By Steph Sandhoff
The Block is back and so are we! The popular renovation series is officially back for its 20th season while our own OAK + RIDGE Block Blog is back for its FOURTH. Apparently, I’m quite good at talking shit, who knew? If you’re new to this blog then welcome. I’m an interior designer from Newcastle NSW, who sits on the couch watching The Block, never having quite given up on the show she started watching when she was 8. For those of you whom I have picked up along the way, thanks so much for coming back.
Photo Attribution: Nine
This year we are heading to Phillip Island or as I like to call it, Penguin Island. Whatever the name, five couples will come from around the country to renovate holiday homes located in a 14-year-old, abandoned resort in Cowes, about a 2-hour drive from Melbourne. The site previously known as “Island Cove Villas” was worth just under 10 million and already sports both a swimming pool and tennis court. The homes all boast a coastal Palm Springs vibe with the proposed designs showcasing asymmetrical exteriors well known to mid-century design. It’s a style that makes sense given the location but it will be interesting to see if any of the contestants actually follow through with the mid-century modern style in their houses.
Photo Attribution: Domain
According to Block architect Julian Brenchley, “the cohesion of the old and new was an important consideration” whilst designing the potential homes, and he wanted to maintain an independent look for each one. Unfortunately, it’s only really House 5 that is significantly different looking but I’ll let you guys be the judge. After 4 good-looking couples reassured the remaining best mates that they weren’t in fact on the wrong island, Scotty Cam had them all play a game of “pick a penguin, pick a house” and saved us all from another terrible ‘House Decider Challenge’. It seems we will be without both Keith and Neale this year, so let’s take a quick look at who we do have… for now anyway.
HOUSE 1 // Jesse and Paige
Photo Attribution: Nine
Our first couple off the rank and all way from Western Australia (where people don’t like their kids) are Jesse and Paige. The couple have been together 7 years and are our youngest team this year. They have no personal renovation experience which is immediately obvious and although Jesse is a carpenter, his skillset only seems to be adding pressure and high expectations to his already overloaded shoulders. Paige is a claims specialist, who claims not to be mean or rude despite quite obvious examples to the contrary. However, we may not need to get to know this couple particularly well as it is rumoured that they pull a “Joel and Elle” and leave the show. Their replacements are believed to be sisters from New South Wales, Maddy and Charlotte, who get dropped in the deep end with about 24 hours’ notice. It remains to be seen when this dramatic swap will occur but I’m keen to see how it all unfolds.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 1, also referred to as “Southerly” due to its Colorbond shade is our first of 4 very similar houses. It is located at the front of the site on the left-hand side which means the back of the house will be north facing. Their home will have a “coastal grandma” vibe … think blues and whites, stripes, natural textures and seaside motifs. It’s not the easiest aesthetic to work with as it can often become quite stiff and structured like you would see in the Hamptons or alternately you can end up with a cliché ‘beach house’. Such a light and bright style also doesn’t really suit the dark grey colour of their exterior so it will be interesting to see if they keep it and manage to find a successful balance.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Paige and Jesse’s guest bathroom was the first to go before the judges this week and it was immediately clear that they didn’t finish. My first thoughts on the room were, “not this tile again”, which I’m sure I have said was dated in past seasons of the show already. My next thought it that the room feels tight. It’s quite a small room, with the addition of an angled wall and I’m not sure they got the layout completely right. The shower seems to be towering over the rest of the bathroom, while the bath is squeezed in the corner. The vanity is barely large enough for a main bathroom and I’d like to see a child try to reach that towel rack without falling in the bath. They certainly aren’t going to ever hang up a towel. Speaking of the towels, I hate the colour, it’s a tiny issue but really reduces the impact of the tile and needed to have a deeper tone to accentuate the tile’s vibrancy. All in all, I’m pretty underwhelmed.
Photo Attribution: Nine
HOUSE 2 // Courtney and Grant
Couple number two are Courtney and Grant who have been married for 3 years. Despite not having much actual renovation experience both Courtney and Grant work in the design industry. Courtney is an event account manager with an online furniture business on the side, while Grant works in landscaping. You may already be familiar with “The Lazy Stylist” on Instagram, which could be an indication of the couple’s style this season. It’s a combination which could prove to be highly successful and these guys might just be the dark horse this year.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 2, or “Surfmist” is almost a carbon copy of House 1 and resides just next door. The major difference being the bright white colour of their exterior which will potentially coordinate well with the couple’s ‘Moditerranean’ style. Last year we had ‘Japandi’ and this year we have ‘Moditerranean’. For those of you who are not familiar this is a fusion of modern and mediterranean design, which incorporates bright tones, natural and organic materials and often an eclectic pop of colour or pattern.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Courtney and Grant spent the most money this week – just over $35,000, on their maiden voyage into ‘Moditerranian’ seas. The room grabbed my eye early when they revealed their vanity, which in my opinion was their hero piece. Whether it is to your taste or not (which might be the case for many), the mid-century style ‘flower’ handles gave a nod to the style of the home whilst subtly incorporating their Mediterranean style. It also provided a holiday vibe, because although you may not want that exact vanity in your home, you would certainly be grabbing a picture of it on your travels. I’m not sure I would have thought to use such a contrasting marble vanity top but on further inspection it really does lift the room and I wish they had chosen brighter and more interesting towels to really add to the drama of the room – then we may not have had to witness that interaction between Shaynna and Marty. Finally, I like the layout of the room more than House 1 but I still think it could have been done better. I wouldn’t have bothered adding a curve to the room because it uses up necessary space and could have allowed for a larger vanity and/or more successful layout. Regardless, this was the winning room for me this week.
