Inside musician Kita Alexander and Olympic surfer Owen Wright's Byron Bay beach shack

Paradiso Property, the house belonging to musician Kita Alexander and Olympic surfer Owen Wright is many things: home away from home; creative studio; music video backdrop. 

Wright bought the property, which sits opposite Belongil Beach near the heart of Byron Bay, around 14 years ago on the advice of friends who suggested that, rather than simply make a financial investment, he bought in a location that would facilitate the kind of lifestyle he wanted to live. 

“Byron was definitely that lifestyle destination,” says Alexander, who grew up in Port Macquarie. 

The couple renovated the four-bedroom home just before the summer of 2019. They had to navigate council regulations to ensure they respected the house’s heritage status, and engaged Harley Graham Architects and Morada Build to create their dream pad.

“They really helped us just expand on what was already there,” Alexander says. “So, we knocked down a few walls; we let lots of light into it.”

As a team, they sanded back the floorboards to lighten the timber, gave the place fresh coats of paint, removed the downlights and installed wall lights instead. 

With the removal of walls, the lounge room has become an open-plan living space that opens out onto the deck. The couple also added a solar-heated plunge pool that becomes a spa in winter. 

“It was such a busy process but it really helped transform it into a little beach shack,” Alexander says. “It’s a small house and it just makes you realise that you don’t need a huge house to be functional or to enjoy the space.”

The result is a home that retains its classic character while embodying the quintessentially Byron qualities of lightness, brightness and breeziness.

Exposed timber-beam ceilings and traditional wooden wall panelling meet fresh white walls and cabinetry complemented by splashes of leather, jute, linen and greenery. 

While Alexander is quick to point out that she isn’t a professional stylist, she’s proud that her approach of sticking to “neutral tones and timber and browns” produced such a pleasing aesthetic. 

“I’m really happy with how it turned out,” she says. “Our builder was actually moving house so we bought a bit of furniture off him.

“It all happened really quickly, too. It was the summer before COVID; the summer before the storms. And the weather was perfect, so I was like, ‘I need to get this done really quickly because I want to go surfing!’” 

While Alexander and Wright spend most of their time at their property in Lennox Head, 20 minutes south of Byron Bay, Paradiso Property is their second home and where they’ll stay when friends come to visit.

They’ve made the place so homely that they’re tempted to shift residences permanently.  

“We’re always talking about, ‘Should we just move in there? Should we just do it?’ The only thing that’s stopping us is we don’t have time to pack up boxes,” Alexander says. 

A huge benefit of having a separate dwelling is that she can use it as a creative space.

Paradiso Property is where Alexander wrote her most recent music, which she says was a godsend because it enabled her to focus on her work without being too far away from her family. 

The property also doubled as the filming location for Alexander’s recent single, Queen, which is about the joy of dancing around your house alone. 

Immersing herself in the beauty of Byron Bay was also helpful to the writing process, Alexander says. 

“I definitely write the best music when I’m in a sunny location,” she says. “The type of music I create and the type of music I love creating is really conducive to being near the beach, near nature and just being healthy and getting to look after yourself … getting your exercise in, going for a walk, getting your feet in nature.”

The home is conveniently located within walking distance of hot-spots such as Belongil Beach Italian Food and Treehouse Byron Bay, and the weekly farmer’s market takes place just behind the house. 

“It’s just such a beautiful location,” Alexander says. “A lot of our friends … go on holiday to Mexico or other places and they come back and say, ‘Nowhere’s better than Byron.’

“The beaches, the water, it’s clean, it’s safe … Byron just really ticks all these boxes.”

The home is also available as a holiday rental, and the couple has made an effort to ensure anyone who comes to stay feels just as comfortable there as they do. 

“We want them to feel like they’re at home,” Alexander says. “You know, we don’t want them to feel like it’s too nice to touch anything.

“It’s definitely a homey stay. You can … have the kids running around. It’s just a home away from home.”

Kita Alexander’s new single Date Night, featuring Morgan Evans, is out on July 27. It follows previous singles Queen and 7 Minutes in Heaven.