Wow, talk about a potential deal with Kleenex! The Block needs to make some phone calls, cause there’s more tears this week than a late-night ice -cream-infused session on the couch with Noah and Allie (insert manly reference as to how you ‘HAVEN’T’ seen The Notebook). Seriously, this Block is starting to crack under the pressure and the contestants are turning against each other quicker than the entire population of Australia turned on Richie last week.
THE GOOD
Always the bridesmaids hey?…Karlie and Will’s styling is on point this week. There are some major issues with layouts, and we’ll get into that later, but everything in their living and dining sits so well. That oversized photograph of the vintage time clock is nothing but stunning and sits beautifully in the dark and moody tones these two decided to go with this week. It’s sophisticated drama and it brings real warmth and character into the rooms. The dark hues and the injections of raw timber along with plenty of natural textiles gives their space a sense of depth and personality. I love the blues, greys and leather, it’s very on trend and it’s very very hot. The judges give the Brissy couple a roasting for the layout and I have to agree as I can’t see why the TV is boxed in with gyprock, it shouts “HERE’S THE TV!”, and that’s a bit cheap. I think if they could have shuffled the room around to make a bit more space, they would have been up for a win this week.
THE BAD
I’m going to go against tradition and peg a few couples into this category this week. I’m not saying their rooms were bad, I think everyones’ spaces this week looked great and had some beautiful elements. I loved Kim and Chris’s homeliness and warmth and the boys had the space and some striking references to Art Deco, but let’s talk about the TVs. C’mon guys, stop making them the focus of your rooms. All the dining areas were really well done, but half of the TVs this week were way too high, and the other half were made into features of the room, which makes a space feel sterile and un-conversational. There needs to be a rule on The Block, that a TV should be seen as a secondary or even third element in the room, not the first thing you see and definitely not the focus of the space.
THE UGLY
Ok… while I’m on the rant, I’m going to bring up the layouts. Here we have five beautiful spaces, they’re all full of natural light and there is room for days, but most of the couples this week fell way too short of the mark when it came to living room configuration and layouts. Karlie and Will’s was far too crammed in, Dan and Carleen’s was just slightly better, the boys did ok and Kim and Chris’s was packed tighter than a hipster’s back pocket. The couples needed to plan a bit more at the start of the week to really get the most out of the spaces. It seemed that they just followed the architect’s plans, and hadn’t put much effort into the spatial layouts of the rooms. Yes, we all want our homes to look good at the end of the day, but when a room functionally doesn’t work as a space, looks count for squat.
HOTSTUFF
With another flood of tears and some more time out, I thought the girls would have never finished their rooms this week, and by the look on their faces who’d have picked they would have tied for the win? I think they were more shocked than anyone and I get it, The Block is so stressful, so intense and it’s easy to let your emotions get the better of you, but didn’t they deliver the goods? Going for a Hollywood glam feel, Julia and Sasha certainly sexed it up with dark deep tones, plenty of velvet and a whole lot of bling. Forgoing a rug in the living room left the space a little cold, but absolutely everything else is background noise to that immensely beautiful artwork by Megan Weston. The deep blues, the teals and even the charcoals in the resin piece command attention from every other element in the room, and it shines as an absolute hero of the space. The deep blue velvet dining chairs with the glass table and the deco pendant are a perfect combination, and in Neale’s words, “worthy of a magazine cover”. What a compliment!
SURPRISE OF THE WEEK
Didn’t Dan and Carleen shock us all this week with their spectacular living and dining combo? Firstly the layout is much better, though it seems the same as Karlie and Will’s, it feels more open and there’s a bit more space thanks to the supporting column being slightly narrower. But those furniture choices! I think the couch was the only thing that was a bit plain here. The entertainment unit was high end and just perfect as it toned down the presence of the TV, the leather chairs were sexy, right on brief and very chic. The rug in the dining seemed very cool, but the star of the show was that round timber dining table from The Wood Room. A beautifully finished, custom and handmade table that suits to a T the timber elements in the living room. Shaynna made a bee line and got all sultry with the table straight away, and it’s that sort of emotional connection with an element in the room that all these blockheads should be striving for each week. It’s so important to have a hero in every space, that one piece that shines and really ties the room together.
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