleischhut ; Francesco Franchi ; Götz Gramlich ; Brunno Jahara ; Max Lamb ; Laduma Ngxokolo ; Scholten & Baijings ; Brynjar Sigurðarson ; Kris Sowersby ; TheUnseen -- Foreword: Lens of the senses -- Commentary on beauty -- Preface: Heart of the book -- Commentary on time -- Essay: Beauty as user experience -- Commentary on place -- Acknowledgments -- Index -- Authors -- Photography credits -- Transgressive : Ana Rajcevic ; Theseus Chan ; Delfina Delettrez ; The Haas Brothers ; Pepe Heykoop ; Rad Hourani ; Gareth Pugh ; Jólan van der Wiel ; Noa Zilberman -- Elemental : Michael Anastassiades ; Daniel Emma ; Formafantasma ; Emiliano Godoy ; Industrial Facility ; Daniel Rybakken ; SO-IL ; Trace Architecture Office (TAO) ; Yeongkyu Yoo ; Jean Yu -- Emergent : Neri Oxman ; Daniel Brown ; Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg ; Aaron Koblin ; Jenny E. Sabin ; Kyuha Shim ; Simogo ; Olivier van Herpt ; Ken Wong -- Extravagant : Hemmerle ; Pat McGrath ; Guido Palau ; Giambattista Valli ; Naomi Yasuda

"Beauty -- the book, born out of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum's 2015 Triennial of the same name, curated by Andrea Lipps and Ellen Lupton -- showcases some of the most exciting and provocative design created around the globe during the past three years. These pages aim not to emphasize the hidden beauty in the everyday -- a beloved teapot or favorite shoe -- but to locate transformational beauty in contemporary design that is exuberant, ethereal, atmospheric, experiential, exceptional or sublime. Sixty-two designers represent a vast range of disciplines from architecture, fashion, digital, graphic, and product design, to interiors, hair, nail and lighting design. The objects featured cause us to take pause, catch our breath and get lost in our pursuit to understand or explain them. Designed by the innovative Kimberly Varella, the book is itself a tactile, fluid and provocative interpretation of beauty. Varella's design provides unexpected points of entry, playing with the concepts of beauty by using reflective surfaces, hot pink thread weaving pages together and a "heart" of the book, from which all else flows. Ethereal, Intricate, Extravagant, Transformative, Transgressive, Elemental and Emergent Beauty are the seven themes. Each section includes the individual designers in conversation with the curators about her or his process and beauty's differing forms, punctuated by rich galleries of their work, generating the ultimate feast for the senses"--Publisher's description