The world of home decor is a place where creativity and self-expression know no bounds. It’s a space where artists and makers come together to craft unique and meaningful designs that add a personal touch to people’s homes.

In the heart of San Diego, California is France Malvar. Her story is one of hope, passion, and self-discovery. After 14 years as an early childhood educator, France took a leap of faith and pivoted her career to become a natural dye artist and create Lu France Interiors, a home decor brand for intentional design. For the past two years, she’s been pouring her heart and soul into her work, crafting pieces that are as beautiful as they are sustainable.

France carefully chooses the businesses and artisans that her brand partners with. Her previous collections were made in collaboration with small businesses all over the world, mostly in the Philippines, to support the local weavers and artisans in her homeland.

I HOLD FOND MEMORIES GROWING UP IN THE PHILIPPINES

I’m pretty blessed to have had a childhood full of memorable experiences and surrounded by people who have in one way or another shaped me.

I grew up in my Papa’s ancestral house in the Philippines before my parents eventually built their own, which became our home, and I have nothing but good memories of both. Summers and Christmas breaks were spent with my cousins and we would spend weeks at our Lola’s house, or at our Tita and Tito’s home, or somewhere exploring a new place together.

As my parents got settled in their respective careers, we progressed to traveling more or going out — driving up to Tagaytay, spending Sundays at the park, exploring all sorts of shops and markets, or eating out. They also gave us the opportunity to explore different sorts of activities and I took a special interest in ballet, starting classes at the age of 3 and then continuing through the start of high school before moving to other forms of dance through college. A lot of my memories involve recitals and shows and having my family there to support me. 

I don’t know what defines a typical childhood. But I do know that I hold fond memories growing up in the Philippines. Even to this day, there are moments that I get so nostalgic for every time, and I am grateful for all of them.

TRANSITIONS CAN BE SCARY, PIVOTS AT LEAST TO ME ARE TERRIFYING

Much of my young adulthood has always been about pivots.

Growing up, a career in medicine is what I’ve always been exposed to. A lot of times I’d tag along with my sisters to our Papa’s clinic or I’d wait for Mama in hospital break rooms and offices. Whether those instances were by design or simply out of necessity, I always thought I’d just follow along and take a science course to eventually pursue a career in medicine in one form or another.

So I studied Sports Science in college. During an Adapted Physical Education class, I realized that I liked teaching children. It gave me so much joy seeing how even the smallest actions you make and the lessons you share, impact their days and eventually their lives. After graduation, I applied for teaching jobs with a focus on music and movement, and fitness for young children. I figured I could take my Sports Science degree, my love for dance and movement, and use it to pivot to a career teaching children.

My first job offer out of college was from a school in Singapore, but I chose to stay in the Philippines and worked for a year there before moving to the US. I eventually took a certificate in early childhood education and spent 14 years in that industry working both in the US and the Philippines. It was a career I loved (and honestly actually miss). While I continued to teach, I also kept dabbling in the different art forms I’ve taken a liking to. I took design workshops to relieve my stress – styling, floral arrangement, natural dyes, etc.

When the pandemic happened and schools shut down, I enrolled in Interior Design online and started honing my love for all things design, leaving a career I’ve known for 14 years and taking my love for natural dyes and design a step further by launching my business.

Transitions can be scary, pivots at least to me are terrifying. I’m the type of person who is constantly planning. I need to know where I will be, and what I will do at certain points in my life. When changes happen and I need to adjust, that throws me off and my anxiety kicks in. But I think for the most part it is exactly because I am a planner and because I willingly chose these pivots from Sports Science to early childhood to now, a natural dye artist and small business owner, there was more excitement than anxiety as I took every transition. 

LU FRANCE INTERIORS IS AN EXTENSION OF MYSELF

Much of who I am as a designer and artist are rooted deeply in my being Filipino and more specifically, my experiences and memories I have growing up in the Philippines. That’s true for the things that catch my eye whether it be handcrafted wood pieces, ceramics, or the spaces I gravitate to, I crave rooms and spaces that are “maaliwalas,” full of warmth with a lived-in look, calming, and organic.

The stories that shape my collections are all stories from home. The candle scents I have in collaboration with Terra, a Filipino-American brand, are inspired by my life growing up in the Philippines. Every single scent has a story, a distinct memory attached to it.

The stories that guide and serve as the foundation for my naturally dyed pieces are all inspired by memories from the Philippines too. Sometimes a moment from years ago inspires me or a Filipino word that resonates with me moves me to make a tangible piece of art. Or sometimes an event back in the Philippines moves me to create a whole collection of naturally dyed textiles. I previously dropped a whole collection inspired by the campaign of former Vice President Leni Robredo! What I can’t articulate, I translate in the form of my naturally dyed textiles, always hoping to share a piece of my being Filipino with others. 

