Written by Steph Sandhoff
Hey guys, we’ve officially finished week 4 and I have to thank you for coming back, sincerely thank you, from the bottom of my heart, because I don’t know about you guys, but I am bored with a capital B… and no, it’s not just because I am still severely hung over from Saturday night. I mean I am, which isn’t helping lift my spirits, but these room reveals; I’m calling them, ‘I’d rather nap in that bed than look at it’.
HOUSE ONE // Tom and Sarah – Jane
Photo Attribution: Nine
I’m starting with House 1, because that’s how numbers go. Tom and Sarah-Jane went back to their roots and recreated their challenge room this week with their signature wainscoting and bold, olive wall colour. These guys have definitely got a good sense of their own style and overall I would say the most consistent home so far this year. Their continued use of wainscoting, orange and green colour palette and what Neale has dubbed their ‘new rural’ style looks to be the clearest and most successful vision so far.
Photo Attribution: Nine
While I love so many of the elements included in the room and agree with the judges that it is a warm and inviting space, I personally don’t think it deserved a 10. I get that it’s harder for a smaller room to compete, and I think Sarah-Jane’s idea to use larger furniture was a good one. However there are limits to this concept. The concept of using large furniture in a small space is a visual one and the limitations, or when you know the furniture is too big, is when it begins to overwhelm the space visually or functionally. For example, the beautiful bone-inlay bedside tables chosen this week are probably my favourite so far this season. However their large size, in combination with the king size bed means not only are they competing visually with each other; meaning you lose the shape detail of the bedhead, but also the bedside table on the right is way too close to the doorway to be functional. Either dropping the bed down to a queen, or selecting a different bed frame or smaller bedsides would have given this wall added visual balances and functionality.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Now, the judges also loved the combination of elements and how the couple was able to mix mediums in this room. Before I go on, the layering of colour and textures is truly essential in any room and most people can conquer this with some practice. Some are better then others but the more you do it the better you get and the more nuanced and sophisticated your spaces will feel. Layering is life. Take the tip and run with it. But moving on, the layering of patterns is much, much more complicated and I think this is where the room is losing me. There are not many people in the world that can successfully pattern clash. I’m not saying I am one of those people, but I am saying I can see it when it’s wrong and this feels wrong. There is not enough contrast in the depth or sizes of the multiple patterns and it’s overwhelming all the senses. My solution would be to remove the painting; you lose a huge amount of pattern and pastel tones and gain a huge amount of depth in the olive green wall.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 1’s Walk-In Robe is probably my favourite this week. Although it’s not the largest or the fanciest, it is classy and functional. It’s probably the best styling I have ever seen of a robe on The Block, almost like the visual merchandising of a store; matching tones, clothes you would actually wear in the country and no plastic mirrors and lipsticks lined up that look like they’ve been bought from the kid’s section in Target. It’s the perfect connection from bedroom to bathroom.
HOUSE TWO // Rachel and Ryan
Photo Attribution: Nine
Onto House 2 and Rachel and Ryan have added a few extra country touches to their room this week. The architecture of the space or the bare bones had me slightly more excited than in House 1: in that it was worth opening my eyes to have a look… and then I saw the stack stone and decided I couldn’t continue watching. Wow, it’s just so 2005 and that the nicest thing I can say about it. It’s also YELLOW. Man, these guys really do have the right instincts with the French doors on either side of the fireplace (don’t love the square shape but I know they have a budget, okay, okay), and the symmetry but the stack stone… and the way it has been laid behind and in front of the cornice? I know their builders are under the pump but that looks dodgy as.
