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

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!

My name is Tonje Holand, I have similar background to Ingrid having lived in England too. I was in Birmingham for three years where I got my BA, and then I spent 3 years in London, doing an MA in Communication Design amongst other things. I had started Darling Clementine just before I left London, and was dreaming about working with somebody. My dream was to have a partner, a little studio and to do a range of carefully designed paper products.. Basically I must have been born under a lucky star because this is where I find myself now! It’s definitely worth all the hard work!

When I’m not working, I spend time with my English boyfriend who is now fluent in Norwegian. I love going out for cocktails with friends,- ginger daiquiri is my favourite at the moment, I love cooking and inviting people for dinner and to spend time with friends & family at our cabin by the sea. I’m always looking for inspiration for new projects; abroad, on holiday, secondhand shopping, and Darling Clementine is a very important part of my life.

I collect… vintage ceramics and art deco lamps.

I cant live without… friends, boyfriend & family -and my Mac.

My guilty pleasure is… putting my newly discovered favourite song on repeat 100 times [to Ingrid's frustration..]

Our house is filled with… redecorated vintage furniture, – and I love objects that remind me of candy and cocktail berries!

I treasure my… daily life!! Actually it’s more the people in my life; to have Ingrid smiling everyday at work and to come home to a boyfriend who makes me dinner after a long day… sometimes we forget how lucky we are!

Right now I can’t stop thinking about… summer holidays and weekend trips to Paris

Currently I am reading… ‘Intervjuer’ by Frank Lande

My favourite item of clothing is… A highly unusual 1940’s evening dress by Malene Birger. I bought it in London at Liberty’s and felt like a criminal… who got away with it!

At the top of my furniture wish list is… A classic set of leather chairs,- like Arne Jacobsens Easy chairs for Fritz Hansen.. but I’m afraid that will remain a dream forever!

The last thing that really inspired me was… Working with a lovely fiction text for a Children’s book, and the spring finally coming to Oslo!

My comfort food is… yoghurt.. and I miss the English toffee flapjacks… mmm!!

On my desk are… hand cream and loads of stationery & pens and stuff.

This weekend I will… try and find some fab furniture for our new office.

Tonight I must… Drink some wine I think!

I love what I do because… to design and illustrate is one of my favourite things to do, and I get to do it everyday with somebody who share the same passion. That is quite amazing!!

I am Ingrid Reithaug and I live and come from Oslo, Norway. I studied Art Direction in England for three years, and soon after I returned here, I started working with Tonje on what turned out to be a great adventure- Darling Clementine.

In the winter when I´m not working I love be at home and cook nice food or sit in front of the fire with a nice book or an inspiring read. Now Spring is here finally, and then I mostly stay outside in our garden or in a park somewhere having a barbeque with friends.

I collect… things that make smile, often vintage objects that feel like they have a history

I cant live without… my husband Ernest

My guilty pleasure is… butter on everything, it just tastes so much nicer!

Our house is filled with… cabinets in all shape and forms.

I treasure my… work and my partner Tonje, my husband, my friends and family, and finally my cat, Mr Nelson

Right now I can’t stop thinking about… moving house, just bought our very first apartment : )

Currently I am reading… Min Kamp, by Norwegian authour Karl Ove Knausgaard

My favourite item of clothing is… My Eley Kishimoto shoes

At the top of my furniture wish list is… a Finn Juhl Sofa, so so lovely!

The last thing that really inspired me was… Orla Kiely´s spring / summer collection

My comfort food is… chocolate

On my desk are… coffee mugs

This weekend I will… go to a friends enormous wedding!

Tonight I must… clean out the garage, fleamarket time…

I love what I do because… I sometimes have to pinch myself and realise that this is in fact my job.

I am a French designer who has been living in London for fifteen years. I have been in partnership with Harriet Maxwell Macdonald and Joanna Bibby for ten years at Ochre. My boyfriend and I have two young children and we live in a loft in Shoreditch.

I collect… books, especially design and art ones.

I can’t live without… my newly founded family.

My guilty pleasure is… chocolate brownies from the Clerkenwell kitchen next to our office.

Our house is filled with… devoid of clutter!

I treasure my… jewellery box my great grand mother gave to me. My daughter has made it her favourite toy too.

Right now I can’t stop thinking about… my next skiing trip. I have become obsessed with the Swiss Alps.

Currently I am reading… A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

My favourite item of clothing is… a dark blue silk dress by Nicole Farhi.

At the top of my furniture wish list is… a desk by Paulin that I have seen at the Paris flea market

The last thing that really inspired me was… a jewellery shop in New York called de Vera.

My comfort food is… CHEESE. I tried to give it up after the New Year…I lasted two days!

On my desk are… a phone and a computer.

This weekend I will go to… Columbia Market to get some flowers for our terrace.

Tonight I must… help my friend design her new kitchen.

I love what I do because… it fulfils all the dreams I have ever had.