Shokan-based interior designer Jennifer Salvemini is not sure who recommended her to the producers at “Who’s Afraid of A Cheap Old House,” the HGTV show that features Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein of Cheap Old Houses fame. From a viral Instagram account and newsletter to a show and finally a book, the duo specializes in finding inexpensive architectural treasures and walking their followers through the historical details and what would be required to renovate them, without getting into the reno themselves. But for their new spin-off show, they wanted to bring in an interior designer.
“I got a cold call from the producer,” says Salvemini, who is also the executive director for the Kingston Design Connection, which produces the annual Kingston Design Showhouse. “I had really no understanding of what he was asking until about an hour into the conversation.”
Once the confusion cleared, Salvemini happily signed on to the show, which helps buyers find a promising old house that fits their budget, then helps them tackle the intimidating amount of work an old house may require. Buyers are not always immediately convinced of a home’s potential. Previous updates may have tarnished the home’s good looks or obscured its architectural heritage.
Buyers may naturally balk at investing in a home with no electricity or finished walls. And how about that kitchen that’s been hermetically sealed for half a century? Fortunately, the Cheap Old Houses crew, which includes architectural designer Scott Reed, has experience identifying and restoring a home’s potential. Once buyers commit, the team decides where to pitch in to extend the renovation budget.
While aluminum siding is torn off and side porches are uncovered, Salvemini asks buyers about their design preferences, using the answers to create multiple mood boards with possible furniture, fabrics, and accessories. Her proposed color palettes are inspired by sources as diverse as a rainbow of sherbet colors or hues drawn from Willam Morris Arts and Crafts textiles. Buyers can choose the most appealing mood board or mix features from each. Sometimes couples have differing tastes. One partner favors angular Mid-Century furnishings in primary colors, while the other prefers neutrals with softer edges. Salvemini deftly marries these preferences. Since there are eight episodes in the first season of “Who’s Afraid of A Cheap Old House,” she created a lot of mood boards.
“It was a lot of conceptualization,” says Salvemini. “There was no way to do that for every room, but in real life, if I were to do a whole house, each room would have its own mood board.”
Salvemini also stages and equips the rooms, scouring antique shops for vintage finds. For one house she found a creamsicle-colored vintage gas stove for less than the price of a new stove. For another home she found a Mid-Century bedroom nightstand and hunted down a mate, eventually finding it in another state. Salvemini coordinated her design wishes with those of the network, the production company, team members—and of course the homeowners. Despite all the communication required, the process went smoothly.
“I think my design aesthetic was what they chose me for,” says Salvemini. “I lean into color and pattern and vintage pretty heavily. That was a good place to start from, but I did feel like I was able to run a little bit more freely with the creative process because it’s meant to be showy. The reveals are meant to be impressive, and while the homeowner’s interests obviously have to be honored, making something TV-worthy means everything has to be editorial, which is not necessarily true when I’m working with regular clients.”
The show’s pilot was filmed in October 2022. Pre-production, house scouting, and team building happened the next spring, then the showrunners had to find construction companies and establish partnerships with vendors and businesses. Seven more episodes were filmed during a few summer weeks in 2023. The compressed filming schedule was daunting for Salvemini, who had never been on a TV show, but she more than kept her cool on screen, coming across as polished and yet relatable.
“’I found it wildly uncomfortable in some ways, but also strangely familiar,” she says. “Having worked in hospitality for so long, which involves being ‘on’ at a moment’s notice, it was kind of easy for me because there is acting involved in dealing with guests and staff. My favorite part of doing the show was having more creative license than I normally do with my regular clients.”
Salvemini grew up in New Jersey in a home that was frequently redecorated. Her grandmother was a talented seamstress and her mother had plenty of ideas. “My mom completely entertained and indulged me whenever I wanted to redecorate my room,” says Salvemini. “Which I think happened at least five times before I left college.”
In college, she decided to study something other than design—anthropology and philosophy—then during and after college, worked in fashion and hospitality. Later she moved to the Hudson Valley and opened her interior design business. Aside from her own design shingle, Salvemini is also the founder of Hinterland, a community of female-identifying artists, makers, designers, and growers. “Hinterland is my absolute baby.” says Salvemini. “It’s the thing that probably brings me the most joy in life.”
The community of creatives and entrepreneurs participates in Upstate Art Weekend and exhibits solo shows for members, while Studio Hinterland produces ‘referentially modern’ furniture, distinctive wall coverings, and a beautifully curated accessory collection.
Self-Reflective Spaces
When speaking of her design directives and what makes a house a home, Salvemini says, “It has to be functional and it has to be self-reflective. You have to walk into the space and it has to feel like yours, whatever that means, whether that’s because of the things that you’ve acquired over your lifetime or these very intentional selections that you’ve made for a new house.” It also has to be tidy. “I am by no means a minimalist,” she says, “but it’s difficult to live among chaos and not be chaotic yourself.”
Salvemini’s design philosophy is rooted in the idea of design as ecology. It’s about creating spaces by being mindful of relationships. “It’s the relationships of object to object, relationship of object to spatial placement, relationship of object to person,”says Salvemini. “In those considerations, you can create something that feels organic and cohesive and can also be quite eclectic. Most of the things I source are gently used, whether because they’re fabulous vintage antiques or because they’re totally fine, and why not spend less money on something you can give more life to without it going to a landfill. So, there is a sort of environmentalism to the work, and I think it just creates more interesting spaces. If you’re just buying everything brand new straight from West Elm or whatever, then you wind up creating spaces that look like catalogs or business class hotels. Some people do want to live in those spaces, but not my clients. Luckily.”
Nor do any of the show’s clients want off-the-shelf houses. They’re not afraid of finding a hidden gem of a cheap old house and using Salvemini’s expertise to make it shine.
