Marks believes a home must reflect the way its inhabitants want to live, their unique perspective, how they approach their lives. Trained in England, Marks has long had a deep and profound architectural crush on the British vernacular, which creates a pleasing interplay with his Southern California roots. The homes explored in the book include his 1925 beach cottage in Montecito; a clean Bahamian compound open to the azure seas with design drama, color, and romance at every turn; a working Los Angeles horse farm; and his new family home in Greenwich, Connecticut. Along the way Marks shares key bits of advice for creating the looks. Casual comfort is key performance fabrics, cotton and natural fiber rugs, blues pulled from the outdoors as is a sense of theater, accomplished with antiques and dramatic lighting. The results are homes that feel layered and dramatic, but always comfortable and ready to be lived in.