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

* It’s a sunny and windy morning in New York I want to come back in the summer when our experiences will be all the more enjoyable. We walked over the Brooklyn Bridge a few days ago when the weather was warm and windy and you could smell the Hudson River and everyone was so happy.

*Last night we watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone made more magical as we faced the huge picture windows in my Uncle’s apartment which look out onto the Chrysler Building, the Empire State, and the Met Life Building amongst others. The night was quiet and clear. Magic.

* For Christmas I unwrapped two exquisitely packaged Jonathan Adler pieces – a Bird Bowl and a white Helix bath tray wrapped in aqua blue tissue – stamped all over with endless alphabets of Jonathan Adler.

Merry Christmas!!!

New York has been magical! It snowed the second day we arrived and covered everything with a soft white blanket, it was so cold the first few days all the sightseeing we managed to do was scamper into warm shops and restaurants!

While we were out i managed to take some pictures of pretty shops and interiors.

ABC Carpet and Home

The Cursive section inside ABC home that carries a unique blend of jewellery and stationary

Styled sections on the other levels…

Once Upon a Tart on Sullivan Street

Shopfront on Sullivan…

A quirky scientific store on Spring Street, Evolution

Admittedly i have been a bit lazy and pre-occupied to countdown every day…but now the final day is here and i’m so excited!!! I have leaving drinks with dear workfriends tonight and i want to spend the whole evening in revelry with them – but i need to be fresh for my flight at 6am tomorrow morning!

I’m not a sleep on the plane kind of gal – i like to embrace every moment of the journey – early morning airport hubub – my cappuchino to go – my books ready to read on the flight – in flight entertainment (film of choice the Duchess).

Anyway – see you on the other side – i’ve found some beautifully evocative imagery of Manhatten by Cormac Phelan to leave with. Have a great Christmas!

In my last post i touched upon the more independent home stores in Brooklyn NY, but i still love the big giants which provide such affordably stylish home treats in the centre of Manhattan.

Crate and Barrel is one of my favourite stores specialising in housewares, furniture and home accessories.

In the ’60s, a young Chicago couple by the name of Gordon and Carole Segal had just returned from a honeymoon in Europe. One night, while washing their dishes after dinner, they lamented there was no place at home to buy the contemporary, affordable housewares they had admired throughout their travels.

Passionate to make these designs available to others, the Segals hired one employee and leased an abandoned elevator factory on Chicago’s Wells Street. They traveled throughout Europe buying directly from glassblowers and ceramicists, from factories making beautiful French copper pots and simple white bistro dinnerware. With no money left for displays, they stacked the shipping crates as shelves and filled the overseas barrels with fun merchandise. So out of necessity came the unique Crate and Barrel style…and name.

To this day, a majority of Crate & Barrel’s products are direct imports from Europe, though Thai, Mexican and Indian Glass and Textiles.

Pottery Barn is another such store made famous by an episode of Friends after Rachel bought furniture from Pottery Barn in the episode “The one with the Apothecary Table” Pottery Barn is similar to Crate and Barrel but where Crate and Barrel is a very upmarket version of The Pier – Pottery Barn is certainly more design led – boasting products like these stylish Monogrammed Candlepot, and Classic Hotel Napkins.

Finally ABC Homestores - this year will be my first trip there although i’m not expecting to be able to afford anything as all the products are luxurious to the max! The flagship Manhattan store has six-floors, you can flip through piles of rugs on six, browse the Ralph Lauren rooms on five, wander through European antiques and reproductions on four, fall in love with the bed-and-bath accessories and linens (400-plus thread count, for the most part) on three, and find yourself in a Mod pod of Modern Vintage on two.

I’m looking forward to walking across the street (although after all this anticipation i’ll probably be running in a completly unrestrained fashion) where there are three more floors of new carpets in search of a Madeline Weinrib bargain.

I have been reading so much about Williamsburg in Brooklyn lately – which has apparently become the hub of design in Brooklyn and has a thriving art community – also all of its popular design stores are focused in a small area making it so convenient. I love the sound of Loom, Nest and Saved.

Grace Bonney of Design Sponge does a great guide to the area which i’ll definitely be following on my trip there. I can’t wait!