Photo Attribution: Nine
HOUSE 3 // Ricky and Haydn
Photo Attribution: Nine
Our next couple are actually the only NON-couple of the group. Ricky and Haydn (without an E) are best mates from Victoria but are basically brothers. Ricky runs his own plumbing company and has previously renovated his own home, while 'Haydn without an E', is an IT manager. We saw Haydn become a Dad already this week, giving birth to a daughter named Matilda with his partner Chelsea.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 3, now dubbed “Shale Grey” is the next of our cookie-cutter houses and has arguably the most privacy. Located in the back left corner of the site the home is the third of the almost identical exteriors . Based purely on location, this would have been my pick of the houses. By his own admission, Ricky and Haydn are winging it style wise but I have a sneaking suspicion they might have some talent up their horrendously bright sleeves.
Photo Attribution: Nine
Ricky and Haydn, or rather Ricky seemed to coast all by himself this week and provided a very solid first bathroom. For me, the biggest takeaway from the room was that they got all the permanent or ‘hard to change’ parts very right. The tiles, the vanity, tapware, mirror and bath were all great choices and even the layout, which is the same as House 1, seems more spacious. However, I do have to agree with the judges that their paint choices let them down. The door and walls are easy to fix which is a great outcome because out of all three crashing tones of bluey/green, the tiles are the most sophisticated. If it were my room, I would probably just remove all the James Hardie cladding and use it elsewhere in the house where it’s harder to incorporate layers of texture. If they removed all those vertical lines with the cladding and swapped the shower screen for something simple and frameless, that room would have been hard to beat. Oh and different towels – is there an industry shortage or something?
Photo Attribution: Nine
HOUSE 4 // Kylie and Brad
Photo Attribution: Nine
Our fourth couple are Kylie and Brad from Far North Queensland. Brad has enough trades for both himself and his wife Kylie, bringing both electrical and plumbing qualifications to the competition. Kylie with the green hair, who loves black, is a hairdresser. They both run their own business whilst also running around after 4 kids under the age of 10.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 4 is located in the back right corner of the property which backs on to the already existing tennis court and resides right next to the swimming pool. Although near great amenities, I personally wouldn’t want to be so close to other people using the resort or the resulting high noise levels. The house itself has a similar sloping roof line to the first three houses although the proportions have been flipped, presumably to make the most of its orientation. The front of the house will be north facing and much to Kylie’s dismay the exterior will be clad in Colourbond “Dover White”.
Photo Attribution: Nine
I’m not sure if it was the green hair or the utter devotion to the colour black that made me wary of this couple initially, but as it turns out I was right to be worried. I usually try to be constructive in these blogs but Kylie and Brad’s first bathroom is something out of a bad Gold Coast night club – yes I have been to my fair share. Let’s all mentally remove the neon artwork and pink vase and focus on the slightly less horrendous choices that will be much harder to change. It’s a toss-up which of the painted black walls or feature pops of white herringbone tile are worse. Both design choices make the room feel cheap and I’m finding it hard to imagine I’m anywhere else than a café toilet. You know the one where you have to awkwardly walk through the kitchen, down a creepy back hallway, to a single cubicle where you trip on uneven floor levels because apparently WHS doesn’t count anymore. You look around and can just tell they ran out of money for tiles, so they slapped one coat of black paint on the walls and hoped it was dark enough that you wouldn’t notice the pyramid of toilet paper on the floor in place of a $40 toilet paper holder. Keep the Dekton slabs, vanity and plant – change the rest. That’s all I have to say…
Photo Attribution: Nine
HOUSE 5 // Kristian and Mimi
Photo Attribution: Nine
Our final couple on the show this year are Kristian and Mimi. Self-proclaimed polar opposites from Adelaide, these two got married just last year. Kristian is a laid-back electrician with dreams of one day running his own show, while Mimi is a restaurant manager and perfectionist with dreams of being on stage. They couple recently renovated their own home and apparently renovating is one of the only places they find themselves agreeing with each other.
Photo Attribution: Nine
House 5 or “Surfmist Matt” is the only home with a major point of difference with a second story and elevated deck area. It is located at the front of the site on the right-hand side which means their veranda will make the most of its northern aspect. The home itself has a more subtle ‘Palm Springs’ design and probably would have been my second choice of house. It will be interesting to see how this season plays out with such an obvious outlier.
Photo Attribution: Nine
The winners of Week 1, Kristian and Mimi, presented the largest room this week but on the smallest budget, spending a little under $22,000. Like their house, this would have to be my second choice for the week, behind House 2. If I’m being honest, something about this room doesn’t feel right to me. The combination of tiles, the overly spacious layout and timber cladding on the ceiling all combine to create an upscale public change room. Don’t get me wrong because I know that sounds bad and it’s still a successful room but there is no warmth. I think their biggest issue is their tile choices. The blue subway tiles are meant to be the feature but the larger format grey tiles are too detailed and takeaway from the gorgeous blue tone. The competing combination isn’t helped by the fact that the tiles go all the way to ceiling and hence we get no reprieve. Add in the tiny and therefore impractical shower niche, more basic towels and all I can focus on is the cloying smell of chlorine because I just know they hosed this room down after a busy afternoon of kid’s swimming lessons
Photo Attribution: Nine
If you guys are interested in the various styles the couples are creating this year, head to my Pinterest to find out more and discover my take on their respective vibes. If you’re all for working smarter not harder and would like each week’s blog sent straight to your inbox, don’t forget to subscribe, it’s free! Which House would you have picked and which room was your favourite? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback below.
See you next week for bedrooms!
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