a personal palace; Part Spanish mission, part Chinese pagoda, the extraordinary Los Angeles house designed by restaurateur Michael Chow to suit his idiosyncratic tastes was seven years in the making.

Byline: Eve Macsweeney

Cruising past the high walls and imperceptibly numbered, well-secured facades of a Los Angeles neighborhood tucked discreetly between Beverly Hills and Bel Air, you can tell you're at Michael Chow's when you spot a pair of enormous crystals on the gateposts. The crystals are a typical Chowism: Eastern in feeling, they turn out to be inspired by the work of French Art Deco designer Jean-Michel Frank. Frank is big with Mr. Chow, as are mile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Venetian palazzi, Spanish architecture and contemporary art, all of which play a major role in the house's design. And there's more. As Chow and his wife, Eva, push open their heavy ...