Just north of Miami, Serena Williams holds court in a home she and her sister Venus designed together. Serena contacted V Starr, Venus’s world-class design firm, to design this extraordinary home with breathtaking views in a sought-after enclave north of Miami, just minutes from Venus and their parents.

Venus explains that, as with any other client, her top priority was to accommodate Serena’s vision, which entirely shifted during the design process. After purchasing a 14,500-square-foot Spanish Mediterranean-style property, Serena’s traditional tastes felt out of place in this new phase of her life. She attributes her preference for contemporary art and technology to her more contemporary, minimalistic aesthetic. Then there was the blossoming relationship with tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian. According to Sonya Haffey, the principal of V Starr, Serena’s prospective family goals were always an integral part of the design process.

After three years and an extensive renovation, Serena and her husband and child moved into the completely redesigned, ultra-modern Intracoastal property in July. The adage, “If you build it, they will come,” states that if you construct something, people will arrive. All agree, however, that the design was driven by Serena’s distinctive imagination, with guidance from V Starr.

While Ohanian played a supporting role to Serena’s hands-on approach, he assumed the lead in their daughter’s bedroom when she was three years old. Both parents concur that the highlights of their home are Olympia’s pink custom-designed castle bed with a built-in slide and an equally spectacular, one-of-a-kind chandelier created by blown-glass artist Josh Fradis. It is undoubtedly princess-worthy.

Serena insisted on exercising more restraint in other areas, despite the fact that Olympia’s chamber is the most extravagant. The combination of sleek, clean lines and high-end features with warm woods and casual accents that complement Serena’s laid-back vibe produced a visually cohesive narrative that represents Serena’s newly evolved design aesthetic.

At Serena’s request, the V Starr team devised a creative design solution to convert a classical Floridian-style foyer and a formal sitting room with beautiful chairs no one sat in into a colourful art space with eccentric pieces on display.

In addition to tennis, technology, and creating a fashion empire, karaoke is one of Serena’s favourite pastimes. After winning the US Open, the world champions would revel in a private karaoke room on Manhattan’s 50th Street. Naturally, Serena required her own. A karaoke chamber is located just off the gallery, hidden behind a bookshelf-masked secret door. A playful reference to Serena’s karaoke persona, a small stage, a plush aquamarine velvet banquette, and foliage frame a neon sign that reads sérénade.