Danish Kurani
The Spaces that Make Us
Harvard-trained architect and designer and author of The Spaces that Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World
San Francisco, CA and Atlanta, GA
BOOK COVER
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: February 10, 2026
Genre: Design
Publisher: Harper Celebrate
Page Count: 272
Format, ISBN, Price:
Hardcover / 978-1400249121 / $26.98
Ebook / 978-1400249190 / $14.99
Audiobook / B0FMZW7XB2
Click here to watch Danish on creating a space that makes lives better
ABOUT THE BOOK
Change your space, change your life.
Did you know the design of a room could improve your relationships, benefit your physical and mental health, and enhance your productivity and focus? It’s true: we live in a symbiotic relationship with the spaces around us. But, the world that we’ve designed isn’t living up to its potential to support our health, happiness, and well-being. The good news is, we can rethink and redesign the spaces that make us.
For 20 years, Danish Kurani, one of the world’s most innovative architects, has been transforming spaces to improve people’s health and happiness through the design of homes, schools, offices, and neighborhoods across four continents. With The Spaces That Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World, he changes how we see our environment, illuminates what isn’t working, and helps people remake their spaces for a happier, healthier life. Insights include:
- How design affects our thoughts, mood, and behavior
- Design’s impact on our physical health, emotional well-being, and relationships—and how current norms make life worse
- How to create spaces that are functional, beautiful, and life-changing
- Practical strategies for using smarter design to improve your life, at any budget level
Danish’s unique, easy-to-follow design philosophy, Baaham (pronounced BAH-hum), draws from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology. With practical approaches and real-world examples, The Spaces That Make Us is a roadmap for reimagining the places where we spend most of our time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Danish Kurani (pronounced DAH-nuhsh Koor-AH-nee) is a Harvard-trained designer named one of the world’s most innovative architects by Fast Company. His designs and ideas have been featured in TIME, NPR, Business Insider, Architectural Digest, and the Wall Street Journal. Kurani believes architecture changes the quality of our lives and is devoted to teaching people about the power of design and to building environments for human wellness. Recognized as a leader in social impact architecture, he has designed schools, homes, offices, clinics, and neighborhoods across four continents.
TALKING POINTS
- Training yourself to see how your environment affects you and how to use that awareness to design a better life
- Why improving your space is one of the most powerful ways to improve your health, strengthen your relationships, and feel more in control of your everyday life
- How many built spaces ignore basic human needs or are hostile or biased
- How to create environments that actually support connection, well-being, and meaning and can shape your space with intention
- The 7 core principles of Kurani’s own Baaham (pronounced BAH-hum) design philosophy
- How to use the Baaham design process to design a more peaceful home, a more tranquil bedroom, or more productive workspace
TIMELY TIE-INS
March
- International Ideas Month
- Color Therapy Month
- Telecommuter Appreciation Week (Work from Home) – 1 to 7
April
- Stress Awareness Month
May
- Mental Health Awareness Month
PRAISE
“A beautiful and powerful reminder that our health, happiness, and even identities are the product of hidden forces all around us. Danish Kurani shows how to design spaces that transform us into the people we want to be. You’ll never see the physical world the same way again.”
—Jonah Berger, New York Times-bestselling author of Contagious and The Catalyst
“Kurani is one of the industry’s most exciting, innovative figures. His ideas changed how I see the world and interact with my surroundings. This book is an eye-opener for anyone who loves design—or simply wants a happier life.”
—Paul Makovsky, editor-in-chief of ARCHITECT magazine
“An uncommonly accessible book about architecture that pulls the focus away from buildings to show how design shapes people’s experience of the world. It’s a passionate call to use that power for good.”
—Nate Berg, Journalist, Fast Company
“An engaging read, and a powerful argument that the best design grows out of generous attention to human need and deep regard for place.”
—Sam Lubell, Contributor, New York Times
“An exceptional work that reimagines how smart, ethical, thoughtful design can radically change our lives. I want to live in that world.”
—Rachel Sonis, Editor, TIME
“Kurani has no illusions about the forces conspiring to make our world uglier, yet this is an undeniably hopeful book. With deep care and precision, he argues for a revolutionary reimagining of the places we call home. It’s a delight to join him on the journey.”
—James Rodriguez, Reporter, Business Insider
“A heartfelt, deeply researched book [that] shows that how we choose to design our surroundings shapes who we become. We can all become the architects of our own lives, should we choose to dream courageously.”
—Sheena Iyengar, Columbia Business School Professor and Bestselling Author of The Art of Choosing
“In his new book, Kurani introduces a world-changing design philosophy that will inspire readers to craft their ideal world. In doing so, he reveals how as we shape our spaces, our spaces then shape us.”
—Debbie Millman, host of Design Matters
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: Memoir / Christian Inspirational
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Count: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1647429003
Price: $15.99