Photo Attribution: Nine
It’s a bedroom after all, so what do we think about the bed? I find four-poster beds awkward in rooms but this one is big enough to hold the frame. However, it needs a bedhead or at the very least the semblance of one. What I mean by this is, if you don’t have a bed head, your pillows need to have a structured approach. Here, Rachel and Ryan have gone for a more relaxed positioning but this gives an undefined start to the bed, especially with white bedding and placed against a white wall. My next issue is their choice of filing cabinets for bedsides and their decision to adopt a polar bear for the end of the bed. I know they were told to up their styling, but an animal complete with food dish is a little bizarre even for me. Surely they could’ve gone with something native to the area.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Next up, I want to talk about their materiality and tone. Apart from the yellow that is being thrown from their stack stone feature and pet polar bear, we have a myriad of different raw timbers. I don’t mind some timber clashing but it has do be done correctly. It’s not an exact art and your timbers don’t have to match exactly but you do have to be careful what colour they throw. For example, the barn door the couple had custom made would have been the easiest thing to match as they had complete control it. However in my opinion it was the biggest issue. From the very first time it was revealed on the show it threw the strangest orange tone and I knew it was never going to match any standard oak tones. Unfortunately it needs to be stained for the room to feel cohesive.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Into their Walk-In Robe and I was pretty under-whelmed. Although the judges described it as palatial, to me if felt decidedly standard. Divided into his and hers (mentally rolls eyes at the default use of pronouns) it really didn’t look any more spacious or luxurious than House 1. Especially with a glimpse into last week’s bathroom, one has to ask if an extra metre could have been lent to the walk in robes. It’s not absolutely necessary, but if it’s being wasted in the bathroom, I personally would prefer room to sit in my robe and put a pair of shoes on.
HOUSE THREE // Sharon and Ankur
Photo Attribution: Nine
It's time to head to the theatre of House 3 and I've had enough of orange and green. I’m officially not reviewing any more orange and green rooms. Sharon and Ankur went to the trouble of restoring the original front door of the house with the world’s ugliest red panels. Use those as your concept colour. Come on, let’s get creative; that idea came to me in 5 seconds. Also, surely that door isn’t finished. I know it’s heritage but heritage doesn’t mean raw or unfinished and you shouldn’t have to risk getting a splinter on entry. Sorry, I’ll try to be nice. I was slightly intrigued on entry and not just because there was a print of a lady with a chicken on her head: the print of the lady with the chicken on her head was also very off-centre. its the first thing you notice when you open the door. Details people, come on.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Sharon and Ankur did have the most impressive space to design this week and the things I would do to be in their position, to be able to create a room around those French doors and treat the history of that house with respect… They did really well in that sense this week, the built in traditional elements of the ceiling rose, cornices, archways and corbals. It excites me that they haven’t absolutely made a mess this week. The judges must be excited too, throwing around fancy words like ‘Francophile’ when really Sharon just did a quick dash to her local Salvos! Who knows, they must have had another lucky Google that day.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Shockingly, I do actually love the vintage dresser underneath the TV mirror and the vintage padded stool in the corner, all softened by the floating white sheers. However this is where it stops for me. The matching bedsides, in combination with the bed frame are too big for that wall and sit just into the walkway. The bed head itself is doing nothing for the room and the bed frame and chaise is the wrong choice for the room and doesn’t coordinate with the rest of the furniture. Although I love the position of the fire place, the way it has been finished is at odds with the amount of detail and finesse in the surrounding furniture and the art above is way too small.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Moving through to the Walk-In Robe and I like how there is a double entry. The space itself is huge with an island bench in the centre, which would be the envy of some people’s kitchens. The cabinetry itself I like and it coordinates well with the bedroom and vanity in the bathroom (although I still hope they gut that bathroom). However, I really hate the painted, pressed tin panels. It’s a completely new element that has yet to be referenced anywhere else in their house. They do not need any additional features and it makes the room feel cold.
HOUSE FOUR // Dylan and Jenny
Photo Attribution: Nine
Ok, somewhere along the way House 4 have become confused where they are. They got on a brain plane and flew from the Macedon Ranges and got off in Palm Springs. They arrived last week and apparently decided to stay this week too. All power to them but it’s expensive over there and they may need to head back if they want some money.
