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Block’s oldest contestants Mitch & Mark share their advice for this year’s couples

October 2, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie were the oldest Block contestants ever when they took part in last year’s show, and they were certainly popular. Having had a chance to watch this year’s show, the couple reflected on their experience with us, sharing how they never fell out, what they learned and, importantly, what they’d advise the current couples.

Its’ been over 12 months since we completed the final week of renovating The Oslo and left The Block 2019, the biggest Block ever. It sometimes seems so long ago, and at other times like it was just last week. As the biggest Block ever, it was our biggest challenge ever.

As the oldest contestants to ever do The Block we took on the enormity of the renovation and succeeded. We won on the scoreboard but lost at the auction but we consider ourselves winners overall. We won amazing friends in our builders, and incredible support from so many people who watch the show. Our house was the most viewed online, we bought to The Block real interior design, rather than interior decorating and showed that at any age you can do whatever it takes.

Interior design is not just about styling and finishes but considering how people live in a space and the functional use of the space. Interior decorating sits within this framework, creating beauty amongst function.

We believe the two belong together, and you cannot consider interior decorating without considering function. Not all Block houses understood this relationship. This is the reason we completely changed the way our house was designed and engaged the architect in those changes. We drew up plans for all rooms, thinking about how they would work for the eventual owner. This planning was considered and we engaged with our builder from hipages and real estate experts about the market before we made the changes.

We loved that challenge and the excitement of doing something different. If we did it again, we do it the same way: plan, think, research and implement.

Once we made the big shift with the upstairs entertainment area, we saw other teams reactively redesign their floor plans. We took this as a compliment, that we could create the ‘permission’ for others to think laterally. For some teams, their reactive planning resulted in strange proportions between rooms, sacrificing functional living space and storage space (we never understood what a PM wardrobe really was? – does anyone?)

In our year, all the teams brought different levels of building expertise to The Block. In terms of building experience, we had the least ‘hands-on’ work, but we were the most experienced in project management and interior design.

Watching the new teams take on The Block 2020 brings back memories of early morning planning sessions with our building team, long days of removing rubble, late nights of painting, double guessing decisions. We lived on adrenalin during the 14 weeks of the build, and it wasn’t until we finished that we noticed the physical toll taken on our bodies. The current Block contestants will probably find the same thing.

The biggest thing we miss about The Block is working with our amazing building team; our hipages angels! We were the luckiest people on The Block; we got lucky with our team. We didn’t ‘sack’ people like some teams, or bargain tradies down to ridiculous hourly rates, or berate them for not working hard enough. Our job was to make their job easier, and that’s what we committed to do.

The result was clear, every week we were well ahead of all other teams. This comes from knowing how to create the best team to achieve great results. It wasn’t until we watched the episodes go to air that we realised some teams couldn’t understand this, and accused us of having more trades on site, with one team even suggesting we paid from our own money. No, we didn’t. We just created an amazing team we valued and respected, and therefore they were invested in us and achieved great results.

This is what makes us most proud about our Block experience. That and creating an incredible house that people loved. While we were on The Block, we learnt many things, but most of all we learnt how great we are as a team, and how much we respect and care for each other. When things were tough, and either of us wanted to walk away, the other would ‘lift the load’ and carry us through.

Many people we talk to said they were amazed that we never argued. We were the only couple on The Block in 2019 that didn’t argue. We didn’t always agree on everything, however we’re experienced enough to know what’s important and treating each other well was so important. We never understood people lashing out at each other, especially in front of cameras. There apparently was one couple that argued over text to make sure it didn’t get captured on camera.

We also learnt to trust our design decisions. When we second guessed ourselves, or took on too much feedback, we strayed away from what is unique to us, which is the fun and colour we brought to our rooms each week.

The Oslo was so big! We didn’t know anything different, and all the teams pushed through to deliver huge rooms with some amazing results. Watching The Block 2020 gives us a renewed appreciation for what we achieved in 2019. The scale of The Oslo was unique and will likely never happen again on The Block.

Every Block is unique and is the biggest for the teams who take up the challenge every year. For this year’s teams, we would encourage them to play hard, work hard, and don’t give up. When it seems overwhelming, that’s when you push through, and discover that as humans we can achieve some remarkable results.

Mitch and Mark are ambassadors for Hipages, a better, smarter way to connect tradies and consumers and get the job done well, proud sponsors of The Block.

