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, I’m Lyndsey and I run Rose & Grey, an online boutique selling stylish furniture and accessories for the home. After living and working in London as DVD Manager for Channel 4 for many years we decided to relocate to south Manchester to be closer to family, friends and babysitters. In October 2008 my husband and I launched Rose & Grey and finally realised a life long passion for sourcing beautiful things that create stylish and unique homes. I now run the shop from my home office where I live with my husband and my 2 lovely boys Finn, 4 and Ollie 2.

READER OFFER: Lyndsey is kindly offering our readers a 10% off everything in the lovely Rose and Grey Store. The code you need to use at the checkout is RGR010. Happy Shopping!

I collect… beautiful and inspiring images for the mood board in my office.

I can’t live without… the first cup of coffee of the day

My guilty pleasure is… reality TV, sad I know but it’s a great way to relax with a glass of wine.

Our house is filled with… children’s toys mainly, though we keep them under control in charming old storage boxes, and of course Rose & Grey storage boxes with wheels!

I treasure my… wonderfully supportive and fun family and friends

Right now I can’t stop thinking about… redecorating the house, it’s a never ending project and we’re currently thinking of what colour to paint the lounge.

Currently I am reading… the instruction manual to my new Cannon Digital SLR.

My favourite item of clothing is… several pairs of pumps and flip flops I’m not very good with high heels, its comfort all the way for me.

At the top of my furniture wish list is… a huge old dining table that will seat 12.

The last thing that really inspired me was… Brick Lane. When I lived in the East End of London I really enjoyed the buzz of Brick Lane especially on a Sunday when the market was on and on a recent visit I found some time to go back there. If anything, it was even more chaotic, colourful and aromatic than I remembered.

My comfort food is… sausage and mash, roast dinner or our favourite Chinese takeaway on a Friday night.

On my desk are… my computer, my “to do” list, a cup of coffee and a pile of interiors magazines

This weekend I will… take my son to a friend’s birthday, find and outfit for my husband’s 40th, do my accounts and put my feet up for 5 minutes, hopefully.

Tonight I must… go to bed early

I love what I do because… I love the excitement of finding wonderful new products and beautiful houses to shoot them in. I love the feeling I get when customers send me nice feedback because they clearly enjoy the product as much as I do. I get to talk to and meet lots of lovely and interesting people and I enjoy being my own boss, I feel very lucky.

My name is Alison Ellerbrook and I run Hunkydory Home. Stared in 2005 selling my own colourful handmade lampshades and cushions now we also offer a range of design-led and handmade home accessories and gifts – there’s something gorgeous and quirky for everyone.

I collect… Vintage kitchenware – I have a thing for Hornsea pottery.

I can’t live without… my husband and beautiful daughter, mugs of strong tea and my laptop.

My guilty pleasure is… watching trashy telly.

Our house is filled with… currently boxes and bubble wrap everywhere, but also travel and design books and far too many toys.

I treasure my… can I say sleep? I treasure sleep more than anything and never get enough of it!

Right now I can’t stop thinking about… all the things on my ‘to do’ list, but mainly about moving hunkydory into premises next month and everything that entails.

Currently I am reading… The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

My favourite item of clothing is… I live in, and couldn’t live without, my jeans.

At the top of my furniture wish list is… an oversized and very comfortable armchair that I could sink into. I also need a coffee table and more bookcases.

The last thing that really inspired me was… I spend a lot of time visiting designers’ websites and blogs and I’m always finding inspiration for the website online.

My comfort food is… chocolate.

On my desk are… a Cath Kidston sewing box, some Japanese erasers, a mug of tea, a pile of filing that grows bigger every day, scissors, a bag of white zips and a tape measure.

This weekend I will… sit in the sunshine and read my book whilst enjoying a child-free 24 hours!

Hello. I’m Madeleine from Mibo and I live in Brighton with my partner Dan. Having graduated in set design in 1993 I worked in the TV and Film industry for 8 years before setting up Mibo in 2001, launching with a range of boldly patterned lampshades which proved to be very popular. They are still part of the Mibo homewares range which now also includes wallpaper, tile tattoos, organic cotton products and paper animals.

I collect… old chairs, not particularly intentionally, but I seem to accumulate them at an alarming rate. I also have a lot of pillow cases too, so I think that might point to another weakness.

I cant live without… apart from Dan, friends and family, I would say the radio, particularly at the moment with all the debate about the hung parliament.

My guilty pleasure is… Sunday morning movies in bed.

Our house is filled with…We’re both big music lovers, so instead of being a haven of calm and simplicity, our living room more closely resembles a branch of HMV, with shelves and shelves of unsightly but much loved cds.

