This Monocle book tells us how to turn a house into a home。 Both a practical guide and a great source of inspiration， The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes presents the interiors， furniture， and locations you need to know about along with portraits of the people who can make it happen。 The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes celebrates the durable and the meaningful through a collection of homes that tell a story。 Most architecture and interior books show houses polished to perfection， manicured to the extent that it is hard to imagine anybody acually lives there: they seem to miss the point that homes are meant to be inhabited。 They should be able to take the scuffs and knocks and to be part of a community， whether in a Chicago skyscraper or on Australia's sunshine coast。 So where are the best places to make a home？ What are the villages， coastlines， mountains， towns， and cities that would make you want to settle down？ The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes answers those questions with a global photographic survey of a wide variety of homes。 Whether the focus is on a remote residence in the Swedish archipelago or a lush abode in Rio de Janeiro， or on the difference between residing in Tokyo and Toronto， this book is the perfect balance between the inspirational and the practical。 The book is a survey of everything you need to know to build the residence of your dreams， providing insight into the best neighborhoods， architects， and makers all over the world。 From design-store owners to green-roof gardeners， The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes introduces you to interesting people with ideas that are built to last。 Monocle's signature illustrations punctuate the book's rich and detailed content。 Through striking photography， The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes also gives you a glimpse into the lives that unfold in these apartments， villas， and cottages， showing that these homes are alive and that this is precisely what makes them special。 This is a book that should be referred to again and again--it is a book about the quality of life。