Written by Steph Sandhoff
Welcome to Living and Dining Week design friends. Before we get going on what was quite an interesting week to say the least, let’s just address the piano in the room. Yes, it’s an obvious break of the rules. Yes, there is no way Omar didn’t know about it, considering he’s an avid watcher of the Block. There is also no other way to describe that incredibly guilty look in his face. Did he think he could potentially get away with it? For sure… Did Oz know the extent of the rule break? I think the jury is still out on that one. However, the entire incident does bring into question Sharon’s purchase of that challenge-winning mirror; an $850 mirror purchased for $100? I understand, we are on a much smaller scale but Omar and Oz won absolutely nothing for their room regardless of penalties and Sharon and Ankur won a $12,000 fireplace. A fireplace, which now I’m thinking about it, wasn’t even in their living room?
HOUSE ONE // Tom and Sarah – Jane
Photo Attribution: Nine
Starting with House 1 and that is one large space. Just to give everyone some context, this is the modern addition attached to the original part of the home by a breezeway. Tom and Sarah-Jane have continued the contemporary, country style throughout the entirety of their home; the consistency of which I appreciate considering the original house is actually a traditional old Queenslander. Hence we saw Tom pull the Hi-pages lever this week to get a head start on the exterior weatherboard installation.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Looking at the architecture of their living and dining space, House 1 is the only extension to have an entire back wall of glass. While absolutely stunning, it also helps differentiate this house from the rest of the competition. My favourite feature, however, would have to be the inclusion of the timber beams. A darker stain than the floorboards, they reference the colour and shape of the window frames behind them. This repetition gives them a sense of belonging. They feel as if they have been left exposed rather than having been added as a merely decorative feature, which is an important distinction. The raw and industrial quality of the timber, adds a feeling of history and depth to the modern extension, which it was desperately lacking.
Photo Attribution: Nine
However, the layout is struggling and I think this is because of that beautiful wall of glass. Whereas all the other houses had their living room oriented to take in that sprawling view of the Macedon ranges, it wasn’t so obvious for House 1. They could have forgone a TV, had the judges absolutely frothing, but honestly that’s not practical for a real family or holiday home. Here’s where I think they went wrong and honestly… it’s not all their fault. It’s hard to be exact without a complete floor plan, however I think I would have slightly changed where the new and old parts of the home connect. This would mean that the kitchen could face the view instead of being ‘side on’. Stay with me here. This would have meant the dining table would sit in that empty space between the kitchen and the fireplace. The fireplace and living room would then follow. The zoning of the areas would feel balanced and the entire space would flow smoothly. I would even propose moving the fireplace to one side. In it’s current position, the vertical flue is obstructing the smooth visual flow of the beam and window frame repetition.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Finally, they didn’t dress the room correctly. The colour palette was great, a continuation of their kitchen and the other completed rooms. Their furniture choices were fine too but they were simply too small. It’s honestly an easy mistake to make because it’s not as simple as buying more furniture as Shelley Craft suggested. That just makes a room feel cluttered. It’s about larger scale furniture and often this means purchasing from different stores, that cater to larger scale homes; those that sell 10-12 seater dining tables and 10 seater sofas. You won’t find these on the sales floor at Freedom because that isn’t their buyer. I also wasn’t a fan of their TV area. It felt lazy to me, considering every other house had either stack stone or brick, the least they could have done was recess their TV or build in some storage; anything to hide those cords and bring some warmth into that wall. The easiest way they could have brought some warmth into the space however was window furnishings! I’m honestly shocked the judges didn’t mention it… They didn’t need sheers on the back wall but there were 3 large double door/windows that needed warmth and softening with a floor to ceiling sheer curtain. It would’ve made all the difference in the world.
