Episode 56

056: San Diego Design Week: Exploring Inspiration & Smell with Amy of Paru Tea

Published on: 24th September, 2022

In this special San Diego Design Week episode, I welcome back Amy Truong of Paru Tea to talk about inspiration and smell. Smell is a sense that is often overlooked, but it can be so powerful in the associations and memories it can bring up for us. Amy and I talk about the role scent plays in inspiring her unique tea blends, and she shares with us some behind-the-scenes details about her process for creating new blends. She also explains the best ways we as tea drinkers can use our sense of smell to experience and enjoy tea.

If you want to learn more about Amy and her story with Paru, listen to Episode 4 of Bewitching the Home. You can also get the story behind the design of her tea shop in Episode 40 with Miki Iwasaki.

Guest Bio

After earning a degree in International Business from UC Irvine and a decade of working in consulting, tech, and wellness, Amy took the leap and started PARU in 2017. The idea quickly grew from a pop-up with tea educational workshops to a full-time business, operating both two locations in-store and online.

In addition to leading the team, Amy serves as the primary tea educator, buyer, and master blender. She enjoys working with her hands and creating nostalgia-inspired teas like our Blue Chamomile and Pandan Waffle.

Featured in this episode

Featured candle: Beeswax candle from Mithras Candle

Featured brew: Honey Orchid from Paru Tea Bar

Featured Tarot deck: Rider-Waite Colman Smith Tarot

Connect with Paru Tea

Links:

Website

Instagram


Are you an interior designer or are you interested in Holistic Interior Design? Check out my membership program, the Design Coven! This program is a real-world industry mentorship for Holistic Interior Designers that has everything you won't find in traditional design school curriculum. You'll learn from practicing interior designers working on real life projects, and get access to cutting edge vendors, suppliers, furniture makers, textile designers, and design resources that I've curated over my 17 years of design experience. As a member, you'll have the opportunity to build valuable relationships of your own. Learn more.


Connect with Rachel Larraine

Website

Instagram

Patreon

Interior Design Services

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About the Podcast

Holistic Interior Design Podcast
Designing with Intention promoting health and well-being.
Welcome to the Holistic Interior Design Podcast, where we explore the transformative power of mindful practices and holistic principles in creating spaces that nurture and inspire. Whether you’re a homeowner, wellness enthusiast, or industry professional, this podcast is your go-to resource for integrating holistic design into your environments.

Join me, Rachel Larraine Crawford, an experienced holistic interior designer with over 20 years experience, as we dive into the world of sustainable materials, energy flow, and design strategies that promote well-being and harmony. Each episode features insightful conversations, practical tips, and expert advice to help you create beautiful, balanced spaces that reflect your unique style and values.

This podcast is for you if you have the following questions:
What is holistic interior design?
Where do I source sustainable resources for interior design?
What are some sustainable brands for interiors?
How do I choose materials and furnishings that enhance health and sustainability?
How can I utilize color, light, and texture to create a serene and inviting atmosphere?
How do I incorporate elements of nature to foster connection and tranquility?
How do I implement Feng Shui and other energy-balancing techniques?
What is Feng Shui?
How do I design spaces that support my lifestyle?

Whether you’re redesigning your home, planning a new hospitality venture, or simply curious about holistic interior design, this podcast will guide you in making intentional choices that elevate your space and your life.

Tune in to the Holistic Interior Design Podcast and start your journey toward a more mindful, beautiful, and harmonious living environment.

About our Host Rachel Larraine Crawford
Rachel is a Holistic Interior Designer and founder of her Interior Design firm Tiger Veil, focusing on high end residential and hospitality interior design projects based in Encinitas, Ca. Her work been featured in several exhibitions, including Del Mar’s KAABOO festival, and in publications such as San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, Modern Luxury Magazine, San Diego Magazine, Exquisite Weddings, Style & Decor and Serendipity Magazine. Learn more about her and her services at Tigerveil.com
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About your host

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Rachel Crawford

Rachel is a Mystic, Reiki Master, Tarot Reader, Feng Shui Practitioner, Energy Healer, and Holistic Interior Designer, whose intimate connection to her intuition and ancestral roots enabled her to rise above a challenging childhood and blossom into the powerful and impassioned healer she is today.

Committed to empowering others by teaching modalities that support connection to intuition, Rachel hosts workshops and retreats focused on the ancient practices of Feng Shui, Tarot, crystals, herbs and oils, ritual and ceremony, astrology and metaphysics — in addition to live and virtual new moon and full moon circles.

Rachel also lends her harmonious and balancing acumen to the creation of energetically aligned spaces through Holistic Interior Design. Since earning her Associates Degree and Certificate in Interior Design 2005, she has created and collaborated on a multitude of award-winning residential and commercial spaces, including Realm of the 52 Remedies (with Onairos Design), all while becoming certified in Classical Flying Stars Feng Shui through the International School of Feng Shui (2015), studying the practices of Land Healing, Ritual, and Ceremony under Amanda Sophia & Alex Stark in Ireland, and with "House Whisperer," Christian Kyriacou.
Rachel's work has been featured in several exhibitions, including KAABOO, a music, comedy, culinary and art festival held in Del Mar, CA, where as part of an experiential art installation by Carly Ealey and Madeleine Tonzi, she created a crystal grid below the piece, clearing the participating auras before entering the installation. Her designs have been published in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, Modern Luxury Magazine, San Diego Magazine, Exquisite Weddings, Style & Decor and Serendipity Magazine.

You may also connect with Rachel on a regular basis through Patreon, where she is is creating Mystical Rituals and Sacred Spaces, providing Tarot Readings, and nurturing spiritual connections.

Her design work can be found here: CrawfordPallini.com
Her personal site here: RachelLarraine.com