Posted: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 08:54 PM - 10,411 Readers
By: Nicole Villalpando
Mickey and Donna Foster took an average 6,000-square-foot Lake
Austin house and turned it into a stunning 12,000-square-foot estate
that houses their antique furniture and art collection. A cobblestone
driveway wraps around a fountain in front of the massive limestone and
slate steps of the grand entrance. The stucco house is set off by
columns and balustrades leading up to the wrought-iron and glass
custom-made door.
Mickey Foster is in commercial real estate with
his company Signature Properties. The original 1999-built house, which
the Fosters purchased in 2003, became a four-year project for them. She
picked out much of the finishes and details. He focused on the big
picture. They listed the house about a year ago for $12.8 million but
have since dropped the price to $6.9 million. Connie Lundgren of
Turnquist Partners Realtors Inc. has the listing. Lundgren calls the
home "European elegance meets Southern charm."
Inside, Brazilian
cherry floors flow throughout the main floor of 4708 Island Cove. Four
grand columns set off the living room from the entry. Palladian French
doors lead out to the backyard's extensive patio, which features even
more columns, and the pool and hot tub.
To one side of the living
room is the library with custom cabinetry. The chandelier once hung in
the Pearl Brewery in San Antonio. Beside the library is the dining
room, which has access to the kitchen and the living room.
The
kitchen features custom alder cabinets, some with seeded glass inserts,
three ovens, a warming drawer, six-burner range, two alder-fronted
dishwashers, a wine refrigerator and an alder-fronted
refrigerator/freezer. The copper vent hood was custom-made and finished
to look like leather. In the center of the kitchen, an 11-foot-long
island is topped by one slab of granite with a French custom-painted
sink and distressed pine drawers. The ceiling of this room is also
distressed pine.
An antique chandelier hangs above the copper
sink. The kitchen was originally one big room with the family room, but
Donna Foster wanted some separation. She created a granite buffet that
has barstool seating for six and more alder cabinets below. The
cabinets light up when their doors are open. The Fosters also redid the
pantry to become a walk-in with an alder arched door.
The family
room looks out onto the patio and pool. Its large carved limestone
fireplace is new to the renovation. The Fosters created a bar out of an
antique armoire. The bar does not convey with the property, but the
room is plumbed for another bar.
The focal point of this room is
the mounted longhorn head that once belonged to Casper, one of two
longhorns the Fosters owned on their ranch near Elgin. The other
longhorn, Midnight, provided the hide for the barstools on the basement
level. His horns are also mounted downstairs.
Next to the family
room is the laundry room with built-in cabinets and a full bathroom
that can be used by pool guests. The sodalite granite in this room is
vibrant cobalt blue and a signature piece in this house. The shower is
finished with a pebble floor using stones from Bali.
The 31/2-car
garage is outfitted to be a caterer's kitchen with three-part
stainless-steel sink, commercial ice maker and another
refrigerator/freezer. It provides one of the access points to the patio.
The
Fosters redid the limestone surrounds of the original pool. The hot tub
is accented with the same Bali pebbles as the utility room shower. The
couple extended the patio to contain multiple sitting areas. An outdoor
kitchen is at one end. A meat smoker area is nearby. The roof features
vents that draw the air away from the house when the Fosters barbecue.
Steps lead down to the grassy area and a playscape.
From the
family room, stairs lead to the second floor. This floor now has two
bedrooms on either side and a living space in between with a
wrought-iron staircase leading down to the pool and a full bathroom.
The bathroom is done in a desert theme with painted tiles in blues,
orange and greens.
Access to the attic is through one of the bedroom's built-in bookcases.
Back
on the main level, the other side of the house splits into two wings.
One wing contains two guest bedrooms, each with access to a balcony
with views of the lake and Mount Bonnell. Each bedroom offers its own
bathroom. One of the bathrooms is completely done in blonde onyx from
the sink, counter and shower to the floors and baseboards.
The other bedroom's bathroom features a mirror that originally hung in the Driskill Hotel.
The
other wing starts with a purple powder room with a 14-karat gold and
blue Sherle Wagner sink. All the plumbing fixtures are 14-karat gold
here. The inspiration for the room is a purple and blue chandelier.
A
foyer leading to the master suite could be outfitted with an elevator
to reach the lower level instead of the staircase in the other wing.
The
spacious master bedroom has room for two sitting areas or a sitting
area and a desk. A Carrera marble fireplace surround in the bedroom
inspired the Carrera marble-encased bathroom. Steps lead up to the tub
that is the focal point of the room. A chaise lounge creates a sitting
area. The vanities sit on separate sides of the room, as do the
separate toilet rooms and walk-in closets. The circular shower features
a rain showerhead and a bench.
When the Fosters first bought the
house, it was only the main level and the small second floor. They had
the basement dug out, finished in Spanish oak and supported by steel
pillars encased in Chicago brick and Spanish oak.
Though not wine
people, the Fosters created a Chicago brick wine cellar with a vaulted
brick ceiling, wrought-iron accents and a separate ventilation system.
The
bottom level opens to a gamer's paradise with double pool tables, a
dice table and a magnificent bar. The bar came from a 19th-century
hotel in Big Spring that was rumored to be a brothel. Old West wanted
posters become wallpaper behind the bar and in the men's room. The
women's room is done in animal print. Antiques include lighting
fixtures from the Capitol and the first General Electric ceiling fan
model.
The main room also provides a large office space. A
reinforced concrete vault is being used as a gun safe, but it also has
separate ventilation system and could become a safe room.
This
level also features a media room with power-reclining red chairs. The
room's design was inspired by the Paramount Theatre. It also sits on a
floating concrete floor and has a double layer of soundproofing to
avoid vibrating the whole house when the surround sound is on.
Another
room on this side is outfitted for a sauna but is now used for
Christmas storage. An adjoining closet serves as a place for hunting
clothing and accessories.
The whole house serves as a gallery for
Mickey Foster's art collection. Lighting like the kind that is used in
the Blanton Museum of Art is found throughout the lower level. The main
level also features expensive recessed lighting designed for art.
The
high-tech features of the house include wiring to support 20 computers
and has four plasma home theater systems with back-up satellite
equipment, computer-controlled lighting, six security cameras, two
water pressure pumps and seven air conditioners.
The house sits
on 2.3 acres and shares another 1.6 acres of waterfront down the street
with the next-door neighbors. There are two boat slips there now, but a
boat dock could be built on the 400 feet of waterfront.
"We really use the home," says Donna Foster. "It's so livable."
