The Space That Keeps You: When Home Becomes a Love Story

by Jeremiah Brent

Interior designer and television host Jeremiah Brent explores the emotional meaning of home in this warm and inviting book that illuminates what make peoples’ spaces so personally significant. For many of us, our houses are more than just where we hold our belongings. They are reflections of who we are and where we’ve been. They represent our aesthetics, our personalities – provide us with purpose and intention, and if we’re lucky, a safe space to live and create. For years, Jeremiah Brent and his family lived in one beautiful home after the next. Yet after a short time, they always felt the pull to move on. Curious to understand why, he embarked on a deeply personal mission to discover what makes a home a space that keeps you. The Space That Keeps You isn’t just a study of beautiful interior design; it’s an emotional design book that explores what gives spaces meaning. Through candid conversations with nine individuals and families varying in backgrounds, lifestyles, and geographic locations, Jeremiah reveals how and why the spaces we inhabit come to feel like they truly belong to us—the memories, emotions, and stories that shape what home signifies. He introduces memorable people like the artist couple James and Alexandra Brown and their children who made an abandoned plot in Merida, Mexico their accidental paradise, and Tracy and Brian Robbins who found refuge during the pandemic in a serene single-story home in Montecito surrounded by fields of lavender. He illuminates a personal side of Oprah Winfrey as she speaks to the importance of nature in her dream of home, and describes the story of Giberto and Bianca Arrivabene, who fought to hold onto their family’s historic Venetian palazzo. Their stories are bookended by Jeremiah’s recollections of his own journey defining home with his husband, fellow interior designer and television personality Nate Berkus, and their two children. Filled with intimate, meaningful details—from the kitchen that now nourishes the grandchildren of the adoring couple who first cooked there fifty years ago to the beams of one apartment’s walls that are etched with hearts to literally represent the love that fills it—and accompanied by 300 inviting and inspiring color photographs— The Space That Keeps You illustrates the essence of what makes a house a home. Just like Jeremiah himself, readers will leave this book with a newfound appreciation for the places that connect and shape us. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Design

256 pages, Hardcover

Published February 20, 2024

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, rounded down - I'm a fan of Nate & Jeremiah on TV, so was interested in this title. This is NOT a "design porn" book, there are pictures, sure, but just to help the reader connect the place to the story. This is an in-depth look into nine homes and those that call them home - the five "W"s of it and mostly the emotions of the place. It's a great concept for a house book, but I wanted more - and while it's interesting to hear Oprah's love for her Montecito mansion & trees, I just couldn't really connect or empathize, and imagine that a lot of others would feel similar in these days of such glaring wealth and income inequality. I do greatly appreciate the diversity that was included here though and really enjoyed the chapters of the author's homes and family that book-ended this.

[Leah Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start by saying how much I LOVE Jeremiah Brent. I am a huge fan and even pre-ordered this book months before it’s official release. This is definitely a gorgeous book that delivers on its promise of exploring what makes spaces special for different people. However, after reading page after page of extremely wealthy and privileged people describe their palaces, farms, vineyards, and summer homes, I felt less and less able to relate. I am not a princess who has inherited a palazzo. I am not Oprah, praying for a different ocean view because my current ocean view is not grounding enough. These people are so fascinating and aspirational, but the overall effect was a bit out of touch.

[Emm · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is such a joy be a part of a world that someone is so deeply passionate about. I am a fan of Jeremiah's, and he has so much heart that really shines through in these stories. The writing is incredibly heartfelt and inviting, and it's beautiful to see all the ways people can turn a physical space into a home.

[India · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, emotional book that has shifted the way I think about what gives a space value. As a huge fan of Jeremiah, I do wish he’d found a way to capture these themes in the stories of ordinary people and not primarily people of wealth and privilege. These pages are full of expensive lofts, inherited palaces, and second homes. The gorgeous 2,000 square foot home in Montecito is described as if the family has embraced humble dwellings for the sake of love (when it isn’t even their main home). The themes resonated in a lovely way, but it would have been far more compelling hearing about what it is to fall in love with an ordinary home. I found myself thinking “Of course you love this one of a kind property with rolling fields and orchards.”

[Marie Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a strong emotional attachment to this book: My son, who moved to Southern California on his own and built a wonderful life there, went to Jeremiah’s book signing to buy this book for me. That effort, founded in love and connection, is actually the heart of Jeremiah’s message. It’s not intended to be a ‘pretty’ design book, but rather a contemplation about how the spaces where we live become that deeper meaning of home. The answers, of course, are love and connection.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gorgeous photographs. Gorgeous words, but it's also a book about rich and famous people and how their million dollar homes provide a sanctuary for them. Wasn't relatable and to me, doesn't give a sense of "home" and how home is more than materialistic things. But, to each is their own.

[Relyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved Jeremiah Brent since I first watched his and Nate's show on HGTV. I love the way he has big feelings, big love, and doesn't shy from expressing them. He just has the loveliest heart. That heart is all over the pages of this book. For anyone who loves their home and family; for anyone wh0 has a beloved place of their own, or longs for one - this book is for you.

[Amanda Katsion vadbunker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a warm hug and so much joy

[elizabeth sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful coffee table book. The stories are unique and authentic to their spaces, but there’s only a few. Writing is conversational but not in depth. The photography is beautiful, layout is like old time scrapbook. It is not a design book at all though which he states at beginning… but I wish he had incorporated a page spread for each home that highlighted specific thoughts on their design.

