The moment the heavy front door opens on Michelle and Frank Hevrdejs' imposing Pebble Beach home, the view is breathtaking. Yes, the view.

For the foyer opens directly to the living room which, through floor-to-ceiling glass walls, overlooks the treetops of a lush pine forest with distant vistas of Carmel Bay and the Santa Lucia Mountains beyond. Sigh.

No wonder it's difficult to pull this busy couple back to their home base at The Houstonian, no shabby aerie, I might add.

The 60-year-old California house was purchased six years ago and then began a mammoth five-year undertaking that included going back to the studs, bringing the structure up to current earthquake standards and repairing water damage.

The goal that Frank and Michelle shared with their decorator, John Newcomb, was to transform the spacious, if out-dated, dwelling into an authentic replica of a northern French country house. Frank, busy with his duties as chairman of Houston-based Sterling Group, left the daunting, yet exciting and gratifying, task to Michelle and Newcomb, a close family friend.

Part of the challenge and the fun was tracking down a wealth of early 18th-century fireplaces, fountains, mirrors, chandeliers, tables and architectural pieces that today are generously scattered through the house, lending an air of authenticity.

Guest-friendly interiors

"We wanted to make the house easy and comfortable for just the two of us and to easily accommodate up to 10 house guests," Frank said. Three guest bedrooms in the main house and two bedrooms in the guest cottage were designed and decorated with the same attention to detail that was employed throughout the public spaces.

The full entertaining value of the house with a spacious terrace that embraces the spectacular view was experienced in June when the couple hosted a cocktail reception in conjunction with the U.S. Open. As many as 200 guests, including a number of golfing greats, moved easily in and out.

The house is as much about family as it is about large-scale entertaining. "I wanted a place that our grandchildren could really enjoy and play in," Michelle added. "They are crazy about the theater with all the movies and video games. And they love the big U-shaped sectional that we chose instead of conventional theater seating."

To insure the authentic feel of old world France, the couple purchased more than 25 books on the architecture and design of French country houses. The master bedroom was temporarily transformed into an operations center where pictures from the various books lined the walls, guiding the builder, designer and owners. No surprise then that the lines and detailing in the house are convincing.

The floors are a combination of distressed wood and travertine limestone, with holes filled. Beam work throughout the house was made to order in Oregon and then hand-distressed and stained on site. Doors and windows were custom made locally. Those large glass windows, offering the spectacular views, are 1-inch thick with air pockets between the panes.

In a happy nod from the fates, the house is situated so that the master bedroom, living room and kitchen all have spectacular ocean, beach and mountain views that, according to Frank, "bring the California coast alive as the weather changes." In fact, whether it is a garden view or one of those spectacular panoramas, no room is without a rich vista.

A penchant for fine art

Known for his museum-quality art collection, Frank has dressed the house in an enviable assortment of paintings, a combination of French and American works, many featuring French cathedrals, wheat fields, rural scenes and still lifes. Frank says that the most interesting painting in the house is one of famed actress Sarah Bernhardt and opera singer Christine Nielsen, together in Bernhardt's Paris townhouse, circa 1880.

The richly-decorated interiors include Frank's office, where he works for several hours each day, the large theater room, a vast kitchen/family room and a game room that houses his collection of vintage golf clubs and a 100-year-old pool table. The game room, guest bedrooms and wine cellar are located on the lower level of the house, created by a sloping terrain.

Not only a collector of fine art, Frank is also a collector of fine wines, a penchant he indulges in the wine cellar. The cozy space features a double-barreled stone ceiling, stone floors, storage for 3,000 bottles of wine and, as the Hevrdejs are big on entertaining, room for 8 to 10 guests for wine tastings.

The great outdoors

Part of the joy of visiting this home is exploring the carefully planned and beautifully-manicured gardens that cover the sloping terrain surrounding the house. Boxwood hedges line gravel paths and stone steps that meander from one side of the house to another. Flowering plants and a bounty of lush ferns add a depth of color and richness to the landscape. Michelle's favorite spot in the garden is the rose area where the plantings appear to be anchored around a statue by French sculptor Mathurin Moreau.

Frank has his favorite among the colorful roses — the apricot/coral hued "Just Joey."

His love of California was nurtured during his high school and college years in Los Angeles. His love of golf led him to Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach Resort courses in the neighborhood number five. And there are numerous private golf clubs in the area.

Frank and Michelle, who called Pebble Beach home for much of her life, were married a few years ago, shortly after he purchased the house for remodeling into this spectacular second home. They are just back in Houston after spending most of the summer there. Frank reports it has been the coldest summer on record with temperatures never getting above 65 degrees in July and, so far, in August.

Sounds heavenly.