The Block week 4 room reveals: guest bedroom & walk-in robe

By Jen Bishop with Phoebe Netto

I love how each week is throwing up a new contender for the top prize this season, with no clear favourite yet. This week was no exception with the boys not just taking out first place but receiving 30 out of 30!

This week’s scores:

• First: Andy and Ben with 30
• Second: Karlie and Will with 26.5
• Third: Dan and Carleen with 26
• Fourth: Kim and Chris with 24.5
• Last: Julia and Sasha with 24

Karlie & Will

That bedhead! Divine! And clever. I love the way these two are giving Art Deco a modern spin but I’m still not 100% on the exposed brick. The bed styling was a bit all over the place and I would have liked to have seen something more simple and chic.

What the judges said:

• The all loved bedhead with the geometric print and brass
• They all loved the restored original feature
• Neale felt the styling (particularly cushions on the bed) went too far and weakened the impact of the bedhead
• Neale was not a fan of the artwork and said it had been done too much before. Shaynna and Darren agreed.
• They were all fans of walk-in robe but would have preferred the colour of the timber to be darker.

Dan and Carleen

Although that Incy Interiors velvet bedhead is just delicious, I really didn’t like this room as much as the judges did. I do love those West Elm Terrace side tables though and would totally have them in my bedroom if I didn’t have a toddler!

What the judges said:

• What an improvement on the last bedroom (the less said about that the better!)
• Darren loved that the walls were white and they all loved the cornice
• Neale liked the colour palette a lot and how it is in keeping with what was popular during the period
• All the judges were perplexed by the size of bedhead in relation to bed, as it had gaps on both sides
• Shaynna had an issue with the extra down lights over the centre of the bed
• The choice of the down lights weren’t popular and they would have preferred sconces
• Neale felt it didn’t hit the mark compared to their bathroom. He said the walk-in robe had nothing special or luxury about it
• Overall, it was a great improvement.

Andy & Ben

Who would have thought, based on their first bathroom with the dollar razors out on display, that these likeable youngsters would pull off such a great room, and a 30 out of 30?! Changing the walk-in into an en suite, giving the judges back the toilet they were so upset about losing last week, proved to be a master stroke. They really have improved each week. We love an underdog!I love what the boys did this week, with its subtle monochrome palette and Deco touches that were somehow perfectly modern as well. Amazing progress! Although the wallpaper mural was a big statement, in general, this week I felt like they showed that less is sometimes more.

What the judges said:

• They were impressed to see an ensuite and Darren said they have knocked it out of the ballpark
• Neale said they were not just flying through the competition but soaring!
• Shaynna and Darren loved the wallpaper and Neale said the colour palette was very sophisticated. He appreciated the use of subtle pattern and print in the bed linen
• The execution got top marks
• Shaynna was very impressed that they were able to pull off the ensuite and bedroom in one week.

Julia & Sasha

After last week’s stunner of a bathroom, it was all a bit of an anticlimax for the girls this week. Poor Julia had a crisis of confidence this week after the judges’ comments about her previous bedroom. While I loved their bed choice, I did feel the room felt a bit too plain and wasn’t cohesive. Top marks for using the same Antoinette Ferwerda print I have in my own apartment though! I still have faith the girls can bring it back next week, judging by their previous rooms. That is if they get over this week’s comments…

What the judges said:

• Neale said he liked this bedroom better than the previous one but he said it lacked something and he wasn’t connecting with it
• Shaynna said it was too “magazine-y” and she wants to “magnify the elegance”
• Darren said it was the right balance to be very saleable
• Neale agreed with Darren that it is friendly and familiar, it was just “nice” and not memorable and the  pendants were “appalling”
• Shaynna noted that everyone else in the building was pushing the boundaries and leaving their comfort zones but the girls need to let their guard down. The room is feeling uptight. Neale agreed.
• “Julia is a stylist who is being out-styled” by some of the other contestants.

Ouch!

Kim & Chris

I thought this couple (who I have a total soft spot for, they’re so nice!) did great this week, although I had to agree with the judges in that it didn’t have anything standout. I couldn’t really fault anything either, I just didn’t love it!

What the judges said:

• “It feels like they have found a style that they are comfortable with,” said Neale
• Shaynna liked the dramatic artwork and lighting, and said it was memorable
• Neale said it is a bit of a showroom; nice but lacking personality
• Darren said it was big, friendly and broad enough to appeal to different buyers. He was impressed at the attention to detail like future use of power points
• The judges want to see a little more emotion and their personalities in their rooms.