What makes something beautiful? Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City shares its perspective in the fifth installment of its design series, “Beauty—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial,” opening February 12. The exhibition, and the coinciding book by the same name (Artbook | DAP, $50) , presents 62 global designers and their wide range of groundbreaking—and beautiful—creations, from handcrafted rugs to grand-scale architecture.

Designed by printmaker and conceptual artist Kimberly Varella, the book is an example of beauty in and of itself, with reflective surfaces and neon pink thread weaving the pages together. Inside, Cooper Hewitt organizes the works into seven styles: extravagant, intricate, ethereal, transgressive, emergent, elemental, and transformative. In-depth Q&As reveal where the designers find inspiration, how they do their work, and what beauty means to them.

Click through for a preview of the featured designers.