An object of desire

For years the owners of this palatial abode had admired it before leaping at the chance to make it their own – and now it could be yours

FREIGHT tycoon boss Clive Thomas and his wife Lee-Anne had their hearts set on the palatial property at 25 Seafarer Court 25 years before they made the decision to buy it. The couple initially bought another house in the same street before they snapped up their dream home in 2007.

“We were living a few doors down at number 15 and when the house at number 25 came on the market we knew that was our chance to buy it,” Mrs Thomas said. “We have lived here ever since.” The stunning Surfers Paradise home is poised on an 1375sq m property and includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms, two double garages as well as a jetty, pontoon and boat ramp. But it was the Japanese-inspired design that sparked the pair’s interest.

“There are water features all over the house,” the mother-of-two said. “To get to the front door you need to walk over stepping stones across water. Inside the main area is a pond with stepping stones.

“You’re always walking across stepping stones which is really calming. I think the best way to describe the home is contemporary with an Asian twist.”

Mrs Thomas said the home had interesting features that also made it unique.

“I really liked the inbuilt feature buffets throughout the home and the nooks in the walls for ornaments,” she said.

“When I styled it I just went with the flow of the design and kept everything quite modern.”

The home has an open-plan design and bifold doors that create an indoor-outdoor flow.

The living area looks out to the pool and a private beach – more than 60m of sandy beach is accessible from the main living areas.

With magnificent living spaces and a series of alfresco terraces, Mrs Thomas said the home was well designed for grand-scale entertaining.

“I remember once when my son was in boarding school he brought home a friend to stay during the holidays,” she said.

“We had a baby piano in the living room and his friend was a marvellous piano player.

“He asked if he could play one afternoon so we opened up all the doors and the music sounded spectacular in the house. No doubt it flowed out to the canal and across the water to the neighbours. The house has some wonderful acoustics.”

The pool area features a spiral staircase which winds up to the master bedroom.

“It was a really fun feature in the house,” Mrs Thomas said. “My husband loves to swim so really enjoyed waking up and walking straight out of bed to the pool for a dip.

“The pool area also has its own toilets and showers which is really useful for when we have social gatherings.

“There was no need for people to jump out of the pool and dry off to go inside.”

Tropical palms and lanscaped gardens provide a tranquil feel throughout the grounds while the outlook to the Surfers Paradise skylin adds to the opulance.

After 10 years the family has moved back to Sydney where their business C.T. Freight is headquartered.

Marketing agent Michael Kollosche of Kollosche Prestige Agents described the property as a contemporary sanctuary.