My values also play an important role in the people I choose to work with. I have a collaboration collection with Anthill, a social enterprise based in Cebu, Philippines. My thrust for love of community, sustainability, amplifying the work of Filipino artisans, and sharing their stories are some of the values I found in Anthill too. 

And while I proudly work with non-Filipino makers too and curate pieces from artisans and businesses around the globe, the same design influences from my life in the Philippines and the same values guide me in choosing what to pick and who to work with no matter where they come from. I say this often, Lu France Interiors is an extension of myself. It’s me in brand form and while I do not constantly scream about my being Filipino, I think if you browse through my website or follow me on social media, you’ll see why I don’t have to — it’s just naturally, constantly, permanently, and beautifully a part of my identity. 

ALLOWING MYSELF TO ASK FOR HELP FROM OTHERS HELPED ME TO RIDE THE HICCUPS THAT USED TO KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT

As with any other small business, I think the financial uncertainty that comes with building and running a brand is the most challenging part of building a business. The design process comes easily to me (at least thankfully, for the most part, it does!).

My years of teaching children and dealing with difficult parents have also helped me in dealing with customers and suppliers. But navigating slow seasons, courier mishaps, and other unexpected issues that affect cash flow were challenges that really kept me up for nights at some point since I launched my brand. But I’m really lucky to have the constant support of family who all go above and beyond in helping me pursue and monetize this passion, the support of friends, and the support of a very loyal audience who all continue to spread the word about my brand. 

I also found comfort and strength in knowing that I am not the only small business owner who has had to deal with the hardships post-pandemic and I’ve learned much from my fellow makers, artists, and owners. I pivoted to pushing for more wholesale opportunities for my natural dye work so that they are stocked in more retail stores, I joined more pop-up markets to introduce my brand to audiences that social media doesn’t reach, and I adjusted in terms of collection batches and when and how I launch and restock pieces.

The brand is a continuous work in progress for sure as much as I am too as a person and I think changing my perspective on how I view these challenges and using them as learning curves and allowing myself to ask for help from others helped me to ride the hiccups that used to keep me up at night. It’s okay to ask for help and to admit when you need it! 

THE PHILIPPINES IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE MY HOME

That’s not to say that America isn’t because it is too and I’m super grateful for that. But I think wherever I go and whatever I do, the foundation on which my identity is anchored is firmly rooted in calling the Philippines my home. I feel like it has always been my comfort zone, most of my friends are there and I feel like I navigate everyday life more confidently over there.

I’m an introvert and I think that has been magnified so much more here in the US. But you know how situations force you to adjust and adapt? I think I’ve become much braver living here, I push myself to do things I wouldn’t have tried back in the Philippines. I know it sounds cliche but America has really opened doors for me in terms of providing an environment for me to explore and create opportunities for myself and for others. Moving here has been a journey of self-discovery and it still is. This adoptive country of mine has taught me that I am more than one thing and that it isn’t too late to try something else.

If you told me while living in the Philippines that I’d one day call myself a natural dye artist, own a home decor brand, have pop-ups at stores like Madewell, join markets and art exhibits at galleries, and connect with strangers turned customers turned friends through social media, I would have laughed and said you are crazy. Yet here I am surprising myself every single day, bravely going out of my comfort zone, opening myself up to people, and rediscovering a deep sense of love and immense gratitude for 2 countries that I proudly call home. 

CHANGING CAREERS SHOULDN’T BE TAKEN LIGHTLY

I’ll probably raise a few eyebrows in saying this but I don’t believe in the “Do what you love, love what you do” statement or advice. I think that doing a pivot and considering a major career change entails not only sacrifice but careful planning and much… so much patience.

Every situation is different, we all come from different paths and I recognize that it is a privilege to be able to pivot to a new career and explore a whole new industry without worrying about what to eat the next day or where to sleep. So I think before you make that leap you should thoroughly, carefully, consider your situation, your needs, and your goals. 

If you need to stick to doing something that you don’t love at the moment so that it gives you a little more cushion for the pivot you are planning then hang in there for a little bit longer and use your dream as your motivation. Changing careers, especially leaving a stable job with a stable, monthly income shouldn’t be taken lightly. But when you do, if you are able to, give it your all. Do it wholeheartedly, give it 110% of your time and effort, and stick to it. Stick to it long enough for as long as it makes you happy, for as long as the joy you get from it outweighs the sacrifices you make to make it work. And do not ever forget your WHY. Let your WHY guide you always.

CONNECT WITH FRANCE

Instagram: @lufranceinteriors

Website lufranceinteriors.com

Facebook @lufranceinteriors

In a time when the world seemed to close its doors, Los Angeles native and talented writer Kesia Eng found her inspiration for her  delightful children’s book titled “Baby Bao at Dim Sum.”

