By Steph Sandhoff
Welcome to Week 10 on The Block. I’m starting to think that we all deserve a share in the house profits from House 3. Surely we can all agree that we’ve worked harder from our lounges than Brett has on site. This week the couples were to complete their final bathrooms, and redo rooms. For some of the teams, there would be a number of redo room options and I wonder if it’s the judges, or production, that ultimately decides which rooms were the worst. As I said last week, redo rooms are my absolute favourite because I love seeing whether the alterations they make are similar to ones I suggested while watching along. As I have been redoing their rooms every week in my blog, it’s nice to see some of them come to fruition.
HOUSE 1 // Kyle and Leslie
Photo Attribution: Nine
Let’s get started with our resident Charming St strugglers, Kyle and Leslie. The judges decided to take a look at their redo room first and for House 1, this was their living room. Back in Week 5, I noted that I loved the couple’s “choices of fixtures, fitting and furniture” but think “they are showing their naivety in terms of spatial planning and architectural vision”. Overall, I have to say I don’t think much has changed and their rooms aren’t improving in terms of functionality.
Photo Attribution: Nine
My initial reaction, however, was a positive one. I love that they removed the original wall, am relieved that they didn’t rebuild a nib wall and applaud their consistency with curves. However, the layout of this room isn’t particularly successful. The space they zoned as their living room is quite long and narrow, and because of a full wall of windows, they have positioned their TV down the far end of the room. They’ve then placed the main lounge down the other end of room, which leaves too much empty space between the two. The lounge should also sit on the edge of the rug to stop the room feeling so disconnected. A rug, by design, should be used to connect multiple pieces of furniture in order to show that they all belong to one space.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 1’s second and final indoor space was their kid’s bathroom. Before we get started on the actual room, I need to clarify that a kid’s bathroom isn’t meant to be a miniature version of a regular bathroom. All it means it that you should think of the bathroom in terms of how children or more importantly a family would use it. That might mean double sinks, a slightly larger shower and/or the inclusion of a bath. It might even mean you plan the layout with more space in certain parts of the room because there will potentially be multiple people using the space at the same time. Looking at Kyle and Leslie’s actual bathroom, and on first glance I wonder if they explored all the possible layout options. When I’m designing a space, I look at every single option and narrow it down based on different issues that arise. For example, that particular layout won’t work because…
Photo Attribution: Nine
The room itself is bright and airy, with touches of timber to add warmth. The arch mirrored cabinet (although not recessed) references the curves throughout their home and those terrazzo mosaic feature tiles are something we haven’t seen used before; a style that is mature enough for adults but with a touch of colour and a fun shape for kids. My problem with the space is again the layout. Apart from the fact that you can see the toilet from the door; the position of the shower, vanity, bath and toilet are all wrong. The edge of the shower screen sits too close to the edge of the vanity and leaves a lot of dead space at the entry. The vanity and bath are placed too close together and create quite a tight corner, especially if both were in use. The toilet and bath could have easily been swapped, hiding the toilet behind the vanity, whilst making both the bath and vanity easier to access.
HOUSE 2 // Leah and Ash
Moving on to House 2, and Leah and Ash were tasked with turning their 1950’s inspired working from home space into a fourth bedroom. Back in Week 3, the judges questioned the couple’s decision to create a study rather than include a bedroom on the ground floor. Had their studio space been more successful, it may not have mattered, but I did agree that having no bedrooms on the ground floor does cause potential issues for any buyers that need to take disability or old age into consideration… especially when you have easily comparable neighbours that are all going to market at the same time.
Photo Attribution: Nine
I was happily surprised when the judges entered the couple’s redo room. It’s probably my favourite room of theirs so far and I honestly wish the entire house followed a similar style. It’s the perfect combination of Leah’s ‘colourful’ vibe and a more marketable modernity. The layering of both the bed and the colour palette are part of what makes this room so successful. The palette works so well because although the couple have used multiple colours, they are all referenced subtly throughout the room. They are also a refreshing and non-obvious choice for a room that looks out onto a pool.
