This Monocle book shows how to make a house into a home. A practical guide and great source of inspiration, it presents interiors, furniture and places, as well as portraits of the people who can make it happen. The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes celebrates the durable and meaningful through a collection of houses that tell a story. Most architecture and interiors books show perfectly polished houses, so well maintained that it's hard to imagine anyone actually living there: they seem to miss the point that houses are meant to be lived in. They should be able to take the wear and tear and be part of a community, be it a Chicago skyscraper or Australia's sunny coast.

Where is the best place to find a home? What are the villages, coasts, mountains, towns and cities that would make you want to settle down? The Monocle Guide to Cosy answers these questions with a global photographic overview of a wide variety of homes. Whether the focus is on a remote residence in the Swedish archipelago or a lavish abode in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo or Toronto, this book is the perfect balance between inspiration and realism. The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes features interesting people with ideas, from design store owners to green roof gardeners who have designed their work to last. It is a book about quality of life.