Kesia shares with Asian Hustle Network her motivation and experiences behind this captivating story that captures the essence of family bonds and the rich cultural heritage of East Asian cuisine.

Growing up, Kesia cherished her visits to dim sum restaurants with her family. The savory aroma, the clinking of chopsticks, and the joy of feasting on delicious food became the backdrop of countless treasured memories.

Dim sum not only brought her family together but also offered a window into her Chinese heritage, teaching her the values of respect, care, and love for others. Ultimately, these shaped her identity and inspired her to write this book.

The pandemic threatened to rob younger generations of the invaluable experiences Kesia cherished, making her determined to pass on the cultural significance of dim sum to kids and share it with others.

In her debut children’s book, “Baby Bao at Dim Sum,” Kesia beautifully weaves a tale that explores the importance of family, selflessness, and the joy of bonding over a delicious meal. This book serves as a tool for parents and children to read together, sparking meaningful conversations about the values embedded in East Asian culture.

Join us as we delve into the story behind “Baby Bao at Dim Sum” through an exclusive interview with Kesia Eng.

Dim sum helped me better understand and appreciate my parents and our Chinese culture. I think I can speak for many American kids who have immigrant parents: There aren’t a lot of things in common between our upbringing and theirs. But food is our shared connection.

Kesia Eng

KESIA’S INSPIRATION FOR WRITING “BABY BAO AT DIM SUM”

As with most recent creative endeavors, the idea for the book sprouted during the pandemic. Everything was closed. Schools were shut down. Sports games were canceled. Even my favorite Target store started closing at 8 p.m. The world truly was ending. But the most devastating thing? My beloved dim sum restaurants have stopped indoor dining.

I know it didn’t seem significant. There’s plenty of other food. Plus, we can still get takeout. But I grew up coming to these restaurants with my family. Going there was a real treat as a kid – taking in the savory aroma that fills the air, hearing the excited chatter and clinking of chopsticks all around you, and of course, feasting on all the varieties of delicious food. Every time I came back from college for the weekend, my parents would take me to eat dim sum – it was a huge part of our everyday life.

Most importantly, dim sum helped me better understand and appreciate my parents and our Chinese culture. I think I can speak for many American kids who have immigrant parents: There aren’t a lot of things in common between our upbringing and theirs. But food is our shared connection. Food isn’t just something you eat. When you look closely, the experience of dim sum is filled with the values of East Asian culture:

• pouring tea for the oldest person at the table first, and your own cup last
• serving food to others before yourself
• keeping an eye on everyone’s cup so you can refill it for them
• fighting to pay for the check (and never backing down, even if you have to chase down the waiter and force your Visa card into their hands) 
• and so on

All of the above embody community-oriented respect, care, and love for others. It’s how my parents showed how deeply they loved our family, even through the mundane act of eating at a restaurant. When my mom saves the biggest and best dumpling for me, or when my dad reaches across the table to fill my teacup first, I know it’s because they love me. And it’s a way for me to show my love in return – pouring their tea first, giving the best dim sum piece to them, (and yes, now that I’m a post-grad adult, literally fighting to pay that check). It’s not just nostalgia – dim sum is an essential part of my heritage, shaping how I’ve grown up, who I am, and who I want to become.

With COVID, it seemed like the pandemic would take these valuable moments away from younger generations. To be honest, it made me sad because I didn’t want them to grow up without having that experience, and thus a practical understanding of their cultural background. It’s a learning moment I want to pass on to kids and share with other people too.

“BABY BAO IS ME”

Part of the reason why I chose to focus on the theme of family and selflessness is in reaction to a lot of Asian American stories today that center on the difficult relationships that kids have with their immigrant parents.

I think the current popular narrative sometimes pushes this idea of hyperindividualism; that it’s all about the self and what the self wants. I totally understand the heart behind where that narrative/story comes from but sometimes it can demonize our parents for being hateful because they don’t agree with everything we say or do what we expect. Granted, nobody is perfect. But I think it’s important to have empathy towards our parents who grew up in a different environment than we did. We can try to put ourselves in their shoes, imagine the upbringing they had, the hardships they went through, etc.

And to be honest, I wrote it because of my own revelation. Baby Bao is me. I wrote Baby Bao as myself because I definitely was not a self-sacrificial loving kid growing up. It wasn’t until college that I realized I had taken their love and care for granted. I think it’s easy for us to be selfish and maybe not consider what our parents would appreciate or how they care for us. They do love us, but maybe it isn’t expressed in the exact fashion we expect it to be. 

FULL CREATIVE CONTROL AS A SELF-PUBLISHER

I knew the route of traditional publishing was long and a bit arduous. I felt like there were many gatekeepers and I didn’t want the flow/speed of my project to be hindered because of it.