I treasure my… ancient cat, she’s 18 and slightly cranky with strangers but is really very sweet.

Right now I can’t stop thinking about… food.  There’s a new patisserie opened up opposite my studio and among the many lovely things they sell are the most delicious spinach and ricotta pastries and portugese custard tarts. Will be paying them a visit in a minute I think.

Currently I am reading… Kavalier & Clay Michael Charbon. It’s a really fantastic book.

My favourite item of clothing is… a funny little pair of Levi’s culottes I’ve worn a lot over the last 12 years. I’m not quite sure if they suit me, or if they are even that nice, but I just really like them.

At the top of my furniture wish list is… a kitchen table to see us through to old age – my folks have had the same table forever and I think there’s something so nice about that, having a piece of furniture that witnesses so many different conversations over the years and grows old with the family. I have a lot of 60s furniture in the house, but fancy something quite modern, maybe something like the Juliet Table by Kay & Stemmer.

The last thing that really inspired me was… Leonardslee Gardens near Horsham. It’s in full bloom at the moment with camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas.

My comfort food is… jumbo peanuts.

On my desk are… lots of misshapen paper animal prototypes

This weekend I will… NOT camp. A bunch of pals are bravely setting up camp in a campsite near Brockenhurst. I’ll be staying in the nice warm B&B down the road.

Tonight I must… try to finish an animation that I am working on.

I love what I do because… of the lovely emails I get, it really puts a spring in my step to know that my work is being appreciated.

Hello! I’m Sally from ToDryFor, an online designer tea towel boutique that I run with my husband, Dave. We established ToDryFor in March 2008 and have gone from having around 30 different tea towels on the site to stocking over 130. We live in Oxford, England, and spend our day drinking lots of tea whilst finding and commissioning new designs.

I collect… a lot of random things, including 1980s plastic care bears to coordinate with our colour-coded CD collection [very laborious to organise but it looks pretty]! Dave and I are both obsessed with vintage crockery and at the moment I constantly find myself wanting to buy old tables [but we really don’t have room for them so I have to reign myself in]…

I can’t live without… food. I think about what I’m going to have for dinner when I wake up, and when I go to bed I’m already looking forward to breakfast. It probably means I have a tapeworm, but I’m not complaining!

My guilty pleasure is… reading teen vampire fiction. It’s so wrong, but it’s the best way to spend a dreary Sunday, tucked up in a blanket with a cup of tea.

Our house is filled with…boxes! We are starting two new gift and homewares websites this summer. It’s so exciting to have deliveries of new products every day, but it’s got to the point where we think we may need to move!

I treasure my… grey cat Mr Maurice. I used to hate all animals, especially cats and pigeons. Dave begged me for a pet kitten and eventually I succumbed, insisting that he would have to look after it. Maurice is now five years old and I am hopelessly and irrevocably in love with him. I now have a new found [almost born-again obsessive] love of all animals because of him.

Right now I can’t stop thinking about… freshly baked white chocolate and cranberry cookies.

Currently I am reading… an old penguin edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles. I’ve always wanted to read it, but just never quite got around to it.

My favourite item of clothing is… my green sundress that I found in Zara a couple of years ago – it’s perfect for wearing to weddings and trips to the beach. It’s got a retro look to it and makes me feel summery.

At the top of my furniture wish list is… a lot of tables! I’d also love a vintage rocking chair and perhaps the Christian Werner mini pop chair in pink.

The last thing that really inspired me was… visiting the Sir John Soane’s museum. There is so much history crammed into a relatively tiny space – it was incredible!

My comfort food is… probably chilli con carne smothered in cheap cheddar. Mmmmm…

On my desk are… lots of lists of things to do; a Tatty Devine moustache necklace ready to send off to a lucky prize winner; my Oxford University Press edition of New Hart’s Rules [acquired when I used to work there - it’s invaluable for my constant grammar queries]); and a cup of tea!

This weekend I will… hopefully be seeing my dad who’s trying to get to the UK from Australia amidst the volcano chaos. We’ll be visiting Oxford’s Ashmolean museum, going for a nice meal at a local pub, and possibly going along to a car boot sale to rummage for more crockery.

Tonight I must… work out what we’re going to cook during my dad’s visit, book some train tickets to London [we’re off to Pick Me Up, a contemporary graphic art fair at Somerset House], and try to stop Dave from eating all the chocolate and cranberry cookies.

I love what I do because… I love tea towels! I get to meet lots of interesting and lovely people, and I get to write silly descriptions on the website that I wouldn’t be allowed to put live if we didn’t work for ourselves. I think the best thing though is that I get to work with Dave; we get to have a giggle together and it means we don’t bore each other when we discuss the drying-up effectiveness of linen union versus cotton!