A PERFECT FIT

THE OWNERS OF THIS COASTAL QUEENSLAND HOUSE HAVE LONG LOVED SOUTH-EAST ASIAN STYLE, AND FUSED IT WITH A BREEZY BEACH FEEL IN THEIR DREAM HOME.

Vicki and Tony Lemarseny are living the dream in their South East Asian-style home in sunny Peregian Beach.

“WE ACTUALLY PINCH OURSELVES EVERY MORNING,” says Vicki Lemarseny of living in sunny Peregian Beach, Queensland. “It’s just heaven.”

That’s not just because of the warm, subtropical climate, or because Vicki, 63, and her husband Tony, 62, live by the beach, which is itself not far from Noosa’s relaxed, holiday-destination vibe. It’s because the couple live in a house that Tony, a builder and plumber, built just for them. “Everything’s got its purpose,” says Vicki. “I’ve got a little art studio, and a yoga room. We’ve got rooms for the family when they come up. We’ve got an edible garden. This house will never be for sale – there’s too much of us in it.”

It took Tony and carpenter Lionel Thomas two years of painstaking work to create the house, but it wasn’t exactly Tony’s first rodeo. “He was a plumber, then he became a builder and built units in Sydney with his brother,” explains Vicki, whose first date with Tony, 40 years ago, was at Sydney’s Coogee Beach, where they lived for decades. “Then we did a tree change and moved to Jamberoo, and for five years Tony built us a beautiful stone house there.” >

“Everything’s got its purpose. I’ve got a little art studio, a yoga room, an edible garden …”

But during one particularly cold winter, they visited Noosa to escape the chill and promptly fell in love with the laid-back lifestyle. True to form, Tony built five houses nearby to sell, before getting to work on their own beachside dream home.

The couple have long been keen travellers, visiting Bali as often as they can manage and, in recent years, Sri Lanka, too. “And Tony does his big surf trips, of course,” says Vicki of her husband, who is a regular yogi, as well as an Ironman and surf life-saving competitor. And they’ve brought their travels home with them, not only furnishing the house with objects shipped back from their travels, but in some cases, literally building the place from them.

“In Sri Lanka, we found this junkyard, where the owner buys old things – you pick what you like and then he restores it for you. We were peering in at the gate until we finally got an appointment with him, and found these old posts that now hold up the shade structure in the backyard. They took 10 months to get here!” says Vicki.

They also brought back a container from Bali that had not only the wooden wall in the courtyard but also the pretty tiles that edge the roof. “If you look closely at the >

“This house will never be for sale – there’s too much of us in it.”

“We pinch ourselves every morning … it’s just heaven.”

wall, you’ll see this shell pattern – I love that,” says Vicki, who used the shells as a starting point for a subtly executed coastal theme throughout the house. As for the painted tiles: “Tony had an idea of having those roof tiles painted with frangipanis. So we got a driver and off we went into the country to where a family makes these tiles in a big furnace. To do the deal, we had to meet the family, sit with them and have a drink on this hot, hot day. Then, when we shipped them out, we were about 10 tiles short. I couldn’t believe it! So we had some more sent out, but they came without the frangipanis painted on them. I had to get up a ladder, copy the others and paint them myself!”

Thankfully, Vicki’s a dab hand with a paintbrush, having taken up art full-time since she and Tony handed over the running of their coconut-water business, Nakula, to their daughter Chloe, 35, and son Lachlan, 32, who are both based in Sydney. “My art studio is my haven,” says Vicki. “I’m there from 1pm till 6pm every day, and after dinner, too.” Her dedication has paid off, as her paintings are now stocked at The Gallery Peregian Beach.

“Everyone has hard times along the way,” says Vicki, “but now, we’re seeing the fruits of that. This is heaven.” See more of Vicki’s work on Instagram @vickilemoart

Vicki and Tony fell in love with Peregian’s holiday vibe. FACING PAGE “The tiles in the dining room set the theme for the whole house,” says Vicki. “They’re hand-baked tiles from Bali. It makes us so happy to look at them.”

FACING PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The stained-glass doors “are our signature,” says Vicki. “It represents a paint box, because the artist is within”; much of their furniture came from Bali and Sri Lanka; unique furnishings were sourced during travels; keen baker Vicki spends mornings in the kitchen, creating cakes and slices.

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE The sea theme is continued throughout the house; “I love the little shell shape on the wall,” says Vicki of the wooden wall in their backyard. “We brought that back from Bali.” They shipped the hand-carved granite paving stones from Sri Lanka; Vicki basks in the sun. FACING PAGE The frangipani roof tiles were a labour of love.

The laundry was Vicki’s first foray into decorating with patterns. “I never get sick of looking at those tiles,” she says. FACING PAGE Eye-catching furniture items and homewares sourced abroad add reminders of far-flung adventures.

Vicki and Tony have found the perfect work-life balance in idyllic Peregian Beach.

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE Vicki and Tony shipped their bed from Sri Lanka. “It could be a hundred years old,” says Vicki; “When I was 40, I started art classes,” says Vicki. “And when I turned 60, I declared I was doing it full-time”; Vicki’s artworks decorate the bedroom walls.