mezzanine – The Interiors Addict

The Block series 13 week 3 room reveals: kids’ bedrooms

Last night’s kids’ room reveals were more enjoyable than I expected. Much as I personally, as a mum, enjoy the fun of decorating a children’s room, they don’t always make the best TV. You can’t really showcase the luxury, glam and gadgets you can with, say, a master bedroom. But I was pleasantly surprised with all the great ideas the contestants came up with, as well as how sophisticated most of them looked. And I have to 100% agree with Ronnie and Georgia winning (second week in a row) as there was really nothing to criticise in their gorgeous space. I absolutely loved Sticks and Wombat’s though (what a shame about the wallpaper) and Jason and Sarah did a great job too. Without further a do, here are more photos, judges’ comments and our picks to buy, from first place to last.

FIRST: Ronnie and Georgia

Well, that wallpaper on the ceiling was a fantastic idea, beautifully executed and the judges loved it. Darren said everything about the room was wow and Shaynna said it was a bedroom memories are made of. Neale said they’d gone all out to reflect childhood; 100% whimsy. Shaynna thought the styling was perfect. Darren loved the storage and said the room would suit a child from two to 11 and could be easily reorientated to a teenager room with minor tweaks. Shaynna added it was one of the very best kids’ rooms she’d ever seen. “They’ve thought of everything.” Not surprisingly with comments like these, the couple scored the first perfect 10 of the season.

Our pick to buy: Incy Interiors Eden bed, Pottery Barn Kids tea sandwich set, cotton candy print.

SECOND: Jason and Sarah

Shaynna said it was good they hadn’t pigeon-holed the room to a certain age. Darren thought it was very sophisticated and loved the wallpaper. Neale said it was very child friendly but not childish; really beautiful. And Shyanna said their wallpaperer was a magician (someone introduce him to Sticks and Wombat!). Neale loved the level of restraint without sacrificing the sense of fun. Darren said the Jack and Jill en suite (shared by two bedrooms) was a master stroke of planning.

Our pick to buy: Eurowalls gold zebra wallpaper, giant rhino, Heatherly Design Bailey Bedhead.

THIRD: Sticks and Wombat

This room was all about the fun, but great craftmanship too. Darren was truly like a big kid, and said “this is mad!” and the stuff of many kids’ dreams. Neale said it was like their own private tower. Shaynna was first to notice the wallpapering disaster, although she loved the actual design. Darren said it was a real downer when everything else was “up up up”. Neale said no-one was going to forget the house with the climbing wall though. Too right!

Our pick to buy: Winston the Wombat print, Alessia wallpaper, Kylie the Kangaroo cushion, Sticks Photography wave print.

FOURTH: Josh and Elyse

These guys didn’t have a great week, with Keith and Dan shutting down their site for a time due to their unsafe demolition. Their mezzanine idea paid off though. The judges all agreed they were going for more of a teenager room and Neale said kids would be excited that it feels like a mini apartment. Shaynna and Darren loved the wardrobe too. But that’s where the positives ended. Shaynna hated that the room had been stripped bare of any heritage elements and Neale agreed it could easily be a room in a new build. The judges found the styling a bit underwhelming too. Darren said there was no great contrast and Neale would have liked to have seen a bit of romance or escapism; something to get excited about.

Our pick to buy: Leather bedhead by Heatherly Design Bedheads, west elm rug, Luca linen rectangle cushion.

LAST: Hannah and Clint

The floorplan change and having a sliding glass door to the outside in a children’s room did them no favours in the end. It wasn’t all bad though. Darren immediately loved the playfulness and Shaynna said all the styling choices were very gorgeous. Neale liked that it was very obviously a child’s room but without being sugary sweet. “It’s kind of modern and cool.” Darren said it was well finished and loved the wardrobe (even if the door knob came off in his hand! Oops!). He and Shaynna agreed the room was small and felt a bit squashed. Shaynna said you wouldn’t want a sliding door to a courtyard with kids because it was unsafe. The judges agreed their planning had brought them undone.

Our pick to buy: The Family Love tree bedhead.

The Block latest

The high drama Block Glasshouse terrace reveals

OMG, I don’t know about you but I got seriously high blood pressure watching last night’s terrace reveals. Agh! So much work to do, Keith handing out extra work and stopping plans in their tracks at every turn and serious amounts of tantrums, tears and rain. Nightmare! Apart from Max and Karstan of course, who seemed pretty chilled about everything! So it’s really quite staggering that the end results were, in the main, so slick and impressive. I’m amazed that four out of five couples finished, let alone anything else!

