An original mid-century home designed and built by its architect owner has captivated a new generation of buyers with its funky features and incredible handcrafted detail.

The quirky 1960s-built property at 546 D’arcy Rd, Carina was Queensland’s most viewed home listed for sale on realestate.com.au this week, and goes to auction on May 11.

Marketed by Torres Property agents, Jack Barrett and Damian Cochrane, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on a 607 sqm lot was the work of the late Eugene Bouel, a respected Brisbane architect whose commercial designs included churches, pubs and breweries.

The property has amassed an impressive volume of interest

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It’s on the market for the first time since being built

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The jazz den has a cosy fireplace

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Mr Bouel and his wife, Fay, raised three daughters, Shauna, Donna, and Tracy, and remained at the family home until their respective deaths in 2017 and 2022, aged 86 and 88.

With just under 200 sqm of living space over two levels, the home is finished in vivid colours and textures, with features including stucco walls, louvred windows, and extensive built-in furniture.

An elevated dining platform sits under high timber-lined ceilings, while a studio and bar open onto a large entertaining patio and garden courtyards.

Floating timber stairs lead to ‘the jazz den’ , a downstairs lounge with plush furnishings and a cosy fireplace, where the owners hosted soirees for their local jazz club.

Late owners, Eugene and Fay Bouel

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Mr Barrett said the property had attracted huge interest from local families as well as interstate buyers, among them many drawn by the distinctive Modernist architectural style made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright.

“We had 109 groups through the first open home inspection, so it will be a very, very intense auction by the looks of things,” said Mr Barrett.

“It is ridiculously rare to see a home with such classic appeal that has been as well maintained as this.

“Generally, they are very run down and need a lot of work, so this really is a one-of-a-kind home for the area.”

Shauna Bouel said her ingenious father single-handedly built the property, rigging up pulleys to lift heavy beams, with construction stretching over several years from 1966.

Stucco walls and timber ceilings

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Louvres and built-in furniture in the bedrooms

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“My father was quite an amazing fella. He had a massive pile of bricks delivered from an old kiln at Redbank Plains and he sat out at night and chipped all the old concrete to make the home’s spectacular terraces,” Ms Bouel said.

“He never took the easy way. He was always energetic and enthusiastic, even though he was running up and down a long and hilly block of land. We still can’t believe he lifted all of the walls into the home on his own.”

Mr Bouel was also a fan of classic cars

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Her parents met as teenaged ballroom dancers, and maintained their zest for life through the ensuing decades, with Ms Bouel eventually working with her husband in the family business.

“They used to have lots of people over and they would listen to jazz until the very wee hours of the morning.

“Eugene and Fay used to hold hands all the time and they lived out their love story happily in their unique home until their passing.”

The house is positioned by the bushland of Seven Hills Reserve and a short walk from public and private schools, with cafes and shops also close by.

PropTrack data shows house prices in Carina were up 4.4 per cent over the past 12 months to a median of $1.016m.

The mosaic-tiled bathroom

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