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

Trade fair season has officially kicked off with Maison et Objet in Paris – the place to pick up a good dose of new-year inspiration for the newest and most exquisitely designed interior and home products from the world’s most innovative brands.

I returned from Paris last night tired but happy after a wonderful stay at Hotel Amour – straight out of a chic Parisienne film – a bag full of goodies from Merci and a brain full of inspiration from Hay, Paola Navone, Society and Studio Potomak.

These vintage style garlands made from hand formed ceramic beads are such a sweet alternative to traditional Christmas decorations and work all year round. Made by artist Angela Hodgkins they can be bought from her online store OUI.

Angela also creates one-of-a-kind soy candles using hand-thrown pots painted by hand in mid-century inspired graphic patterns. I love the delicate and speckled patterns on the beads and candles and Angela’s pretty combination of colour.

Some absolutely ridiculous but wonderful Frosty Harvest Christmas decorations from the genius buying team at Anthropologie…

From left to right: Harvest Frost Radish Ornament,  Harvest Frost Fig Ornament, Harvest Frost Onion, Forest Story Badger,
Crocheted Mistletoe Ornaments, Harvest Frost Artichoke,

So I made it through the London Design Festival, a super hectic but fun week for everyone in the design industry. There are always so many great free events going on and so many inspirational shows and new exhibitions being launched at my favourite museums. Fun, fun, fun!

One of my favourite events was an early morning talk about “Manufacturing in Britain” at Tom Dixon’s beautiful showroom at The Dock. Hosted by Tom Dixon, the conversation was chaired by Vicky Richardson, director of architecture, design and fashion at the British Council, and the panel was made up of designer Tom Dixon, design director at Aston Martin Marek Reichman and professor of forecasting and innovation at De Montfort University James Woodhuysen.

A lively debate, copious amounts of morning coffee and delicious biscotti surrounding by Dixon’s covetable products in a stunning dockside location was undoubtedly the highlight of my week [possibly made better because it was followed by a lacklustre 100% Design].

Check out some of the handmade goodies currently in the showroom – beautifully crafted hunks of wooden furniture, hammered copper lights and dark terracotta vessels.

So… I am getting married next year [shy]. David proposed in July in what used to be Westminster Library…

I haven’t really been hitting the wedding magazines and blogs because I know exactly I (sorry we) want. We are getting married in Mumbai and it’s going to be really simple and balmy and magical. However, one site that I do find myself returning to over and over is BHLDN (Beholden) the amazing online bridal venture by the geniuses at Anthropologie. Subtle, poetic and expensive, BHLDN has a constantly evolving collection of stunning contemporary bridal and bridesmaid gowns and accessories and my favourite, a mind-blowingly inspirational edit of decor options.

Beautifully styled and with snippets of decorating tips and fun articles, the site is a pleasure to navigate and explore. One lovely snippet of information that struck me was a brief history and culture of the wedding band…

“Circa 3000 BC: The first reported wedding band wearers were Egyptians. For theirs, they’d twist plants into small circles”

“Swedish women wear three bands: One for engagement, marriage and motherhood”

Read more about wedding bands here.