I love big coffee table books with lots of lavish illustrations. I have more than a few, since I studied Art History in college. They are in big stacks in my book room and I may not have taken any photos of them (for fear what would people think...this girl is truly obsessive). I vaguely recall, however, seeing a photo of Susan Sontag's apartment/house (I think she lived in an apartment in NYC?) and there was a photo of a room chock full of books. So I don't feel quite so bad.
Writers' Houses by Francesca Premoli-Droulers is a beautiful book. You get to see the homes of twenty-one famous authors. It is hard to choose a favorite. Certainly none of them lived in drab surroundings. So many of them had gorgeous gardens, or lovely views, large personal libraries---it is interesting to see where they created. Some of the authors included are: Karen Blixen (her home is very elegant), Jean Cocteau (his home has lots of unusual objects), William Faulkner (his home is somewhat spartan), Pierre Loti (his home is very exotic), Vita Sackville-West (her home has lovely gardens), and Marguerite Yourcenar (her home is very traditional). Any serious reader would appreciate this book.