Photography by Tre Dunham | Interior design by Marilyn Roberts, The Etagere

“I don’t know if any one else will ever have one, but it was perfect for here,” Roxanne says of the unusual light fixture mimicking melted candles above the kitchen island.

Some things are just meant to be. And I don’t think Roxanne and Steve Martin would argue that their Country French-inspired home perched on a hillside in Austin was, well, meant to be. As longtime residents of Austin, they had lived in and built several houses, but they wanted to build once more, a heart-and-soul home, where their friends and family could gather.

After finding the perfect place to build, as if by fate, through an its-a-small-world scenario, the Martins worked with architects to fine tune the previous owner’s plans and renderings to their own needs and dreams. The lot, which overlooks the outskirts of Austin to the west, was not easy to work with, but the spectacular, unobstructed views from the rear of the house and the back porch made it all worth it. “It is the most perfect place to sit out on that porch. We love it. I love having my first cup of coffee out there and my quiet time. It is a good place,” says Roxanne.