Final room reveals last night! Sad times! But a great result for my faves Julia and Sasha with their stunning 40 out of 40 kitchen. Having seen this for myself, it really is amazing. And as for that backlit Caesarstone! Wow! The girls get $20k off their reserve for coming first.
Our Lauren Ellis visited The Block and created this video interview with Julia and Sasha about the kitchen.
We don’t have time (or the inclination, frankly) to write about all the bitching and drama, so let’s just stick to last night’s room reveals shall we?!
Kim and Chris won with their outdoor area and 28.5 points, taking $20k off their reserve. Dan and Carleen’s bathroom got them 27.5 points, second place and $15k off their reserve. Then the boys, Andy and Ben, came third with their master en suite, 26 points and $10k off their reserve. Sadly for Will and Karlie (fourth) and Julia and Sasha (last) they got nada!
What the judges said…
Andy and Ben’s master en suite
The judges, especially gadget fiend Darren, loved the voice activated features to turn on the lights and shower. Very cool. These were seen throughout the ‘house of the future’.
They loved the restored terrazzo incorporated into the room, it was a beautiful feature and Shaynna said it warmed her heart they’d used it. Darren liked the layout while Neale said it was elegant and simple, and Deco. Shaynna liked the black edge strip, which worked with the Art Deco vibe.
While the vanity was beautiful, Shaynna said it didn’t have enough storage. Darren said his cosmetics alone would fill it!
Overall, the judges thought it was very well planed with great lighting and good inclusions and was very desirable and modern.
Neale gave it a real wow. Shaynna loved the way they’d used subway tiles and black grout to great effect on a budget as well as the amazing Zuster vanity from Reece “It’s the perfect piece for the room.”
Neale loved the gold wall lights and guessed (incorrectly!) that the room had been done by Will and Karlie!
Neale said the room had a real sense of the Deco period due to the height of the ceiling, panelling and window, but the styling really let it down with the pendant lights not working.
Shaynna said the pendants, style and size aside, were way too high, the bedsides weren’t really bedsides and the chair was too small and belonged in a kid’s room.
Neale said there was so much more they could made of it and Darren said it was probably budget which had stopped them.
Well this one didn’t go down too well at all and I suppose I’d have to agree that this is the least favourite room so far by my favourites Julia and Sasha. Neale said he had never seen such a miserable kid’s room and that it shouldn’t have been grey! “It needs all the help it can get.”
Shaynna loved the wallpaper and the reading area but the judges all hated the steel house frame bed, saying it was an accident waiting to happen with someone hitting their head. And while Shaynna loved the hanging chair she said this too was impractical.
After seeing the magnificent concrete table and the rendered wall, the judges knew who had done this room straight away.
Darren loved the statement pendant lights saying they worked really nicely. In fact he said everything above the floor (which was marked with paint spills and footprints) was beautiful.
When they realised there was a projector too for movie nights, the judges were sold!
Can it have really been the last lot of room reveals of the series?! I feel like it’s gone really quickly! What about you? Have you enjoyed this season?
Last night, the judges scored the contestants’ challenge apartment efforts and once again, with a different room each, I think it made for more interesting viewing than when they’re all doing the same rooms, although it’s much harder to compare apples with pears, as they say!
It was a great night for favourites Shay and Dean, who got a full marks 30 for their living room, which was indeed beautiful. Whitney and Andy got just half a point less, 29.5, for their dining. It was a very close call all round with Suzi and Vonni taking third place and 29 points for their bedroom, Luke and Ebony 28 for their kitchen and Caro and Kingi 27 for their home office, powder room and laundry (surely the toughest gig?). I felt like all the scores were a bit on the generous side but maybe the judges wanted to go out on a positive note!
Suzi & Vonni’s bedroom
Neale loved the timber walls and Darren, still not knowing whose room it was, said they’d finally worked out how to do bedrooms. Although while Shaynna and Neale loved the cushions on the bed and the styling with a tray of breakfast at the end of it, Darren thought there were too many cushions and the tray arrangement was a little twee. I have to agree with Darren on that one! On spotting the pine cones, Darren was sure it was Suzi and Vonni’s room!
Neale said if it was indeed the girls’ work, he had to applaud them for their restraint and sophistication. The judges said the execution throughout was excellent and that they’d nailed it this week.
Caro & Kingi’s study, powder room and laundry
I’m sure having to contend with this trio as well as Caro doing the budgeting for everyone was a case of drawing the seriously short straw and this pair ended up coming last. Coincidence?
Darren said the office was really fun and Neale said it was also really well thought through. Shaynna criticised the shallow desk when there was so much empty space, but at the end of the day, Neale, who wrongly guessed it might be Andy and Whitney’s, said it was a credit to whoever did it.
Once into the powder room, Neale was sure it was Caro and Kingi’s, Shaynna liked the colour palette and Neale said it was simple, functional and just right; at this final stage it was great they were still giving them new things and not recycling what they’d done before.