[Bryn Flanigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 but rounded up bc i <3 jeremiah! this was a beautiful book and i liked that it was a combination of a coffee table book and a nonfiction text book! photos were gorge. writing felt very unedited, but honestly i kinda liked it? it felt like it worked for the medium and it was more the vibe of jeremiah just like talking/writing then a very polished piece of text. main gripe with this book/reason it’s not getting 5 stars is just that the homes that were featured were exclusively these beautiful, huge homes owned by jeremiah’s wealthy/celebrity friends. so yeah, it was cool to read about the fancy houses but given that the main idea of the book was exploration of what makes a house feel like home/why people get attached to their home spaces, it would’ve been more meaningful IMHO to feature a wider variety of spaces. like of course you love your beautiful country home in montecito… of course you enjoy living in a rural farmhouse in portugal bc you have the ability to take years off work and dedicate yourself to renovating it…i bet your penthouse on 5th ave is really nice…. these things didn’t make me not like the book bc again it’s fun to look at fancy cool houses, but i personally wasn’t impacted beyond that in this book too much. it’s clear from watching queer eye that jeremiah does have a great understanding of what makes a house a home for a variety of socioeconomic groups.. and im sure he chose these homes bc that’s his authentic experience as a celebrity and a wealthy person. so like im cool w it and also jeremiah can do no wrong for me 🩷

[Anna Talisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to school to become an interior designer. However life took a different path and so I ended up in a different career. However I am still very fascinated by design and have watched design shows, read books on design, and still help friends and family with their design projects.
This book was so much more than a book about design. Perhaps when I was younger I might have been disappointed by the lack of glossy perfect pictures. But it’s not the pictures or even design itself that makes this book special.
Jerimiah has tapped into his unique philosophy on what it means for a space to become a “Home”.
Reading this book opened my eyes to how design is just a tiny piece of what creates a home.
Jerimiah through his own personal experiences and those of people he has met, shares how home is more a space that holds you, comforts you, brings you joy and peace. It’s where you have memories and rituals. It’s where you gather with those you love.
I loved how much this book taught me about the beauty of seeing things from more than just a design perspective, but as a human being realizing what our very souls connect to.
This book is lovely for everyone, even those who have no interest in design at all.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As many other reviewers have said, I too thought this to be book about decorating. I love Jeremiah Brent and his thoughtful and personal sense of style. This book is not about home decor but it is about that place that is a home. What is it about an apartment or a farmhouse or a large estate that makes it a home. Each chapter details the homes of Jeremiah and Nate or their friends…some we know through celebrity and others whose celebrity is being a friend. This is a beautiful book and has made me look at my own house and what makes it a home.

[Liz MacNeil · Rating 1 out of 5]

the premise of this book is so intriguing but the actual presentation of the book is just like a watered down architectural digest video of celeb homes minus the actual visuals of the home. it’s mostly just about generational wealth and ridiculous privilege. the writing was also lowkey insipid, lacking narrative and could not close the emotional and wealth gap between me and the people i was reading about. like yea i wish i too could also find my rich gay lover who can help me buy my ny penthouse and my portuguese farm

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly lovely book about the place we call home he shares with us the love he has for the home he shares with his partner.The feeling of comfort when you open your door and can relax.He shares Oprah's home in Montecito how she loves to be surrounded by trees and she has picture windows to look out at them from each room.There are pictures accompanying the stories a pleasure to read and look at.#netgalley #the space that keeps you.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazing concept - what tethers a person to their space, and keeps them there forever? What connects the heart. What does home mean ? None of these questions really felt like they were properly explored to me; pompous wealth was explored without much shame though. Having a lot of money doesn’t make a home, how truly bizarre to feel passionate about this topic enough to write a book and to somehow not know that? Too strange

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be more visual but it was almost a meditation. The photographs were kind of plain and meant more to the author than the reader. I did like how it talked about how important space is and how our homes change us when we have a real relationship with our personal space.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly lovely book a book where the author shares what home means to him and his husband.The feeling of comfort and belonging as soon as you walk-in each day.There are lovely photos from his home and others he shares their meaning of home Oprah loves to be surrounded by tress and windows so she can always look out at them.A calming beautiful book .#edelweiss

[Nadezhda Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passion for intentional purpose.

A diverse collection of human’s stories that share physically and emotionally what makes a home. From across the globe, interior design is expressed by these individuals and families that are experiencing or searching for what makes a house, a building, a structure, a landscape, and a feeling of a place that’s called home by the heart.

[Victoria Hoppes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book! It is not a design book, but I like it better than a design book. The stories in it are so personal and inspiring. I may never have a home like any of the ones pictured in this book, but each chapter makes me think about what my own home means to me (and what makes it special.) The photography is beautiful, too.

[Judy Kullenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a regular design book, although it is beautiful. It's how a house gets into your soul. A lot of the houses are unreal.. a palazzo in Venice for example! But all through this book are stories of people who found THEIR home, a true shelter. The Sicily apartment story reminded me of my grandmother and mother's love for their modest homes. I really liked this.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coffee table books need a few essentials:
1. Fantastic photos- this is sort of choppy like a collage and the viewer never gets a clear view of the space.
2. Quick interesting reading- this book has that but for a sort of design book, this one is unrelatable to the semi average person. A few over the top and a few relatable stories would have been better.

[Sue Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the parts about Nate and Jeremiah, and Jeremiah's thoughts about "home." I was less enamored about the other people he interviewed, especially when many have more than one house---sometimes many more---and often wealth and privilege.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I love Jeremiah - what he's all about - this book swept me up in his interpretation of everything peaceful in life about home

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Julia McNamee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Benton's narratives of different couples and individuals and how they created a sense of home.

[Mary Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

For fans of the author and people who are looking for upscale mood designer as opposed to a traditional designer monograph or instructional.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really beautiful book and written with so much emotion.