The Beat That My Heart Skipped – A blog dedicated to daily design inspirations. By Rohini Wahi.

I’m not sure whether it’s the norm to write reviews when you haven’t yet finished the book, but often I find myself most attuned to its rhythms when I am not quite done. Besides, this novel is one of those that you put off ending because you just can’t bear to leave its world. So I write this review before I deliciously turn the pages on the last chapter.

A debut novel from Anton DiSclafani, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is set in 1930 during the Great Depression of America. The root of the multi-layered novel is about a heartbreaking family scandal, set in a very specific time in American history and nestled in a very unusual environment – a prestigious riding camp for girls high in the awe-striking Blue Ridge Mountains in the Southern States of America.

Thea Atwell is an alluring young girl from a wealthy Florida family who made their money in citrus farming, sent away to Yonahlossee because of her part in a family scandal. Thea takes her place in the beautiful school populated with Southern Debutantes, day-long horse riding, dinner bells and handsome headmasters – where there is a new order to her life. Yonahlossee on the surface seems like paradise to the reader, but there is an unsettling dichotomy of uncertainty and guilt that bubbles under Thea’s surface from her past.

The privileged girls live in a bubble of sorts, distanced from what is going on in the outside world, with maids to clear up after them and balls to attend, but fractures and cracks begin to seep in as once wealthy families begin to lose everything.

The writing ambles provocatively between Thea’s home in Florida and school, the narrative powerfully unfurling the true story behind her expulsion from her family. And there is a dangerous languidness to Thea’s awareness of the scandal, revealed to us in tandem as she grows and grapples with her responsibility for the events that led her here.

There could almost be something Malory Towers- esque and wholesome about the book albeit for the very specific and real writing style  - it is one of the most vivid and surprising novels I have read and despite its chick-lit title, is far from it.

Wholly immersive, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a transporting page-turner and proves that simple ideas are the best.

Published by Headline, It is available to buy on the 6th of June.

I think it’s fair to say that everyone is obsessed with warm metals at the moment – I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them!

I like clothes but I’m not really into fashion – preferring to spend my money on a nice lamp! But when I saw this stunning collection of super cool geometric headphones from Frends, I was smitten. Based on the design and craftsmanship of vintage jewellery the headphones are made of soft leather in crisp white combined with rose gold and gold metal hardware. Beautiful!

[It's my 30th birthday in July for any friends reading - hint!]

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I have been meaning to share this brand discovery for a year now. I saw Lostine at my first visit to the New York Gift Fair in 2012 and I just haven’t been able to get them out of my head.

A Philadelphia based furniture and lighting brand, Lostine uses simple materials and is inspired by early American aesthetics – I like to think of them as a contemporary take on wholesome Shaker design.

You may have seen some of Lostine’s colour-blocked Sycamore cutting boards in Anthropologie but the rest of their stuff has been fairly under the radar.

Their collection also features exquisitely crafted butchers block tables with beautiful leather holders for knives, handcrafted white oak shelving with movable paddles, graceful ladders with black oxidised dipped details – all adorned with luxurious touches like leather bindings, copper studs and embossed seals.

I’m also obsessed with their long peg rack [below] for displaying kitchen tools. Made of white oak and studded with hooks made of leather, copper and wood – I can’t get over the simplicity of propping the rolling pin through the wooden knobs – beautiful and functional.

You can buy Lostine pieces from their e-shop Minam

LA based tastemaker Joanna Williams frequently graces the hot lists of my favourite West Coast design blogs so I am beyond ecstatic to be interviewing her on mine today!

Joanna, an ex-trend forecaster probably has one of the most inspiring jobs I have come across – she operates Kneeland Co. a vintage textile studio from her base in Silver Lake where she travels the world sourcing exquisite textiles and selling them to designers in the in fashion, interiors and beauty industry to be used as product development inspiration.

She also has a really great Pinterest that channels her unique style. Love.

Hi Joanna, tell us about yourself.

I live in Silver Lake, the east side of Los Angeles. My neighbourhood is a wonderful community of creatives that is very supportive and nurturing. I have lived in LA for 9 years, but I’m originally from Houston, Texas.