It kinda goes like this: after you do your due diligence on finding the appropriate literary agent, you have to keep cold-emailing them about your manuscript, hoping they’d want to support you and your book. And finally landing a literary agent could range from a few months to a few years. They’re the best resource to connect you to a traditional publisher who would get your book published. 

But why wait for someone to give me the green light when I could just get my book out directly to the audience? I like to think I have an entrepreneurial spirit , because when I really believe in something, I don’t want to wait for someone to give me approval to do it. I just want to go for it. So I decided to self-publish my idea.

I think what’s truly unique about this book is that the illustrations are not 2D animated artwork that’s common in picture books. I can’t draw to save my life and I didn’t have enough funds to hire an illustrator, so I brainstormed ways to figure out how I was going to make the visual part of the story come to life.

While rummaging through my bookshelf, I found an old book my parents bought when I was young, that taught simple Chinese words. The front cover looked so interesting to me – it was a claymation of a girl. That basically spawned the idea of using claymation/”stop-motion” as the illustrations of the book.

I made all the sets, characters, and mini items by hand with lots of construction paper, cardboard, and other materials. I then taught myself product lighting, photography, and photo editing. I also run all the social media accounts. And this is in addition to writing the story myself, so it was truly a one-woman production.

Fun fact: I gave my book to Netflix Bling Empire’s Christine Chiu!

WHAT KESIA HOPES THAT READERS WILL TAKE AWAY

If I can narrow it down to just 3 takeaways I hope parents and children get out of this book, it’s that (1) family is important (2) loving others often requires self-sacrifice but is definitely worth it and (3) dim sum is an avenue we can use to love and cherish our families more!

I wanted parents and their children to think deeply about the message together. And that desire played a huge part in why I decided to deliver that through the form of a children’s book. I think the nature of children’s books often necessitates parent-child bonding because parents often read to their kids who aren’t strong independent readers yet.

So the book, “Baby Bao at Dim Sum” is a great opportunity for parents to bond with their cute kiddos just by reading it together. It also leads parents to talk through the story more with their children by mentioning the cultural values of it, going over the universal value of family, and asking them insightful questions about what they learned or what they noticed. 

DIVERSITY AND REPRESENTATION IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

I’m seeing a lot of great Asian American children’s books recently and I envision “Baby Bao at Dim Sum” adding depth to the representation of the Asian American experience in children’s literature.

The book shows that parents and/or family relatives ought to be given importance as well.

Additionally, the book does a great job showing and not just telling how the cultural values common in East Asian culture (community-oriented respect, care, and love for others) are embedded into the subtle actions (pouring tea for the oldest person at the table first and your own cup last, serving food to others before yourself, and keeping an eye on everyone’s cup so you can refill it for them) during a traditional Chinese meal.

Representation is showing the authentic experience of something, and I think showing chicken feet, regardless of people’s initial reaction to it, is an important unfiltered experience of dim sum. So I made it a mission for myself to include the chicken feet dish in my children’s book (right on the first page) because it’s an iconic Chinese cultural food. I think just because it’s different from what most people outside of the culture may see, it doesn’t make it weird or gross. Walk into a dim sum restaurant and you see it on the tables of so many diners.

I hope the story is an easy and welcoming way for people unfamiliar with East Asian culture, to learn about it and get a glimpse of what really goes on during an authentic Chinese meal of dim sum. Additionally, I think it’s a perfect book for East Asian families to personally connect with those experiences and pass them down to younger generations. 

It really warms my heart to see so many parents message me that their little ones love the book, want to read it every night with them, or want to eat dim sum because of it. Seeing those comments and messages never gets old!

UPCOMING PROJECTS

I drafted several storylines for the next potential “Baby Bao” adventure, and have whittled it down to two options. I can’t reveal when this project is going to be done just yet, but it’s in the works! Many of my readers have expressed that they’d love to see more of Baby Bao, so I’m happy to continue working on more stories with him as the protagonist.

In terms of other work, I’m actually in the process of finalizing a manuscript for my next writing project: a satirical poetry book about early adulthood! I enjoy comedy and I enjoy satire, so of course, I had to try writing with that flair. The book is a witty take on young adult life and pokes fun at relatable moments we experience in careers, friendships, and love. Final touches are being added. Release date TBA but aiming for before this fall season. 

Readers can expect that I’ll be pursuing different writing projects because I want to build upon my writing skills and flex my creative muscle. I think I have a knack for knowing my audience well and crafting stories that are relatable to all of us on a human level. So I’m really excited to continue exploring various story ideas and styles of writing to see what I’m the best at and produce work that my readers would love.

CONNECT WITH KESIA / BABY BAO AT DIM SUM

Instagram: @babybaoatdimsum

Tiktok: @babybaoatdimsum

Amazon: BUY HERE

Email: babybaoatdimsum@gmail.com

Website: kesiaeng.com