When Giorgio and Leilani Serra visited Australia, not only did they fall in love with the resort of Noosa, they became besotted by the striking architecture of a local designer too.
Giorgio Serra is the first to admit that a permanent move to Australia wasn't something that had crossed his mind when he arranged a holiday to the Sunshine Coast with his Dutch wife Leilani. 'It wasn't a conscious decision to look for a place to live in Noosa, but it was certainly an easy one to make,' he says. Discovering the miles of sun-drenched beaches, clear blue waters and lush landscape, the couple couldn't bear to leave. Five years on they now live in an extraordinary architect-designed home with two-year-old Amedeo, and the latest addition to their family, seven-month-old Valentino.
Apart from the obvious natural attractions of Queensland, the Serras also had their heads turned by the local architecture, which has become a famous feature of this stretch of Aussie coastline. Low-rise, daringly designed homes give the waterfront a unique skyline in a stunningly beautiful natural setting.
Credit: Richard Powers
The swimming pool has a covered section to provide some respite from the intense summer sun.
One very distinctive style of architecture in particular caught Giorgio's eye. 'Frank Macchia's graphic exteriors and interesting use of materials really stood out to me as something different,' he recalls. 'I liked the fact that his houses also fitted in with the environment perfectly.' In fact, so impressed was Giorgio by Frank's body of work that he bought Frank's own home, the first to be built by the designer in Noosa.
Then it was only a matter of time before the Serras were commissioning Frank to build them an individually designed house of their own. 'I trusted Frank implicitly,' says Giorgio. 'As we were living in one of his designs at the time, I knew how he liked to turn the space in on itself and not be distracted by the details or the neighbours. The only guideline we gave him was the number of bedrooms and, apart from that, he had a completely free rein.'
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