Step into a dream stitched from vinyl grooves and starburst clocks — Renny Saltzman’s designs are pure nostalgia with a pulse. Each space he revives hums with mid-century Americana: butter-yellow kitchens, atomic-age lighting, and cocktail-ready living rooms that feel like echoes of a happier time. Saltzman doesn’t just decorate homes — he resurrects moods, restoring the optimism, charm, and cultural magic of postwar America.
Whether through chrome-edged Formica counters or pastel appliances, his work evokes a warm, familiar spirit — one rooted in family dinners, drive-in movies, and the golden glow of a bygone domestic era. It’s not about retro for retro’s sake; it’s a soft rewind into the comfort and charm that defined the heartbeat of the American home.
Featured in House and Garden Magazine back in December 1969, Renny Saltzman’s own home became a quintessential snapshot of vintage Americana at its finest. With its sun-soaked den wrapped in walnut paneling, citrus-colored upholstery, and chrome accents that reflected the era’s hopeful spirit, the residence captured national attention for its bold yet comforting blend of modernist flair and nostalgic soul. The magazine hailed it as a “living time capsule,” showcasing not just design trends, but the emotional cadence of mid-century domestic life.
That historic feature remains a touchstone of Saltzman's legacy — a space where design met memory, and where every room whispered stories of a golden age. I’d be delighted to turn that iconic moment into a visual reel or design a gallery layout inspired by the 1969 spread.
Below are excerpts from the magazine.
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The house seems to float above the ground. At first glance, it is almost impossible to comprehend this white cubistic cluster that rises sparkling on a three-acre plain of sea-air tousled grass. Quite literally, it is a construc- tion in both time and space; it unfolds completely only as you walk around it. A cross section at any point shows its interpenetrating spaces: a dining room that is really 25 feet high, the two-story soar of the living room bal- anced by the snug little cove formed under its overhang- ing mezzanine. Although the house is three stories high, the third story (see plan, top left) is mostly air space-a mezzanine for the children's rainy day play. On the sec- ond level (see plan, center left) the two-story living room rises to gather in every bit of the view. The master suite has an adequate bedroom but a generous, mirrored dou- ble bathroom, with a steam shower and copious storage. Also at this level, a railed companionway crosses to the detached guesthouse. On the children's floor (see plan, bot- tom left) their four small bedrooms are lined up along one side and the kitchen and the dining room on the other.
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source: House and Garden Magazine | december 1969
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