While they’ve been a favourite of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen throughout this season of House Rules, Sean and Ella ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard last Sunday after the flamboyant judged deemed their work on Aaron and Daniella’s backyard “awful” and gave it a 4/10. Meanwhile, it was a three-way tie for the remaining teams.
Kate & Harry
Kate and Harry’s work on Aaron and Daniella’s front yard drew a mixed response from the judges – Drew thought the entry felt like “a cheap Thai restaurant” but Wendy and Laurence liked it. Laurence was also careful to cut the couple some slack for having built the garden in the middle of a cyclone.
Drew was equally unenthusiastic about the couple’s work on the front yard and sunken seating area, describing the whole thing as a “mess” and he also thought the water feature looked “cheap” and didn’t make sense. Laurence was a little more upbeat. “They focused on getting this design scheme right – it’s very mature. Tell you what is does need, is a little frisky gold statue of me. That would be perfect,” he said.
Sean & Ella
Sean and Ella were tasked with renovating Aaron and Daniella’s back yard, but they didn’t receive much positive feedback from the judges in response. All three judges though the location of the cubby house “impractical” and they didn’t like that it blocked the view of the river.
Laurence despised the pool area. “They’ve done all of this really, really badly,” he said though he didn’t mind the “disco tiles” that surrounded it.
Drew and Wendy complimented the couple on their decision to take the decking all the way out to the edge as they felt it gave the illusion of space. Laurence wasn’t a fan of the fire pit however. Overall he was highly unimpressed. “There was one word for your garden: awful. But not just once, probably awful seven times. I was just heartbroken by what I saw,” he said.
Andrew & Jono
The WA twins were mostly praised for their work on Sean and Ella’s backyard and entry, though the judges didn’t entirely agree.
The judges loved the duo’s work on the backyard’s edible garden though they thought it could have been bigger. Wendy and Laurence approved the choice of furniture but Drew said that “the finishes and selection of materials are way off.” Wendy praised the pair though – “I think they have created another area to enjoy the beautiful view and I would have never thought you could fit so much into such a tiny corner,” she said.
Aaron & Daniella
Aaron and Daniella’s renovation of Sean and Ella’s front yard and deck drew compliments from the judges and the fire pit proved quite the talking point. Laurence called it “really clever and elegant” and Drew called it “one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” though both judges thought the pebbles were impractical.
Wendy and Drew thought the deck was amazing but Laurence wasn’t so impressed. “It’s furnished in an obvious off-the-shelf IKEA type way – it’s cheap and horrid stuff,” said Laurence while questioning why they didn’t bring pink onto the deck.
And while the front yard did feature pink (in the form of a feature wall), Laurence wasn’t a fan and called it “a bit off” and “badly executed.” Wendy was bothered by the gaps in the fence and felt they presented a “missed opportiunity for privacy.”
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