In Your Space

An inspiring book on design and a lively autobiography, In Your Space portrays Jenette Kahn's odyssey renovating and decorating her apartment in a landmark Manhattan building, her townhouse in Harlem, her office at DC Comics and MAD Magazine, and her country and guest houses in Connecticut. She fully describes her creative process throughout her search for innovative, personal solutions to such basic decorating problems as small spaces, low ceilings, and run-down fireplaces. As Jason Schmidt's dazzling photographs reveal, she has created a fireplace with a crossword puzzle surround; a dining room with a faux frescoed ceiling of images by Renaissance artists; a painted musical score enlivening a folding closet door; and much more. Kahn also explores new sources for furniture, from Art Deco and mid-century modern to contemporary designs, all the while assembling a colorful, original collection of furnishings and art that reflect her personality. We accompany her on visits to dealers, artists' studios, and flea markets and overhear conversations with contractors and designers. In an exuberant writing style laced with humor and insight, the author shares her mistakes as well as her successes. Whether or not our taste in decor is as modern or free-form as Kahn's, the methods she employs to achieve the results she wants are important for everyone to know. In Your Space provides an abundance of ideas and encouragement for anyone longing to create rooms of their own.