Carlene & Michael: 2nd place

“How good is this?” and “Incredible,” were Shaynna’s words, followed by a “wow” from Darren. The judges all loved the timber cladding. Neale said the exposed brick in the indoor living area which he initially had misgivings about now made total sense in the context of the outdoor area. Darren said it felt like an urban oasis and Shaynna was amazed they’d achieved so much in just seven days, thinking of everything. Despite being close to the street, Neale said it had a feeling of seclusion which was perfect. It was going so very well until they “forgot” to put Max & Karstan’s ugly pipe lamp in their room for judging, as per the rules, losing them a point. When it came to the small upstairs terrace, Neale was in love again, calling it a real gem. The outdoor shower and vertical garden also went down well. “Michael and Carlene have a phenomenal apartment, ” said Shaynna, with Darren adding: “They’re sitting on a goldmine.” And just to finish it off, Neale declared they’d nailed it.

Get Carlene & Michael’s look: Haman indigo cushion, pom pom magenta cushions, Emmett copper pendants, replica Fermob Luxembourg counter stool, replica Fermob Luxembourg chair, Outdeco Gardenscreen Cumulus, Kalahari outdoor beanbags.

Chris & Jenna: last place

With their not one but two terraces, Chris & Jenna were falling seriously behind. Even Keith took pity on them and chose to muck in and help. Bless, what a secret softie! Not that it went down well with some of the other contestants… Nothing could stop the overwhelming reality of the sheer amount of work though, resulting in tears and domestics. With two unfinished rooms in a row you couldn’t help but feel sorry for them and nobody wants to see a man cry (poor Chris!).

While they were probably expecting the worst, Neale was very complimentary about the ivy wall and what they’d managed to achieve, creatively, on a budget. Shaynna commended them for picking themselves up each week and really trying but couldn’t ignore what hadn’t been finished but “damn well good on them!”). Neale said despite it not being finished you could see it was going to be really strong. The generous comments ended when the judges got upstairs to the rooftop however! The huge TV got plenty of criticism for being ugly and impractical. “Downstairs I could forgive them a lot but up here really doesn’t work,” summed up Neale.

Get Chris & Jenna’s look: Sky blue outdoor scatter cushion, tangerine outdoor pillow cushion, steel hexagon with hanging bromeliad plant, Fluid Hoshi Design in limestone, Oracular Design Planter in limestone, Geometric Divine Design Planter in limestone, Geometric Divine Design Tealight in limestone.

Max & Karstan: 3rd place

All the judges agreed the couple’s room was warm, cohesive and tied in well with the apartment. Darren loved the remote control blinds and the hanging plants. Neale said the vertical garden was one of the best examples he’d seen yet and that the terrace had made a massive difference in finishing off the apartment, which in previous weeks had been criticised for being too cold and clinical. These two did lose a point though for not incorporating Dee and Darren’s hideous trumpet lights!

Get Max & Karstan’s look: Vertiscape green wall modules, Pop & Scott pots, Pop plant hanging string garden kit, Outdeco Gardenscreen Marakesh black.

Shannon & Simon: 4th place

The boys seemed to have one hurdle after another to overcome this week but, in their usual style, remained good humoured! But the judges couldn’t agree on the space. While Darren and Neale loved the hanging and other pots, Shaynna hated them and said they didn’t fit with the rest of the apartment. Neale said it just fell short of being absolutely brilliant while Shaynna said it was borderline boring. Owch! Neale’s hipster’s terrace was Shaynna’s abandoned warehouse! The boys also lost a point for not incorporating Michael and Carlene’s lamp.

Get Shannon & Simon’s look: Radial wall mural, wire powdercoated chairs, wire bar stools, steel macrame net.

Dee & Darren: WINNERS!

You’ve got to agree, the double Ds’ idea to create a mezzanine with city views was GENIUS. Neale and Shaynna agreed it was like a little Tuscan retreat. Neale said every now and again, more is more! As usual, the styling got big compliments. Neale said he couldn’t remember the last time he saw an apartment which was totally holistic in the way it came together. Darren got so excited when he spotted the mezzanine and ran up to check out the city views, saying you could happily sit their quietly, completely removed from the hustle and bustle of life. Shaynna said it was the sort of wow factor that would create a bidding war. Again, they lost a point though for not incorporating Chris and Jenna’s disco vertical garden. What a surprise!

Get Dee & Darren’s look: medium lantern, mini lantern, rustic pine reclaimed coffee table, Maine botanical cushion, 3-piece outdoor setting, adjustable wall spotlight in copper,

After the terrace judging, in true Block style, came the big surprise that the next two weeks would be spent doing the sixth apartment between them all, with those creating winning rooms getting to take cash off their reserve prices. Will be interesting seeing all the couples working together to achieve one cohesive home. Eek! Can’t wait for next week!

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