Chris Mitchell and Pilar Guzman are design obsessives who both want the same thing: rooms that are spare yet warm, layered yet clean, current yet timeless. Rooms that never forget the real humans - with all their needs, hopes, emotions, aspirations, and even spills - who live in these spaces. Over the course of six ever more ambitious home renovations, they've cracked the code on how to achieve this. It's a simple formula, one that lies in mixing modern design with timeworn materials - in particular, white oak, brass, and bridle leather, all three of which become richer, mellower, and burnished with patina as they age. The book leads by example, as the authors reveal in room-by-room detail the full evolution of their homes, including a Brooklyn brownstone and two classic Hamptons 'cottages'. Along the way, we come to not only understand just how they see and think but also learn what they've learned, getting an education in colour, proportion, paint, and the world of modern furniture design, for which the authors have a special passion.