HOUSE TWO // Rachel and Ryan
Photo Attribution: Nine
Determined to win this week, no matter who she had to sacrifice, Rachel spent the last 6 days finding ways to insert the number 10 into random sentences. Whether due to the aforementioned strategy or not, House 2 did come away with the room win, complete with two tens, $20, 000 and their first mature tree. Do I think their room was the best? Yes. Do I think they deserved a 10? Not even close. They seem to be giving out 10’s like participation prizes this year and I honestly think it’s because the level of design just isn’t up to scratch. If I saw it in a magazine, I wouldn’t even go to the trouble of fake coughing while subtly trying to rip it out in a quiet waiting room… and that’s my specialty.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Let me just say, I was very nervous to see how they were going treat the transition from the timber beams in the kitchen to the floorboards in the living room. However I was pleasantly surprised. I quite like the way they wrapped the beams up the flat face of the ceiling, though they don’t feel like they connect seamlessly with the blackbutt boards on the ceiling. Whether it’s the change in texture or tone, I’m not sure, but it would make more sense in construction terms to have structural beams holding up the higher part of the ceiling rather than the lower. Maybe this is what feels intrinsically wrong to me. Further to this, I would have to argue that using polished concrete was a mistake for this series of the block. In doing so, they have had to use their entire timber floor on the ceiling anyway, paying double the amount of the other houses. If they had wanted to include major concrete elements, to achieve that lodge, spa feel, they could have incorporated it in their kitchen island or dining table. Their floor could have remained timber, their space would have the exact same feel as it does now and they would have saved an incredible amount of money, which we all know they need.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Secondly, my major issues are their built in elements. Again, the 2005 stack stone returns. This time, it’s not as horrendous as it was in their master bedroom. Perhaps the fact, that I was ready for it this time helped me to prepare my eyes. No but seriously, the room is larger and therefore a much more appropriate space to house such an overwhelming element. Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t like it and think it looks much better in our past, but I prefer it here in a large living space to a tiny, cluttered bedroom. What I don’t like is the way it sits against that stunning blackbutt timber and makes it look like an orange tone laminate. This is why all finishes need to be laid out together, in the actual space, before they are signed off on. What is beautiful in one area may not be in another. On either side of the stackstone though, we have another atrocity. Half height curtains hanging from pelmets that I have spent the last couple of years pulling out of people’s houses. These need to be full floor to ceiling height to match the full wall of curtains on their right hand side. Once you see it, you won’t be able to pull your eyes away. Don’t come to me with the excuse of “but it’s on an angle”… It’s 2022 and people are very clever. I promise you, curtains can be measured, designed, made and installed on an angle. Look it up. The possible continuity of having a wall of sheers wrapping around the corner to that stackstone wall… drool worthy.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Next, let’s take a look at the furniture and styling. I love the sofa but hate the styling. Firstly, there is only one cushion and two of the most generic looking throws of all time, which is slightly bizarre. Rachel obviously couldn’t find a rug large enough for the room, which can be hard I attest. So she purchased two of the same and laid them side by side; a great idea had she not let the join be so bloody obvious. Also why is the rug the same colour as both the lounge and the polished concrete floor? The occasional chairs and lamp are neither here nor there but I have a problem with there being four coffee tables. If you need that many, they are not big enough. She has purchased two sets of two nesting tables. For a lounge that size she needed one to two large coffee tables and then some side tables.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Lastly, let’s move into the dining area. Ok, before we go any further I need to point something out. When describing this room Darren said “It’s lively. It’s homely. It’s fun”. This is really important, so listen up. The word is HOMEY, not HOMELY. Homey: means comfortable or cosy. Whereas homely, the word the judges have continued to use incorrectly for years without anyone picking it up, means unattractive in appearance or simple and plain. Every time they describe a room as homely they actually mean homey! Somebody please tell them, it’s been driving my mother crazy for decades. Moving on, I love how much space it has and that it doesn’t feel squished into whatever space is leftover after the living has been designed. The chairs are gorgeous and generous although impractical in a cream colour. My only complaint is that I hate a table dressed for a dinner party. It gives me the ultimate ick – like who is coming to eat? No one. How embarrassing.
HOUSE THREE // Sharon and Ankur
Photo Attribution: Nine
Next up is House 3, who have already had their living and dining dubbed their redo room. With a roof line similar to House 1 and the exact same sofa as House 2, the judges really only liked the space from the ceiling up this week. Praising the couple on their addition of timber beams, stack stone and antler inspired pendant lights (shudder). Surely the ‘contemporary’ part of ‘country’ rules out hunting-inspired design choices. Though I do like the absence of sparkly chandeliers and the way they have used the same pendant twice in the same room. They have officially mastered the art of repetition. I think a round of applause is due.
Photo Attribution: Nine
What they don’t deserve any applause for is the mismatching heights of their curtain pelmets/bulkheads. Firstly, I hate the way they sit in front of the stack stone pillar. That is entirely unnecessary and makes the stone look increasingly dated by cutting into the sides and cluttering an already patterned feature rather than allowing it’s clean lines to be showcased. Secondly the pelmets/bulkheads are seriously chunky but most importantly; why don’t they all line up? It is seriously distressing, and as I try to figure out how to fix it, I’ve decided it’s actually the fault of whoever designed the building itself. Ankur and Sharon were really only left with two options, neither of which were optimal. They either did what they did which looks horrendous or they lower the pelment/bulkhead on the left to sit just above the window; in line with the other’s beside the stack stone feature. If they had made the strip of wall where the pelmet/bulkhead now sits slightly taller, or alternatively made all the doors slightly taller, there would have been no problem and everything could have been uniform.
Photo Attribution: Nine
I was interested to see what these guys did with their layout, as although I didn’t like their kitchen, theirs was actually my favourite orientation. It honestly reminded me of one of their bedrooms. It was giving me a commercial living space with multiple ‘break out’ spaces. So a ‘break out’ space is the term given to an area usually at a commercial work place that is separate from your usual work area. For example, somewhere to eat, hold a meeting, relax, etc. For me this room feels like the reception area of a ski lodge or hotel, where families wait to check out or grab a coffee before heading out for the day. Although the room feels zoned, it feels commercially zoned. This means none of the separate areas; the living, sitting area or dining table feel connected in anyway. If I was sitting in one area, I would feel quite sure I would not be included in activity occurring in any of the other spaces. This goes against everything you try to achieve in a residential home. I also don’t understand why their dining table was positioned so close the sidewall.
