By Steph Sandhoff
Welcome back to the OAK + RIDGE Block Blog for Week 7. This week we’re taking a look at five more bathrooms, specifically everyone’s second guest bathroom; that is except for Maddy and Charlotte, who are actually only just delivering their first. I’m going to be brief because I think by now you have all learned enough to probably predict what I’m going to say about each room. Lucky for us, these are officially the last bathrooms of the series and I sincerely hope, the last bathroom House 4 is allowed anywhere near. Considering we have a bathroom for every colour of the rainbow this week, I’m baffled by the amount of green reflected in the contestant’s eyes...
HOUSE 1 // Maddy and Charlotte
Photo Attribution: Nine
We are starting on a high this week with Maddy and Charlotte, who had a massive week of firsts. They delivered their first bathroom, their first room of entirely their own design and managed to snag their first win. Their first official room feels simple, organic and coastal. While there are no major features, every element in the room is classy and timeless. They have layered subtle tones and textures to create a room that will appeal to a broad market and it’s the only one I’d want in my own home this week. While it’s not exciting, it’s warm and balanced and suits the location perfectly. The only thing I would change is the position of the toilet, which I would have hidden between the vanity and shower.
HOUSE 2 // Courtney and Grant
Photo Attribution: Nine
Next up we have House 2, where Courtney and Grant have created a bit of a circus. Let’s get the shower out of the way first. Creating bold stripes with tiles has become a very popular trend over the last few years but it’s the first time we’ve seen it on The Block. It’s a concept that you will see used most often in showers, pools and on staircases in Europe, so it fits in well with their ‘Modditeranean’ style home. However, I don’t know why you would choose to differentiate only one of your guest bathrooms. Such a bold concept would have made more sense in a main bathroom. I would have preferred to see them save this idea for their pool/landscaping and instead create a ‘beige and cream’ stripe, to reference their previous 'checkerboard' tile design. Finally, I think they made a mistake with their layout. I don’t mind them stealing some space from an office but their vanity and shower are larger than necessary for a guest space and I hate how their toilet is hidden down a hallway; it’s a massive waste of space and looks really awkward.
HOUSE 3 // Ricky and Haydn
Photo Attribution: Nine
Let’s move on to House 3, who have gone for a very ‘yellow’ vibe. Am I the only one that’s confused by all the coloured doors in this house? We’re designing a multi-million dollar holiday home, not playing a giant-sized game of monopoly. Ignoring the buttercup door, the rest of the room feels warm and ‘beachy’ but I’m not particularly inspired. I like the way they have continued the VJ paneling throughout their bathrooms but I wish they had used the mustard feature tile on all the shower walls. They also need to swap the location of their toilet and towel rail. In doing so, the toilet would be hidden behind the vanity, which leaves a clearer walkway and simplifies the vanity wall. At the moment, the towel rail is squeezed in next to the shower and detracts visually from the vanity area they’ve curated.
HOUSE 4 // Kylie and Brad
Photo Attribution: Nine
Let’s take a look at House 4 now, who have not listened to a thing I’ve typed and continued to combine pink and black to create what is another horrendous room. Not only have they incorporated more pink but they’ve done so in the form of a pedestal sink that provides no storage. This style of vanity is more appropriate for a powder room or separate toilet. In addition to their signature Dekton, Kylie and Brad have also gone for a strange mix of finishes, including VJ paneling and ‘timber look’ tiles. I don’t mind the paneling but they haven’t used it in any other rooms and they’ve painted it the exact shade of ‘waterproofing blue’. However, it’s the ‘floorboard tiles’ in the shower that I have the biggest issue with. They’re not a tile that I use myself as they often look like a cold and/or cheap copy of an element that should be providing texture and warmth. Finally, all the differing heights and horizontal lines in the room only add to the sense of chaos I feel in this room.
HOUSE 5 // Kristian and Mimi
Photo Attribution: Nine
Lastly, we have Kristian and Mimi in House 5 who have decided to design their final bathroom as if it only has one wall, rather than four. Most bathrooms have three to four major fixtures; a shower, vanity, toilet and sometimes a bath. Depending on the size and shape of a space, these elements can be laid out multiple ways, however they should be spread out, and in a room like this one, I would definitely have placed the shower and vanity on different walls. By having two major elements squeezed in next to each other, you limit the size of both the shower and vanity whilst creating a huge waste of space in the middle of the room. The room feels incredibly unbalanced but at least it coordinates with their previous bathrooms.
Before I go, I’d like to address the art in the room because I’ve been holding my tongue all season and I can’t do it any longer. Artworks don’t belong in bathrooms and it’s that simple. It’s unhygienic, it damages the art and it looks ridiculous. If you have a piece of art that you think looks best above your toilet, then you should probably flush it.
Thanks for reading and see you all next week for living and dining. Don’t forget 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. Which room was your favourite? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback below.
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