Happy Homemaking
Guest: Jennifer Salvemini
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This episode launches a two-part series exploring the theme of home.
My guest is Jennifer Salvemini, an interior designer based in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is an expert in home design, organization and entertaining. Her professional background in hospitality and fashion is extensive, and her studies in anthropology and philosophy inform her thoughtful approach to homemaking and the spaces we live in. In this conversation, we discuss homemaking and how the spaces we create and care for can contribute to a happy life.
From Jennifer’s perspective, homemaking is the ongoing practice of creating a “safe, sane and sacred space.” It involves the aesthetics, functionality and organization of the home, and recognizes that our external environment influences our internal experience. Our homes both affect and reflect our emotional and mental states. Because of this, a well-designed, thoughtfully arranged and clean home can bring a greater sense of calm and grounding amid the demands of everyday life.
As a designer, Jennifer approaches her work collaboratively. Rather than presenting clients with fully formed concepts to choose from, she works to draw out and refine each client’s own aesthetic and vision. The process becomes not only one of design, but also of self-discovery — an opportunity for clients to consider how they want their homes to reflect who they are and how they want to live.
Homemaking also involves the systems and rhythms that support daily life. Jennifer helps clients evaluate whether their habits and routines are serving them effectively, and where adjustments might create greater ease and functionality. Because every lifestyle is different, the home must evolve in ways that support the people living within it.
Like the people who inhabit them, homes are always in process. The ongoing practice of homemaking reflects both who we are and where we are in life. In caring for our homes, we are also caring for ourselves.
Historically, homemaking has often been viewed through the lens of gender roles. While many women have sought freedom from the limitations historically associated with domestic responsibility, Jennifer invites a broader reconsideration of homemaking itself. She emphasizes that caring for a home is actual and essential work — work that deserves value and respect.
If you’re ready to explore a new perspective on homemaking and the role home plays in shaping our lives, this episode is for you!
In this episode
Homemaking as a practice of creating a safe, sane and sacred space [01:18]
What makes home a happy place - contents, people, functionality, a sense of safety and overall ecology [04:40]
Choosing objects to fill the home [07:30]
Tricks for creating cohesion and putting collections together [13:24]
Affordability and safe spaces that are not triggering [18:32]
Reclaiming spaces [20:49]
Self discovery through creative design and decision making [27:04]
Valuing the actual work of homemaking as essential work [28:35]
Alternative homes of the future and more intimate community [31:20]
Related links
Email: jenniferlsalvemini@gmail.com
Instagram: @jls.lifestyle
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