The laundry was less successful with Shaynna saying it didn’t connect with the powder room or study and Neale saying it felt the least interesting. Darren however complimented the sink, tap and styling.
Shay & Dean’s full marks living room
I really liked this room and it was definitely my favourite. Darren loved the black alcoves either side of the TV; a smart move indeed. Neale liked the gallery-styled grouping of artworks and Shaynna said it suggested confidence which made her correctly guess it was Shay and Dean.
Neale said it was the perfect rug, the perfect size, and had been put together by someone with a very very sophisticated eye and good sense of colour. Shaynna said the execution was pretty perfect and Neale added it was the best living room he’d seen this series.
Andy & Whitney’s dining room
It was a good night for compliments for Andy and Whitney, with Andy commenting afterwards it was a shame they’d hit their stride right as the competition was ending! All the judges said it was hard to believe another couple had created the space because it absolutely went with the living room and felt seamless.
Darren loved the table and chairs and Neale, the cabinet and artworks. Neale wanted to believe it was Andy and Whitney’s, stating he couldn’t believe the couple who delivered “the worst room I’ve ever seen” at the start of the series, could deliver this.
Ebony & Luke’s kitchen
The butler’s pantry
This kitchen and its “pantry plus” as Neale called it, got plenty of positive comments. Darren thought the amount of storage was phenomenal. Shaynna loved the light and dark coloured Silestone surfaces and the long cupboard handles.
Neale said the butler’s pantry was really special while Shaynna called it fantastic.
I really enjoyed last night’s room reveals. I’d almost go as far as to say it was worth the wait until after the cricket (wow, that upset a few people, didn’t it?!). It just made for refreshing viewing to see all the contestants working on the same apartment for a change, with varying degrees of success. And I also agreed with the order the judges scored the rooms in, with Shay and Dean’s en suite an out and out winner for me too. That brass hardware and the feature herringbone tile alcove! Loved it! So much wow in a tiny space!
Shay and Dean, Caro and Kingi and Luke Ebony were the winners, getting 15, 10 and 5k respectively to either spend on their apartments or take off their reserves (to be revealed next week). Poor Suzi and Vonni and Andy and Whitney got nothing.
So, onto the judging…
Kingi and Caro: second place
These two had the massive bonus of winning a professional painter for this week in the karaoke challenge. It gave them more time to concentrate on their render feature wall and styling! Shaynna said it felt peaceful and serene. Darren liked the stepladder in the wardrobe and said there wasn’t much to pick on, save for a few exposed screws. He even described the styling of the bed as stunning. Shaynna would have preferred storage in the bedside table but let it go on account of it being a guest room. All the judges, not knowing about the challenge win, commented on the excellent paintwork!
Gosh I loved this room, the en suite of Kingi and Caro’s bedroom. The shower with its herringbone recess, the timber vanity, brass tapware and pennyround tiles on the floor. Sigh…
Shaynna said it was beautiful, Darren loved the hardware and said the room was ‘so cool’. Neale guessed it was Shay and Dean’s work due to its luxury touches. Darren thought the tiles were expertly put together. Save for the lack of a proper towel rail, rather a double hook on the wall, the judges praised the underfloor heating, storage and lighting plan. Neale said he’d be a very happy guest staying there.
[contextly_sidebar id=”zi5w6hYOFyhFiIF0tElKyi9lsZT8A2vU”]Gosh, it was one disaster and setback after another for these two, so the main bathroom ended up pretty good considering! At one point it didn’t look like it would even be half finished! First the lighting was hung wrong, then the blinds didn’t fit, then they ran out of tiles. Need I go on?!
The judges were reasonably impressed though and Darren quickly realised it was the girls’ work. Neale loved the herringbone tiles, while Darren noted there was lots of storage and the general layout was very good. Shaynna thought the pendants weren’t special enough and Darren thought you could bash your head on them getting out of the bath! Shaynna was really impressed though by the shower space and its built in seat. But the fact the doors didn’t shut and other finishes, like cracked tiles, let it down. Neale was kind and said it had a good feel and broad appeal but Darren said all the little things chipped away at the feeling of glamour.
The siblings’ bedroom scoring certainly won the prize for most awkward! First Neale guessed the room was Whitney and Andy’s (and Whitney and Andy at their best, at that). Then Darren said they’d obviously copied Caro and Kingi’s wardrobe styling but done so with far less sophistication!
Neale liked the pendant lights but thought they were hung too high. Otherwise though, the execution was good. They would have been happy with their third place after the mixed reviews!
These two squared off an internal wall in their en suite but the judges didn’t really seem to notice! Shaynna thought the colour palette worked really well and loved the black and rose gold taps. It ticked a lot of boxes with good lighting, storage and under floor heating.
But it all went wrong when they noticed the walls and the floor didn’t meet the glass properly. Neale said it didn’t feel as high end or expensive as Shay and Dean’s en suite and had a lack of sophistication with styling that felt a bit last minute.
On the up side, Neale said the hex tile with its nod to the shape of the building, was a thoughtful choice. And Darren thought the wall and floor tiles were a great format and texture.
