When they bought this bach in a remote Northland bay, Alex and Corban Walls were not-yet-weds. Now the former car showroom they updated a decade ago has matured along with their family.
Alex and Corban Walls are no strangers to hands-on home transformation. Their latest project — a renovation of their beloved bach in Whananaki — builds on their long-standing appreciation for design, durability and the art of making a house a home. Having previously built their Tāmaki Makaurau/North Shore home from the ground up, this time the couple took on the challenge of revitalising a space that has been at the heart of their family’s life for more than a decade.
Whananaki holds deep significance for Alex and Corban. As the place where they first met, it was woven into their story long before they decided to build here. Their connection to the location made buying a property an easy decision and, when the opportunity arose to purchase the Mini Cooper showroom once located on Ponsonby Road, they got to work repurposing this relocatable container building into a bach.
Always up for a challenge and a deadline, they completed the refurbishment within an ambitious three-month window — just in time to host their wedding on site.
Over the years, the bach has served as a retreat for family and friends, doubling as an Airbnb that welcomed many guests. However, with heavy use came inevitable wear and tear. The floors took a beating, the interiors aged and the makeshift nature of their early design decisions left room for improvement. “It was all done on a budget back then, with the idea that one day we’d do it again properly,” says Alex. That day finally arrived, bringing with it a vision for the bach’s next iteration.
In this chapter of their lives, the couple sought to create a refined yet relaxed coastal retreat: one that combined durability for family life with the comfort of a luxury stay.
“I wanted it to feel like a hotel by the coast,” says Alex. The container structure lent itself to a mid-century aesthetic and introducing layers of texture and warmth to soften the industrial edges was top of mind for the update.
Key to achieving this feeling was a sophisticated material palette that blends organic tones with enduring materials.
“I didn’t want to use anything that would date quickly,” says Alex. “Everything needed to be timeless.”
Her design philosophy has always revolved around texture and tone and this renovation was no different. The floors — one of the most heavily affected elements of the original building — were redone with durability and longevity front of mind. “That was the starting point,” she says. “Once we committed to redoing them, everything else followed.” Walls, previously lined with plywood, now feature brick facings to bring a sense of solidity and craftsmanship and the ceilings, once orange-toned Douglas fir, were stained to a rich, moody hue, enhancing the overall depth of the volume.
Centred around an oversized island in the open-plan space, the kitchen was reimagined in materials that are both beautiful and tough. The couple went with their favourite porcelain product for the benchtop, sold on its extra-large sheet format and resilience. To complement it, cabinetry in a light-oak finish (a choice that resonated with the tones of the newly stained ceiling) and European hardened timber underfoot. The finishing touch was a microcement wall treatment on the splashback and rangehood, adding earthy texture to the space.
Alongside the aesthetic focus of the material upgrades, practicality remained a primary consideration. “We wanted to make sure the bach was hard-wearing but also felt luxurious,” says Alex. The bedrooms received fresh colour treatments using a curated selection of hues, each room taking on a distinct yet harmonious character. Meanwhile, the bathrooms were updated with fresh fixtures and fittings, injecting subtle contrast while maintaining a sense of calm continuity.
While Alex spearheaded the material and aesthetic direction, Corban took on the immense challenge of executing much of the renovation. With an engineering background and years of hands-on experience, he’s used to tackling ambitious builds, but this project tested his limits. “He was working 12- to 13-hour days, completely solo, for six months,” says Alex. “At one point, he even hand-masked and sprayed all the window frames — a job that would have cost tens of thousands if we outsourced it.”
One of Corban’s proudest achievements was the custom cladding system, designed to stand up to Whananaki’s coastal conditions for years to come. Another feat was the curved rangehood in the kitchen, which required precise engineering to match the soft lines of the benchtop. “At first, he flat-out refused to do it,” says Alex. “Then he figured out a way to make it work.”
The synergy between this creative couple is what makes their projects sing. Alex pushes for ambitious design details and Corban brings them to life — often with a healthy dose of problem-solving along the way. “He’s all about the technical execution while I focus on how it looks and feels,” says Alex.”
That’s not to say the process was without challenges. The long stretches of separation — Alex at home with their children Austen (8) and Goldie (5) while Corban worked on-site — made for an emotionally demanding period. “This was the hardest project we’ve ever done,” she says. “We’ve come through it stronger, but I don’t think we’d do it quite like this again.”
With the renovation complete, the bach is more than just a place to stay — it’s a reflection of the family’s evolution. What started as a party hub for friends has matured into a refined retreat designed for slow mornings, cross-generational gatherings and endless summers by the water.
Words Alice Lines
Photography Sophie Bayly