Why did you move to LA?

I graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Public Relations, thinking that I wanted to work in fashion PR. I always knew that I would leave Texas because it’s not really a place that offers many fashion opportunities, so I eventually came to LA and started working in advertising for an apparel trade publication. I realised that wasn’t the route I wanted to take, so I started exploring the world of trend forecasting and got a job with Stylesight where I worked for 3 years as the West Coast Trend Correspondent. I left Stylesight and started to work as a freelance trend consultant for different brands and also started to write for various fashion and lifestyle publications. After doing that for about 2 or 3 years, I launched Kneeland Co.

Tell us about Kneeland Co. What kind of services do you provide?

Kneeland Co. operates as Vintage Textile Studio for clients in fashion, interiors and beauty. I source textiles and sell them to designers to be used as product development inspiration. I also design a line of embellishments that are sold for inspiration as well.

The second part of my business which launched in October 2012 is an online marketplace, Kneeland Mercado, that focuses on handmade goods and accessories from around the world. In addition, I do creative consulting for different brands in fashion and home.

How did you start Kneeland Co. and why? Where does the name come from?

I started Kneeland Co. while I was doing trend consulting for an accessories company. Print studios would come and show us their new prints for the season and I was always very inspired by it and thought I could do something similar, in my own style.

The name is Irish and it is my mother’s maiden name. My grandfather, Russell Kneeland, was an adventurer, explorer and businessman who built an 86-foot schooner and sailed all over the world. He really instilled a sense of adventure and sense of self in my family, and that had a big impact on me.

What are you currently working on?

I recently finished a line of vintage scarves with my embellishment and embroidery designs for Anthropologie that will be available online and in stores. I am also collaborating with a couple of home brands – one in Morocco and one in LA – on a small collection of goods for Kneeland Mercado. Coming soon!

Where do you source your pieces? What kind of things do you look for?

I source my pieces from all over the world. I look for things that really speak to me. I don’t really shop by trend; I look for pieces that are interesting in some aspect and that stand out.

As you mentioned you used to work as a trend-forecaster – forecasters typically tend not to follow trends themselves but your style of modern vintage craft pieces are very popular at the moment. What kind of details do you think people are excited about and what do you try and pick up on when you are sourcing?

I think we’re so bombarded with images because of the internet and the various forms of social media, so it’s easy to get bored. I think it’s important to keep things fresh and exciting, while staying true to your aesthetic and interests.

I think people like to see things that are unexpected but familiar. Sourcing for the textile studio and sourcing for the store and two completely different things, although I do like to look for unusual things for both. But I do have to keep my clients in mind a little more when I’m looking for textiles. There’s a lot of room for creativity, of course, but sourcing for the store is a little more personal.

What kind of places do you travel to and where in the world are your favourite markets?

I travel all over – Paris, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Austin, Houston, San Francisco, Portland, etc. I’m dying to go to India, which will be in October. I adore the Clignancourt Flea Market in Paris and many of the tiny villages in cities throughout the world.

Turkey is one of my favorite places to shop.

Diesel with Foscarini Glass Ceiling Light

Visiting design trade shows throughout the year and coming into contact with mind-blowing luxury designs sometimes makes shopping on the high street a little lack-luster.

Lighting designs at Milan this year were especially stunning which lead me to scour the high street for inspiration for my own home.

The John Lewis lighting department are always tapping into the design zeitgeist and carry beautiful designs by the likes of Bethan Gray, Diesel and Foscarini and Lee Broom - all big names on the design scene and sold at reasonable prices, meaning everyone can have high-end design in their home.

Here is my wishlist of pendant lights from the lovely John Lewis*.

Bethan Gray Noah Pendant made from Solid Oak and Natural Linen.

Japser Morrison for Flos Smithfield aluminum Ceiling Light

Original BTC bone china Pembridge Ceiling Light

Lee Broom Cumbrian Crystal Light Bulb

Diesel with Foscarini Rock Pendant

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