The Art of Holistic Design

After an impromptu pull of a Lucifer card from a nontraditional tarot deck, holistic interior designer Rachel Larraine says, “Every time I get that card I’m always like, ‘What am I going to get tempted to do?’”It’s a fitting question for someone whose life’s work is concerned with harnessing human desire. Larraine, who describes her style as “eclectic with a touch of seduction,” found her way to a conventional design career through unconventional practices. After all, it’s not like there’s a blueprint for building what she calls a “holistic” interior design business.Following the cancellation of a large-scale resort project she had been co-designing, she muses, “I had an opportunity to jump out on my own, so I did it.” 

Doing things her way meant getting certified in Feng Shui and becoming a Reiki master. “I was sort of torn between these worlds of spirituality and interior design,” she says. Suddenly, the obvious became apparent: she’d do both.Spirituality has always been part of Larraine’s milieu. “I remember buying my first amethyst when I was 10 at the Oktoberfest in La Mesa,” she reminisces, adding that her spirituality started “coming even more alive” after her oldest son’s birth in 2010. Providing more than just aesthetics, Larraine offers a curated array of design services, which includes kitchen remodels and energy healing sessions—she’ll even lay a crystal grid in the foundation of your home.All of these practices blur the lines between the material, emotional, and metaphysical. Describing her design ethos, she says, “For me, it’s about creating a space with someone’s spirit and mind and body—all encompassing.”