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

My name is Michelle Mason and I design contemporary interior and giftware products, I launched my homeware collection in 2006 with lampshades, cushions and kitchenware and am known for attracted my colourful and contemporary surface patterns. I’ve recently extended my range to include bone china and felted wool rugs.

I collect… I’ve recently acquired a small collection of Ms – an old metal o­­ne, a couple of ceramic ones and a wooden one from an old typesetter’s tray.

I cant live without… Colour. My new flat is going to be choc full of colour – a complete contrast to the last all white place.

My guilty pleasure is… Coffee and art and design books

Our house is filled with… light – our place is flooded with it all day. It’s wonderful.

I treasure my… six year-old daughter

Right now I can’t stop thinking about… 100% Design in September. I’m launching a new rug, made entirely from re-cycled plastic bottles, with Liva Firth at Eco. It looks and feels just like felt!

Currently I am reading… A Picasso biog by Patrick O’Brian and several design books to inspire decorating ideas.

My favourite item of clothing is… A skirt with a bold black and white print that I picked up from Hoss Intropia last summer in Malaga.

At the top of my furniture wish list is… The Arper Leaf chair

The last thing that really inspired me was… The Marc Quinn exhibition at the White Cube, Hoxton

My comfort food is… A streaming bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine

On my desk are… new cushions to pack and send out, a Pantone swatch book to choose new colours for my new mugs, a Moleskin notebook, my trusty Mac laptop and a cute little drawing of a ladybird by my daughter.

This weekend I will… Visit a friend on his houseboat moored just down from the Tower of London – the views along the river are amazing. And on Sunday we’re meeting friends for a picnic in Victoria Park.

Tonight I must… Catch up on some sleep.

I love what I do because… Having my own design business and the freedom to create my own products is the best thing ever. And it’s wonderful being my own boss.

Hello! Sorry I didn’t post yesterday, I just got back from a research trip to Paris and was catching up. This trip was to research vintage markets in Paris but I was most excited to visit Merci the conceptual homestore for the first time…

The courtyard was so pretty with a cute red Fiat parked in the space and coloured fairy lights strung overhead. Inside, the central atrium had a wonderful twiggy installation dangling from the rafters that mirrored the ones piled up inside the Fiat. The central area was also peppered with huge comfortable sofas for relaxing in. The whole space had such a natural sense of ease rather than a contrived one as most shopping experiences seem to be.

Merci was also a lot smaller and manageable than I expected it to be as pictures I’ve seen on blogs make it seem huge, but this added to making it a more personable and charming experience.

The homewares themselves were a mix of really reasonably priced unusual accessories and beautiful key design pieces effortlessly displayed. I bought two really special copper industrial style lights for only €15  each – bargain! And three of the wonderful enamelware target plates below in blue and black.

Good morning! I’m off to Paris this weekend for a work-trip and can’t get my mind away from biscuits and Macaroons, so these tasty USB sticks are really doing it for me.

This weekend I became godmother again to my friends ‘Small No2’ – it’s a bit like getting Chanel No.5 but they smell real bad. This seems to have astounded some people at work mostly due to the fact that I was picked twice. I frown at this judgement – just because I get absolutely smashed with all my work mates does not mean I will automatically take my godchildren to pubs (I have, but that is another matter).  Just because I seem to have little or no control over most of the things that go on in my life does not mean I have nothing valuable to teach my small followers (I’m pretty sure I explained to the eldest one why Auntie Lauren looked like she was going to barf in her Roast Dinner last time she was visiting). It’s true, I will best be able to teach them to party and how not to vomit on their shoes but this must all be saved for later in life.

‘Perhaps’ I smugly interject at work during the mocking ‘you haven’t been asked because you aren’t making the grade’. I see being a godparent as an assignment and I am very glad to say I nailed the first task. If you get given a brief in advertising you either challenge it or astonish them with your understanding of what they want.  I beat off all the competition (and there was competition – how many of you have the same godparents? None. Thought so.). I understood the brief best, I am the winner, I got the next assignment.

Partly I assume I was picked for comedy value but that is pretty much how I have been picked for most things in my life. The father of my god children and my dearest friend’s husband finds my brand of guidance often less than amusing. When given a play-mat that created a light and sound show this weekend my god daughter was distraught to find it didn’t work – No batteries. ‘You’ll find Goddaughter’ I chimed with glass of Rose wine ‘Nothing comes with batteries in younger life and older’ the parents shot me a look ‘What!? I’m managing expectations!!’.

So to prove once and for all that I don’t just provide knowledge on what comes first salt, tequila or lemon. I have complied some of my other great wisdom – Children’s books you must read and own. Perfect for gifting especially at this time of year when birthday’s seem two a penny there are of course lots out there but here are just 10 of my favourites.

The Big Green Book – Robert Graves (Illustrated by Maurice Sendak)

It’s not that famous but I loved it as a child and the illustrations are beautiful . Currently out of print in English (don’t hate me hate the publishers!!) the book starts with an orphan finding a magic book that turns him into an old man. Fun and adventure ensue – I still remember the part where his nails grow so long they indent into his hands! It’s perfect for a rainy day so hunt it down and treasure it.

The Twits – Roald Dahl
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This adorable ceramic tile by designer Sarah J Miller perfectly sums up how I’m feeling about Cockpit Arts – both in terms of where to spend my cash, and more importantly how to decide what to feature in this post. If you haven’t heard about Cockpit Arts Open Studios before, listen up. The even runs in the Summer time and just before Christmas, and sees 165 designer-makers open their doors and let you in to see, sample and buy their wares.

It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for jewellery, furniture, fashion, or just something fun to do at the weekend, there will definitely be something there to catch your eye and capture your imagination. Oh, and on top of that, it’s free too!

As well as designers, you’ll also find delicious treats to eat and drink dotted around, and if all this creativity gets a bit too much for you, there’s the chance to try get crafty yourself in one of the ‘Flash Workshops: Millinery with hat maker Judy Bentinck, or a leatherwork workshop with designer Katherine Pogson.

Here’s the rundown of just some of the artists and makers I liked the most, but I’d urge you – if you live in or near London, to check it out for yourself.

Next weekend, 18 – 20 June, the event will be running in Deptford, and you can find all the information you need at the Cockpit Arts website.

I love the font and the bright colours against the white porcelain of Sarah J Miller’s designs. As well as the tiles, I was keen on her mugs and plates. They were all affordable, and would make wonderful gifts.

From something stylish and practical to something truly unique, I think the artist who most blew me away was Francesca Prieto. To see her work in its glory you’ll have to visit her website because no pictures I could take would have done it justice. Most impressive was a huge work in which the entirety of the Complete Works of Shakespeare is intricately folded and framed. Only when you step away from the work do you realise the way the paper has been folded creates a quotation mark in the design. It’s really worth a look. I’m also now saving up for her collection of prints in which she’s cunningly picked up on the similarities between Roman numerals and the Hindu Alphabet, and then combined similar characters into beautiful hybrid symbols. Check it out.

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