Posted: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 08:54 PM - 12,005 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."