You hear a lot about the contestants on The Block: the grueling hours, the late nights, the missed sleep… but what about the trades who are right there next to them every step of the way? The ones that get all the tough times but none of the glory!
Ben. Photo credit: Shannyn Higgins Photography
Ben Purchase from Ingrain Designs is one such trade. As Josh and Charlotte’s builder and timber furniture maker he looked after the build of the townhouse and custom-made all the timber pieces from recycled Western Australian Marri. And while he admits it was definitely harder than he expected, he has no regrets for getting involved. “Josh and Charlotte were great fun and that made it easier as we were up at all hours with them. From the start, they created a team atmosphere and made all the trades feel included and part of the whole experience. The two of them really are exactly what you see on the show – fun, super lovely and incredibly hard-working. I cannot wish them any more luck for the auction!”
Josh and Charlotte’s living room
[contextly_sidebar id=”wWiizBW1nIdrAJXz8XkaEX7UMoWiYlkg”]With Josh and Charlotte wanting real timber (rather than veneer or fake timber floors), Ben and his team were given a great amount of artistic freedom. Making a dining table, floating bathroom vanity, entertainment unit, bedside tables, study desk, cabinetry, and The Block’s first ever hardwood floors, Ben loved how they were able to use timber to create something unique. “Together with Josh and Charlotte we wanted to do something different and show people something they hadn’t seen before. So we created our pieces using recycled WA Marri timber, which doesn’t get used much on the east coast. Our timber pieces added warmth where needed and gave a sense of ‘real’ materials being used. They also worked so well featured alongside the products Charlotte had purchased from top stores and designers across Melbourne.”
Josh and Charlotte’s dining room
With so many custom makes it’s a challenge to pick a favourite, but for Ben, it’s actually the more subtle pieces that he keeps coming back to. “You might think I’d say the bathroom vanity or TV entertainment unit because they were standouts, but I really loved the floating bedsides and shelves used in the second bedroom. That room is my favourite. It has an amazing feel in there and the bedsides and shelves helped give the room a sense of warmth. They also helped fill out the Venetian plastered wall that had the huge black and blue artwork. Sometimes it’s the little things I guess!”
Josh and Charlotte’s second bedroom
With his Block journey now over, Ben can only look back at the experience fondly, if not a bit wearily! “What you see on the television is only a small part of the hard work and long hours involved. Over the stair and terrace weeks, my dad and I put in over 150 hours each. The sheer amount of work involved is staggering and you wonder how you’ll get through it, but luckily our trades all worked so well together.”
For more on Ben and Ingrain Designs visit their website. And remember to tune in tonight for The Block auction!