This year's contestants with Scott Cam
The Block 2019: Newlyweds & gay grandads to star!
Hitting screens on Sunday 4 August, for its 15th (wow!) season, The Block 2019 looks set to be an interesting one. The competition will play out at St Kilda’s Oslo…
The Block 2019 winners Luke and Tess celebrating their win
The Block 2019 auction results: A surprise win?
If you’ve been following The Block, I think you’d agree that last weekend’s auction results threw out a few curve balls; none more surprising than the series’ underdogs Tess and…

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Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

✔️ I'm English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008😆 

✔️ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. 🛁 

✔️ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) 📓 

✔️ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London 🚔 

✔️I had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife 😁

✔️ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK ❤️ 🇬🇧 

✔️ At school, my favourite subject was French 🇫🇷 and I was head girl 🤓🤓

✔️ I'm addicted to ☕️ , long hot baths and💄 (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

✔️ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message 😁

✔️ My favourite cuisine is Japanese 🍣 🍜 and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

✔️ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

✔️ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or🍷 

✔️ Cheesy as it sounds, 💁‍♀️being a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life 🧒👦

✔️ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view 📖 

✔️ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

✔️ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker 😯 🅿️

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better 😘

📸 @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

“We are very honoured to have been a part of The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,” he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

🙏Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
I'd love to see more colour in Aussie interiors! I'd love to see more colour in Aussie  interiors! 🎨 

At the end of the day though, it's a matter of personal taste. I love pops of colour but it's not for everyone. 

We couldn't resist featuring this Canadian house tour today. The amazing Kelly Green  hutch (swipe) was an upcycled $200 find 🤗

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see the rest including one of the best playrooms we've seen in ages!

Project by @in.house.design
📸 @philcrozier
Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis o Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis on light and nature.

That was the brief for the conversion of a corner shop and a warehouse bakery into a luxury family home in Sydney's Newtown. And how about the library?!

Take the tour of this very special @annacarindesign project on the blog now, via link in bio.

Pic: @justinalexanderphoto
The things that excite me as a 40 year old 🤭 N The things that excite me as a 40 year old 🤭

None of us enjoy laundry (OK, there are a few of you out there who do. Weird!) but we have to do it. And often. So if your laundry bin can be as good looking, functional and space saving as this, then why wouldn't you?!

I've lost track of how many baskets I've thrown out because they've gone soggy or mouldy. They look pretty, sure, but they're not fit for purpose and they're often messy and overflowing.

Here's what I love about his @brabantia_australia one:

✔️ ventilation holes
✔️ no need to remove the lid for small items plus it hides your dirty laundry from view
✔️ easily removable and washable inner laundry bag that velcros back on 
✔️ corrosion resistant so fine in bathroom or laundry 
✔️ Brabantia make things as sustainably as possible
✔️ compact, sleek, European design
✔️ 10 year warranty
✔️ tall and skinny so takes up less floor in my tiny laundry

The Rolls Royce of laundry bins? I think so 👌🏻

TOLD you this was going to be exciting!

Now I need to know, do you have your laundry basket in the bathroom, the laundry, every bedroom? We used to have one in each bedroom but moved to the laundry-only situation which I much prefer (one for colours and one for whites). My boys know to put their used clothes in the bin in the laundry each night and they're 7 and 3!  #raisingfuturehusbands

#gifted
"Living rooms are important spaces where our publi "Living rooms are important spaces where our public and private lives intersect."

So says stylist @nataliewalton in her gorgeous new book Style, the Art of Creating a Beautiful Home.

"They are where we gather to welcome guests and entertain. But they are also where we decompress and relax at the end of the day. Increasingly, they are open-plan spaces and need to work within a greater scheme. Bringing all the elements together cohesively requires care and consideration. And, if you want a space that lives up to its true potential, make it personal and create with conviction."

Read an extract, the chapter on elevating your living room, on the blog today via link in bio.

Published by @thamesandhudsonau Pix by @chriswarnes 

#livingroomdesigns #nataliewalton #coffeetablebooks #designbooks #interiorsbooks #livingroominteriors #elevateyourspace
Kids and husband messing with my vignettes again🤨

PS. The coaster was RIGHT THERE 🤪
#weatherforit 🥶 Need a new blanket? Look no fu #weatherforit 🥶

Need a new blanket? Look no further than these gorgeous South African blankets from @baobabcollective, sustainably sourced, ethically crafted and imported by a Southern Highlands couple.

On the blog now via link in bio.
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Visit Jen's profile on Pinterest.

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About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. Interiors Addict has been her full-time job for more than 8 years. She is married to Damian and mum to Sebastian and Charlie.

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