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

One week into our renovation and I can honestly say, “I hate DIY”. I have never been more exhausted, frustrated or close to tears on a daily basis as I have been this past week. Maybe its the miserable weather – cold morning trips to the dump and trekking the cavernous freezing halls of overpriced B&Q, the sanding that feels like you are getting no-where, constant budget watching and the frenetic knowledge that we only have 3 weeks left till our move in date and only weekends to work on the project. Waaah! Everyone say’s “it’ll all be worth it, knowing you’ve done it yourselves” – really???

So to take my mind off the chaos that is our lives I have been taking the odd half hour to calm myself down by thinking of what will undoubtedly be the part that “was worth it” – the shopping!

Since we began the process of buying the flat – I have been fixated on one thing that I think is hugely important to the feel of a home – the lighting. Not just the design but more importantly trying to capture the right brightness and glow of light that we will be living with every day. I’m not sure how much thought people usually give towards the light source but it’s something that I am bordering on obsessive with at the moment.

Traditional incandescent or filament light-bulbs have been hugely popular in restaurant and hotel interiors over the past few years – rendering environments cosy and intimate with the soft light they cast. The quality of the light emitted from incandescent lights as opposed to other harsh unnatural lights are the closest you can get to the warmth of sunlight – doesn’t that sound like something you want to live with?

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.

We have sooo many little things to think about now that we are finally moving into our own home and will be soon decorating… the perfect taps, the perfect door handles and the perfect paint….ohhh the decisions and the pressure to get it right.

One things that i’m having a lot of trouble with is thinking about the bathroom – surely the most functional space in the home with little room for much creativity. The carefully choosing of neutral tiles upon neutral walls can drive any sane person mad!

So i’ve been thinking that the answer to taking the focus off the neutral decor is statement tiles! Walking barefoot into a bathroom on a dreary cold morning, I can’t think of anything nicer than being greeted by any of these smart and striking hand made tiles by Italian brand Made a Mano and Moroccan Popham Design.

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,