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

Lovely glowing hand-crafted pieces from Japanese metalware company Futagami…

Founded in 1897 Futagami has a long history of making brass products such as artifacts used in the Buddhist traditions . Their collaboration with young Japanese designer Masanori Oji has produced a unique and elegant series of contemporary household products. The collection includes brass trivets that look like sunbursts and stars, geometric chopstick rests – and a breadboard stand made of weighty brass that renders an ordinary object beautiful.

I’m also rather excited about their lovely towel rails…

The trend for collecting and sharing collections has really been gathering pace the last few years. I’ve been seeing exciting examples cropping up everywhere from events like The Museum of Everything which curates wondrously themed exhibitions each year and Miracles and Charms at The Wellcome Collection [see previous post].

What’s really nice to discover however is the odd private collection spied online with passionate collectors obsessively documenting their Achilles heel.

I happened upon the insanely covetable ceramics archive of anonymous collectors David and Louise Rosenfield with no more information given about themselves aside from the words “This site currently contains 1,864 works by 413 artists. This represents a small portion of the collection. We’re adding the work as fast as we can but the collection keeps growing. Who knows when we’ll catch up…”

From plates, to tumblers, to platters and bowls, glazed and unglazed, brightly coloured and of earthy hues, you will find them all here. Wouldn’t you love to see the space in which all 1,864 are stored…? [Edit: I have since discovered that they are based in Dallas, Texas]

Back from the home of Delftware I have had the deep blue pigment on the brain… and watching the Antiques Road show last weekend I discovered my love of Wedgewood’s powder blue Jasper Ware. So I’m now on the hunt for large focal pieces – either a large flat painterly Delftware plaque [sooooo expensive] …

or a matt blue Jasper Ware plate with bright white icing-like details.

Coincidentally the ‘Blue’ exhibition is on at the Flow Gallery in London – the show explores the different ways current artists use the colour blue within their practice with particular significance to the textile and ceramic disciplines. These ‘Finest Paperware’ cups by Rebbecca Wilson mirror both of what I’ve been coveting.  Wilson’s delicate replica Jasper Ware and Delft paper cups are all on show at Flow.

If you head on down to Petit Plat bakery you will find tiny sweet treasures made by Stephanie Kilgast that won’t leave you feeling guilty about any new years resolutions. Stephanie creates perfectly formed miniature food and tiny desserts!!!

I don’t know what it is about tiny food that just makes me so happy. I know I can’t eat it, so why should it make me so happy? Remember the Kup Kup Patisserie?

Do you feel like you’ve just stepped into the set of Little Women? Or a wholesome pioneer novel? I do! These gorgeous and generously proportioned candlesticks are hand carved from English and Welsh timbers, some from fallen trees or rescued from old buildings.

Robin Linklater a retired University lecturer, theatre and opera designer, draughtsman and artisan, creates them with love and a sense of curiosity. The clean and contemporary lines of his candlesticks work well to balance out the traditional craftmanship. I love the little details like the copper rings the candles sit in and the intricately carved hairstyles of the women.

You can buy Robert’s work here and here. Robert also produces a beautiful collection of carved puppets and marottes.