Customer Reviews

In Your Space: Personalizing Your Home and Office

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What Jenette Kahn has written here is much more that a retelling of a life (although it is that); rather, it is a marvelous evocation of the refining of a very particular, resourceful, and uniquely demanding taste. What Kahn shows us is her artistic (and artful) obsessions--with space, with self-expression, and with visual delight.

Reading In Your Space felt partly like looking at oneself in the mirror in great lighting (the "recognition factor" of one's own design-maven ambitions) and partly like having someone throw open the doors of (to?) an entirely new world that you always suspected lay just beyond the threshold of what you were able to imagine for yourself, by yourself. And the best part? She not only gently suggests how you might think about designing the spaces you inhabit, but tells you where to go to find what you want, how to make the connections you need, how deal with recalcitrant sources...and then how to rethink it all if need be ("You can always repaint!") and let the spirit of the place--and the prized possessions it it--tell you how and what it wants to be.

In Your Space chronicles a personal journey of education--learning to see (and to trust the seeing) and learning to understand what a space can be coaxed to say about its creator and to evoke for those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a very personal vision. It does so with an execution that is equal to Kahn's own standards: her witty, brisk-but-intimate writing somehow manages not to leave anything out, and the photographs are so luscious they make you want to lick the page.

An easy, colorful read with beautiful color photos of Kahn's world. Any chapter can be read individually or as part of the whole. Her explorations into the world of design and aesthetics are methodical but by no means boring. This is not your mother's decorating book.

For a lively trip from Central Park West, to Harlem, to Connecticut take this book for a ride.

This book solidly places the creative inspiration of collectors on par with that of designers and artists. Any reader, by following the path that Kahn has set for herself, gets permission to embark on their own path of discovery and exploration, and with the benefit of the copious lessons the author has learned along the way! Clearly, thoroughly and in a enlightened way, acquiring things of beauty and originality is made accessible to beginners and made fun for the jaded....both will be preparing for the thrill of the hunt!!!

The most surprising and impressive art collection and interior design advice. Great photos. I loved it.

While Miss Kahn's taste is quite unique her creative approach to designing and decorating space has resonance for anyone. There is a real sense of excitement and joy in her approach which comes through on every page. There is also a remarkable lack of ego and self importance which makes it great fun to join in this quest for the original and different. The lessons learned and tips are practical and valuable for anyone trying to personalize their own environment. This book is a primer on how to be original and courageous in an area that generally lacks both. Fasten your seatbelt, it's a great ride.

I loved this book! It totally seduced me. Each part of this wonderful story surprised me. Although I am very knowledgeable about art and design there was so much in this book that was new to me. I learned a lot about how someone's real life can be affected by art and it made me see things from a different perspective. Not an easy accomplishment. This book is a treasure of information and insights that can inspire both the design professional and anyone else that has an interest in designing, collecting, decorating and just having fun with their living and working environments. Jenette Kahn's writing style lures you in and before long you feel that she is talking just to you, her new best friend, revealing intimate secrets about a life which cannot be separated from her passion for design and art. It is the personal story of one woman's journey into the world of design, the extraordinary people she meets along the way who through their strong and lasting friendships inspire her to realize her own aesthetic and design talents.

I loved this book! It totally seduced me. Each part of this wonderful story surprised me. Although I am very knowledgeable about art and design there was so much in this book that was new to me. I learned a lot about how someone's real life can be affected by art and it made me see things from a different perspective. Not an easy accomplishment. This book is a treasure of information and insights that can inspire both the design professional and anyone else that has an interest in designing, collecting, decorating and just having fun with their living and working environments. Jenette Kahn's writing style lures you in and before long you feel that she is talking just to you, her new best friend, revealing intimate secrets about a life which cannot be separated from her passion for design and art. It is the personal story of one woman's journey into the world of design, the extraordinary people she meets along the way who through their strong and lasting friendships inspire her to realize her own aesthetic and design talents.