It’s another cozy afternoon during the quarantine, and Serena Williams is resting in her newly decorated home office talking to her sister, Venus. Just two months have passed since the tennis titans, known at the Top Seed Open in Kentucky, have returned to the court since the forced hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The world-famous duo, who played many roles in each other’s lives in the 23 years since their first match against each other, is laughing while reflecting on the five-year journey of collaborating on their biggest joint effort: designing Serena’s dream home .
After co-owning a property in Palm Beach Gardens, where the pair has lived intermittently since 1998, Serena bought her own beachfront property, with stunning views in a coveted enclave north of Miami, just minutes from Venus and her parents. To help make the home ideal for her own family, she naturally turned to V Starr, Venus’ world-class design company.
“I was moving from Venus for the first time in my life, so I wanted it to be really meaningful,” says Serena. While mixing family with business can be risky, the family’s secret to success is simple: “You have to know your way. I am very good at playing tennis; I’m not that good at interiors. But I was able to learn just by watching Venus. “
As with any other customer, Venus’s priority was to heed Serena’s vision. After buying the 14,500 square foot Spanish-Mediterranean home, his traditional tastes were not in harmony with the new phase of his life. Due to his love for art and technology he ends up introducing a more modern and minimalist aesthetic. Serena and Alexis Ohanian recently started dating, shortly after Serena embarked on this huge real estate project, but Sonya Haffey, director of V Starr, says that Serena’s future goals were part of the design plans all along.
Last July – after three years – Serena finally moved to the ultramodern intracoastal estate, completely renovated, with a husband and son in tow. Although they all participated, it was especially Serena’s unique imagination – with the guidance of V Starr – that led the project.