Photo Attribution: Nine
The one suggestion I would make, or the one element I would have incorporated, would have been a desk. I know, I know, they were told to change it from a WFH space to a bedroom. However, I noticed quite a sufficient amount of spare space in front of the windows. This would have been the perfect spot for a desk, an addition that would suit both a guest room and a WFH space. The fireplace already allows the room to feel multi functional and the two occasional chairs could even remain where they are but be swung around to create a study area as needed.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 2’s second room was also a bathroom. Now I don’t know if Beaumont Tiles have finally released some new arrivals, but I haven’t seen these feature tiles used before either. Between Houses 1 and 2, I’m all in favour of this break from ‘kitkat’ and ‘subway’ tiles. One of the more notable differences between houses 1 and 2 however, were their layouts. In comparison, Leah and Ash designed a layout that suited the space but one that would also work well for kids. Incorporating a bath behind a shower screen is often referred to as a wet room layout. I think dividing the space into a wet and a dry area would be highly suitable for families as I can imagine multiple kids using both spaces at the same time. Supervision of multiple kids would also be easier for a parent or caregiver. My issues with this room are the choice of basins and the the styling. The tapware and basins are the wrong size for each other, the basin ‘backs’ don’t sit well visually with the mirrored cabinets (also not recessed) and the vanity itself looks cheap. None of their bathrooms feel like they were designed by the same team but I would have to say this is probably my favourite bathroom in House 2.
Photo Attribution: Nine
HOUSE 3 // Kristy and Brett
Next up we have House 3, who fell majorly short this week. Kristy and Brett were full of confidence at the beginning of the week due to their previous bathroom wins. However, the end of the week saw a massive construction error, which caused them to ultimately give up on both rooms. The couple’s redo room takes us all the way back to Week 1, when they completed their first ever bathroom. At the time, I noted that the only part of the room I liked was the shower seat and that “I hope they redo this room at some point this season”.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Originally, the judge’s issue with this room was the mix of styles and finishes. As a result, it looked like Kristy and Brett were aiming to coordinate all their finishes in a matte black finish and redo their arched niche. Although that’s not all I would have changed, it looks like they made the right decision to not take on any additional alterations; apparently the niche and tapware were more than enough. Now we all know Brett is a tiler and therefore should know the implications that arise when you remove tiles in a bathroom. Brett either didn’t know, which is embarrassing, or he did, and wasn’t anywhere near where the work was being done so couldn’t advise his team. I’m honestly not sure which option is worse.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Their second room, like all the other teams, was their final bathroom. It closely follows the style of their previous bathrooms, which I applaud. As I always say, consistency is key; if someone knows how many times I’ve mentioned consistency this year, I’d love to know. Apart from the fact the bathroom isn’t finished or even clean, I do have a number of other issues. The first is their choice of feature tiles on the back wall. The ‘wood look’ tiles honestly look like they have laid vinyl boards on the wall. There’s no reason they couldn’t have used the same ‘kitkat’ tiles from above the vanity or simply run the floor tiles up the wall.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Now I love the organic mirrors they’ve used but this style suits a single application. This style of mirror doesn’t work side by side because the shape doesn’t look organic once it’s been repeated. They’re also NOT RECESSED INTO THE WALL. What is going on this week? Mirrored cabinets are often referred to as ‘hidden storage’. If the cabinets aren’t recessed into the wall then the storage isn’t hidden. Hence they’re not being used correctly. It really isn’t a hard concept to grasp. The choice of pendant lighting is obviously from the clearance rack at Beacon and those niches in the shower… they are just the cherry on top of a horrible week for House 3.