HOUSE FOUR // Dylan and Jenny
Photo Attribution: Nine
Okay, WOW. That’s not a good wow, in case you were feeling confused. That’s a wow because I’m not sure WTF is particularly professional, especially at this stage of my career, but what can you do but be authentic these days. So I’m going to stick with my WTF because that’s how I feel about this room. I told you guys House 4 likes to travel and this week they ‘WTF Went To France’… with a couple of stops along the way ….. Venice, Grannie’s old farmhouse and Jimmy and Tam’s Palm Spring’s inspired Mid Century Block winner from two year’s ago. There was just so much inspiration that they didn’t know what to do with it all. My worry is that when the judges were giving their feedback, the couple seemed genuinely confused. It wasn’t a ‘yeah we understand what you’re saying but we love it anyway’. It seemed to be actual confusion on where they went wrong and this doesn’t bode well for the rest of their season.
Photo Attribution: Nine
I honestly don’t even know where to start on pulling this space apart because it is a complete mismatch of styles. It’s not like they didn’t have a starting point either because all they had to do was bounce off their kitchen. One of the decisions they made which I actually quite liked was their ‘mud room’ style seat. It’s the only part of the room which gave the correct mix of contemporary country and I can actually see it being used once a family moves in. I really hope the seat lifts up however and houses storage below. Next to the bench seat we have an entire wall of Venetian plaster, which has no place in the room or even the home. It brings nothing to the space but confusion and clutter; it also doesn’t reference any other element or part of the existing house.
Photo Attribution: Nine
The other built element that is confusing the style of the room is the mid century brick feature. I don’t believe the brick itself is a problem. Brick is quite a timeless element and can be used in multiple styles of home; country, contemporary, industrial, coastal, mid-century, etc. The colour House 4 specified/used gives quite a mid-century impression; however this does reference multiple choices they have made in previously completed rooms. I believe if you remove the Venetian plaster and change the furniture, the brick wouldn’t seem like such an issue. Again, we have another house that has made the mistake of not doing floor to ceiling sheers on either side of their brick feature wall. It would have had an immediate impact here too because they don’t have the luxury of any ceiling features. Anyway that you can visually increase the height of your ceiling should be taken advantage of.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Finally, let’s take a look at the layout and the furniture. These two seem to go hand in hand this week, as they have done for most of the couples. I’m not sure why the dining table is sitting so far to one side but I guess that is easily fixed. What isn’t easily fixed is how much furniture they are going to have to return. I’m confused that as we move into the modern extension, Jenny and Dylan have opted to go for the most traditional and formal furniture we have seen so far. Not only does it not coordinate with their highly successful kitchen from last week but it also doesn’t make sense with any of the other decisions they’ve made for their living and dining space either.
HOUSE FIVE // Omar and Oz
Photo Attribution: Nine
Lastly, we have the boys in House 5. First impressions had me slightly impressed, especially when you take the living, dining and kitchen combination. No ugly, chunky pelmets. No daggy stackstone, but a timeless brick perfectly referenced with a leather occasional chair in the exact tone. The right amount of white in the walls, sheers and lounge to balance out the amount of dark finishes already in the kitchen … and just enough textural touches and pops of green to hit that country brief. I mean it was feeling a little professional.
Photo Attribution: Nine
However, all you need to do is look at the spatial planning to see where they made their mistakes. Look at the large amount of space left between their kitchen bench and their lounge. That’s where their dining table should have gone. It’s hard to tell exactly from photos but if there legitimately wasn’t enough room, then they needed to ditch the piano and orient their lounge to face the other way. As the room currently sits, the dining room has nowhere near enough room and the judge’s suggestion of new chairs is ludicrous at best. The lounges need to be moved over at least a metre, however that would mean the lounge perpendicular to the TV wouldn’t have a good view, hence my suggestion to flip the lounge orientation. This would also open up the space and allow a sense of flow from the living to the dining. Helpful as well if you are entertaining multiple guests.
Photo Attribution: Nine
I do think the boys continue to choose expensive gimmicks to impress the judges rather than putting in the work during the planning stages. I’d much rather see their time and effort put into working and reworking their layout; seeing how creative they can be with the interior architecture of the room. It’s essentially a box with doors and windows, so how can you make it more interesting? What built-in elements can you add to make the house feel more established? A piano isn’t going to sell a house. If you have enough money to purchase one of these properties, a piano isn’t going to be enough to entice you to buy one, surely. You’d bring your already vast collection with you when you move in.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Anyway, looking at their choices of furniture and styling pieces, I’m not particularly excited. Although their sofas are providing the block of white needed in the space, they give me more of a coastal vibe than a country one. The pillows need to be sent to pillow heaven; the cupboard I send mine to when they are deemed out of date or decide they are too embarrassing to be kept ‘on show’. The dining setting I actually quite like, and I normally love that style of chair. However the light colour of that rattan doesn’t sit right for me. I’d love to see that dining table undressed, and hence uncluttered, because I think that dining area might just make a lot more sense visually.
Thanks for reading all things living and dining rooms! See you next week for hellways, breezeways, mudrooms, laundries and powder rooms. 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.