Hella Jongerius: Misfit, Phaidon £29.95

(Fabrice Gousset, courtesy Galerie kreo )

Misfit is an impressive monograph celebrating the work of the contemporary Dutch designer Hella Jongerius.

It contains hundreds of photographs of her work and a quartet of philosophical "hypothetical discussions" about it. Bemoaning industrial design's tendency to place "efficiency above aesthetics", Jongerius prefers, instead, to introduce imperfections, individualities, or a certain "hand-made" quality to the process.

Hence, "Misfit". Shown right is Frog Table, a limited edition from 2009, about which she says: "Sometimes [the function] even lies – paradoxically – in its non-functionality, in the extent to which products appeal above all to your imagination." Quite.