Photo Attribution: Nine
We’ll start with the Walk-In Robe because apparently you walk straight into it from the door to the master suite. Now there is a rule about offsetting neighbouring windows and I’d argue it applies here too. Why not offset your entry door; pick a big beautiful piece of art and have your entry door open onto it? Anyway, the judges seemed to love their walk-in robe describing it as luxurious and high-end. I liked how it felt more like a room rather than a hallway however I thought the styling and chandelier were obvious and tacky, especially when compared to the specific country-esque styling of House 1.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Moving into the bedroom and the judges immediately noticed the fireplace. I actually love the shape of this room and where they positioned the fireplace, slightly off-set from the bed. However, the mirror above needs to be moved slightly higher so it is in line with the art to the left of it. The fireplace itself (if possible) also needs to be higher, so it is inline with the wainscoting beside it). Another issue I have is the couple’s choices of furniture. Apart from the reappearance of palm trees, which I am trying really hard to ignore; the bedside lamps and occasional chair look like they were stolen from a ‘used to be expensive, but is now cheap and dated hotel’.
Photo Attribution: Nine
My favourite part of the entire room would have to be the window seat. A gorgeous, traditional shape and treated perfectly with white sheers; it just wasn’t executed to it’s fullest extent. I would love to see a thicker seat cushion, a more luxurious fabric and some larger, luxe cushions. I’d also love the seat to act as a lid to some storage underneath. There’s no reason this still can’t be done and it would be an added bonus on auction day.
HOUSE FIVE // Omar and Oz
I really do wonder how much you guys actually read of this, do you ever actually get to House 5? I’d love to know… The boys probably don’t want you to read my review of their room this week. First things first, there is no argument; they had to keep the fretwork. It’s an original part of the house, no one else has it and they would have been slammed had they taken it out. However, this little nook is given modern day Harry Potter vibes and I’m not coping. Such beautiful, old, distinguished fretwork and they’ve styled it with the ‘Sony Bill Williams’ Biography. I mean, it looks like that table at your local second hand market where that same old guy brings his life’s belongings every week and try’s to sling them for a dollar. I mean, really guys?
Photo Attribution: Nine
Sometimes you need to show people how to use a space, but if there are that many options eg. a window seat, newborn bassinet, desk, chair, storage, easel, etc. you may need to let people envision it themselves. Less is more in these situations.
Photo Attribution: Nine
The placement of the fretwork itself was also not positioned correctly. It meant that the division of space was not well thought out; with the bedroom too small and the ‘study space’ too large. I feel like I’ve said this for nearly every room but the bed and bedsides barely fit on the wall and there is almost no space to squeeze between the fretwork and the bed. Moreover, the bedsides are an odd choice, looking more like office storage then country bedsides and the artwork leaves a lot to be desired.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Although there is nothing intrinsically wrong with a blue and white colour palette, this combination paired with what can easily look like a coastal bedhead has this room really walking that fine line between country and coastal. This space is a hard one to judge because once you pull it apart, there is nothing glaringly wrong with it but it does need an overhaul and a rethink. The boys need to go back to basics and rebuild it, element by element. It need added texture, added warmth and I think they need to start with some warmer timbers and bedding.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Walking into their robe, it does feel small, but I think that has more to do with the fact that the entry is so close to the bed. You also hit that large ottoman straight away, which we now know was always going to be replaced. The choice of shaker style cabinetry is beautiful but because it is in white it makes us again feel coastal rather than country. Both the walk-in robe and bedroom are missing the depth and warmth that come with a country style. I think a modern, country feel potentially could have been added with some oak tone timber. Even if it had been added only on the interiors of the cabinetry, it would have created a link through to the vanity in the bathroom.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Thanks for coming back for another week and see you next Monday for a double room! Don’t forget if you’d like each week’s blog sent straight to your inbox don’t forget to subscribe. I’d also love to hear your comments and feedback down below.