HOUSE 4 // Steph and Gian
Photo Attribution: Nine
While we’re already talking bathrooms, let’s take a look at House 4, who also completed two bathrooms this week. Unlike House 3, both rooms were actually finished and not that we saw, but Steph and Gian’s first ever bathroom was also redone. I obviously won’t talk about a room that wasn’t presented but my OCD is very grateful because it felt like it was the one blemish in an otherwise very consistent house. I would argue though that their first bathroom was a whole lot worse than the one the judges gave them to redo.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Now, I wasn’t here for Master Ensuite Week but taking a look at the original room, I would have said there wasn’t much I didn’t like about it. However, there were still a few things I would have changed, the major one being to flip the vanity to the opposite side of the room and incorporate some mirrored storage. I think this change had a great impact on the room and I’m surprised the couple didn’t do this the first time around. By moving the vanity, they were also able to install window coverings and a bench seat. It also meant that horrendous fluffy wall sphere was removed. I would love to have seen the grate in the shower moved or replaced but I’m more worried about the position of the toilet. I wish they’d flipped it with the vanity in order to keep it hidden and also to keep the entry to shower more accessible.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 4’s final bathroom was designed specifically with kids in mind and the ‘Jack and Jill’ style room was very obviously pre planned to combine with their two winning kid’s rooms. I don’t normally like a ‘Jack and Jill’ style bathroom because they often don’t flow particularly seamlessly and they always result in an odd looking layout. However, this is the first time I don’t hate it. The layout has a clear thoroughfare with a door at both ends and sufficient room to move around the space and access both entry/exit points. By separating the shower from the rest of the space and providing access from both kid’s room it also prevents unnecessary movement and confusion. Combined with a double vanity, this room almost acts as two whilst allowing young kids to be monitored by a single parent or caregiver.
Photo Attribution: Nine
If you compare this bathroom to the one that Kyle and Leslie created in House 1, you can see just how much pre planning and thinking outside the box can make a difference to the flow of a home. I don’t say this to be harsh but to indicate the difference it can make when you push a layout to work for you. I’ve always thought that it would be more helpful to have a trade background rather than a design one on the block because it’s never really seemed to be helpful to any contestants with industry experience. However Steph’s architectural eye, and awareness to look at the house as a whole, has really brought them a lot of success this year; especially in comparison to the teams who have taken the The Block room by room, literally.
HOUSE 5 // Eliza and Liberty
Photo Attribution: Nine
Last but definitely not least, according to the judges anyway, is Eliza and Liberty in House 5. This week the girls were given their studio area to redo. Studio week came along early in this series and the girls were definitely still figuring out their style. At the time I wasn’t sure where to start with the space because it felt “like they brainstormed ideas and decided to go with every single one.” I even went as far to describe the potential space, had I been given it to personally redesign. What we got was a definite improvement but they could have done so much more. I don’t think that moving a TV, new furniture and integrating a microwave is enough for a win.
Photo Attribution: Nine
The room simply doesn’t do enough, it doesn’t provide enough function and I can’t imagine a family actually using the space. I would have preferred to see a kitchen bench run along under the window, with open shelving above. I would have then completed what could have become a second kitchen by installing a slim island bench with bar stools. This area could have been used for dining, study or entertaining around the pool. A sofa bed and TV down the other end of the room would have completed the room perfectly and meant that the lounge didn’t have it’s back to their outdoor area.
Photo Attribution: Nine
The girl’s second room was their final bathroom and their choice of tiles gave it some serious punch. As a whole, it feels like a great space and I think that’s down to a combination of the dark tiles, light floor and the natural light that floods in through that wall-to-wall window. I think the tiles compliment each other well and again, it’s nice to see something a bit different. However, the floor tile will date and I wish the terrazzo flecks were a smaller size and hence less obvious. I think the way they ran the tiles up to the window and created a shelf was really clever but the position of their shower means that the tile line changes mid wall. If you are going to drop the height of your tiles, the change really should be made at the corner of a room.
Photo Attribution: Nine
This leads me to talk about the room’s layout. It’s not a bad layout by any means but it could have been designed so that the shower didn’t sit in a corner and require so much glass. If a shower screen went along the back wall and housed the bath behind it, the entire room would have flowed much better. All I can picture is kids knocking themselves trying to squeeze between the bath and shower. The biggest issue for me however, is the mirrored cabinets, which again were not recessed into the wall. What is even more ridiculous is that they actually cut out part of the wall to frame the cabinets and create a shelf below. They went to the trouble of recessing the cabinets without managing to actually hide the storage. If this isn’t the perfect place to finish up our Block Blog this year, then I don’t know what is.
If you guys are new to the OAK + RIDGE Block Blog then welcome and if you are back from last year or last week then thanks once again for hanging around and/or subscribing. Next week we head outside and as all the teams hire a landscape designer, that will be it for the OAK + RIDGE Block Blog for 2023. To everyone who read my thoughts every week, thank you! I hope you enjoyed the experience as much as I did. Keep an eye out on Instagram for more Block content as we head into the last weeks. Who do you think will take out the win? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback below.