It is called, simply, “Embroidered Tablecloth,” and at first glance, that’s exactly what it looks like:

"Crystal Frock," 2002, mixed media.

A snowy white linen and cotton covering embroidered with abstract flowers in thread the color of a raw T-bone steak, inviting the viewer to dinner with a matching porcelain plate. Sit down—the surprise is likely to bring you to your knees anyway—and pick up the plate. It’s stitched to the fabric like a button on an Alexander McQueen gown. You haven’t fallen down a rabbit hole; you have entered the surreal world of Hella Jongerius. Knitted glass-fiber lamps, embroidered vases and fabric candlesticks, oh my! It’s as if you had been slipped a sip from Meret Oppenheim’s fur-lined teacup, and nothing will ever be the same.

The Dutch-born Jongerius, who insists upon calling herself a designer, not an artist, began her career in 1993 as part of the innovative Dutch collective Droog Design (“droog” is Dutch for “dry,” meaning unadorned or simple), whose witty designs emphasize creativity, not consumerism. Since 2000, her Rotterdam-based company, JongeriusLab, has been producing everything from furniture for Vitra to fabrics for Maharam.

“She is one of the most talented, intense and influential designers in the world,” says Paola Antonelli, curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art, which has several Jongerius pieces in its collection. “She is always surprising, never abrasive, and through projects such as knitted lamps and embroidered ceramics, she creates poetic interpretations of simple, everyday objects.”