This illustrated conversation between the acclaimed Dutch product-designer Hella Jongerius and the critic/writer Louise Schowenberg focuses on a repertoire that includes objects in a wide range of mixed media such as polyurethane, latex, steel, felt, porcelain, glass, textiles, bronze, foam, plastics, and gold. 'In general, I'm not really interested in history or old stuff, but when I started designing I realised that there were lots of stories and layers that I wanted to add to products. At a point, you need to decide on a form to contain all this information. For me, this is always the hardest part - which form should I make?' Hella Jongerius studied industrial design at the Eindhoven Design Academy and has since combined elements of that discipline with those of traditional craftsmanship in products, textiles and ceramics. Many of her early designs were manufactured by Droog, the influential Dutch design collective, and she now puts her own work into production through Jongeriuslab, her Rotterdam studio, as well as developing products for clients such as Hermes Paris, Ikea Sweden, Swarovski London, and Vitra International. Jongerius has exhibited at MoMA, NY and the Design Museum, London; in 2003, Phaidon published a monograph on her work.