Waking Up With: <em>Rachel Nguyen</em>

Waking Up With: Rachel Nguyen

Rachel Nguyen is an LA based content creator and Youtuber whose eclectic style is reflected in her charming loft filled with beautiful vintage finds.  Here, we discuss decorating slowly, vintage shopping, and looking inward for inspiration.

Hello! First off, tell us a little about yourself and what you’ve been up to lately?

Hi! Name is Rachel, most call me Raych, and I like to think of myself as your Internet BFF… who has been MIA. That’s because lately I feel like I’m freefalling into a life I haven’t explored. Aside from being stuck at home for over a year; I was stuck in a relationship that no longer served me - coming out of both on the other side feels surreal. So I’ve been deeply immersed in exploring road trips, underground parties, gratuitous dinner outings, and catching feelings for myself. 

Sleepwear Set in Azul
“The things you say no to, define you more than the things you say yes to.”
RACHEL NGUYEN

What is your morning ritual?

It’s quite mundane and monotonous - but that grounds me because by noon, I’m chaos. I walk/play with my dog, make coffee, and then meander* until the morning feels complete - which is sealed with making my bed 


*meander = checking socials, writing down dreams, playing in the kitchen, taking a morning nap, clean my apartment, do whatever vanity thing I’m into at the moment

You have a blog and YouTube Channel, That’s Chic, can you tell us a little bit about them and how they came to be?

I’ll spare ya’ll my repetitive regurgitation with a podcast episode I just did. Here, give this a listen: The Future of Content Creators and How to Evolve with Rachel Ngyuen - Girl Boss

How do you challenge yourself to avoid repetition in your work and instead always be growing and evolving in a way that feels true to you?

Take breaks and question everything - including who I am and what my output is. In those breaks, I ask myself ‘am I performing into a projection that someone has cast on me, or am I doing things for myself’? We get lost in that once we hit momentum. Also talked about this a lot in the podcast above!

In 2019, you started a Slack community, Warde. Can you tell us about it and what inspired you to create this community?

Man, Warde is so special. The community and people in it are what make it so fun. Literally all I did was make a Slack group and invited the conversations I saw unfold on my YouTube comments / private DMs and into this space where everyone could jive. Peak pando was primo vibes ~

You live in a beautiful loft, can you tell us a little bit about it and your approach to decorating? What is your favorite thing about your home?

Oh, I love collecting things from estate sales. It’s like killing two birds with one stone: helping people get rid of stuff and giving it a new decorative life. But also just buy things that feel right, and don’t rush the process. I feel the biggest mistake people make is buying everything at once to fill in their space immediately. It took me a year to get seating for my place, but I finally got some simple daybeds and that is obviously my favorite thing in my home right now.

I ask myself ‘am I performing into a projection that someone has cast on me, or am I doing things for myself’?

You have such a gift for finding incredible vintage and secondhand items. Can you share a few tips for finding those beautiful pieces?

Ah thank you! Estatesale.net for clothes and household items, Craigslist/OfferUp/FB Marketplace for furniture! Find some keywords you are interested in, currently my searches are: pair mirrors, vintage mirrors, wooden bench, mcm, post modern, bauhaus (the last 3 are to get ideas for other specific things I want to look into!)

Who and what inspires you the most right now?

Well, I’m gonna say myself because it’s a relationship I am most focused on and trusting myself and my guts seem like a good starting point.

Sleepwear Set in Azul

What is the best advice you have ever received?

The things you say no to, define you more than the things you say yes to.

What are you reading / watching / listening to these days?

Reading: Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett

Watching: Cooking and workout videos on Youtube

Listening: NTS Radio: Slow Focus

Fill in the blanks:

The coolest place I’ve ever woken up in is: In a van in Hoh rainforest

The best cup of coffee/tea is at: Home

A thing about mornings I’ll never get sick of is: Stillness