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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.

Itsโ€™ 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 โ€˜permissionโ€™ 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? โ€“ 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 โ€˜hands-onโ€™ 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 wasnโ€™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 didnโ€™t โ€˜sackโ€™ 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 thatโ€™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 wasnโ€™t until we watched the episodes go to air that we realised some teams couldnโ€™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 didnโ€™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 โ€˜lift the loadโ€™ 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 didnโ€™t argue. We didnโ€™t always agree on everything, however weโ€™re experienced enough to know whatโ€™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 didnโ€™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 didnโ€™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 yearโ€™s teams, we would encourage them to play hard, work hard, and donโ€™t give up. When it seems overwhelming, thatโ€™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 youโ€™ve been following The Block, I think youโ€™d agree that last weekendโ€™s auction results threw out a few curve balls; none more surprising than the series’ underdogs Tess and…

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While we featured a gloriously colourful home on M While we featured a gloriously colourful home on Monday, this one is a masterclass in serene neutrals! And how good is this bunk room?!

Take the tour on the blog now. Via link in bio.

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Washable rugs, eco-friendly play mats, reversible Washable rugs, eco-friendly play mats, reversible linen, gorgeous wallpaper and the chance to win a beautiful bouclรฉ recliner chair!

Today's kids room roundup is full of loveliness if we don't say ourselves!

Via link in bio now.

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A glass shower screen is not the only option! In A glass shower screen is not the only option!

In this 80s villa reno, @trentinidesign took inspiration from an archway typical of the era and used it throughout the home.

The bathroom was transformed from a classic three-piece set up that included a shower, bath and vanity. Kathryn removed the bath and split the room in half and designed an arch to sit between the two zones. 

โ€œI wanted something spectacular. Rather than having a vanity with a piece of glass like you would typically see, I was really trying to push myself as a designer. It was costly but it worked out well and the feedback has been great."

Swipe for the before and follow the link in bio to see the rest of this home.

#bathroomdesignideas #bathroomtrends2023 #showerscreen #showerscreens #archways #apartmentrenovation #interiorsblogger #interiorsaccount #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #realreno
One half of popular parenting podcast @wedonthavet One half of popular parenting podcast @wedonthavetimeforthis, turns out former Neighbours actor @gemma_peanut is even more multi-talented than we thought! Will you check out the joyful and colourful reno of her holiday home (and airbnb) @yo_caba_caba?!

Head over to the blog via link in bio to read all about why she went bold and full of pattern in this project, which is a stark contrast to her zen and neutral Northern Beaches abode.

There's also plenty of details about where things are from etc.

"Iโ€™m not an interior designer so I just chose what I liked and followed my gut. Ultimately this home has been an opportunity to explore my alter ego โ€“ it allowed me to do things that I wouldnโ€™t normally do.โ€

๐Ÿ“ท @tanikablair_photography 

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Not many friends in life fall into the unofficial Not many friends in life fall into the unofficial family category and they're a special gift. So ends three weeks with @danisteve81 who left her husband and son in the UK (I'm forever grateful they lent her to me!) to come and cheer me up and help me in the most practical ways after I spent Christmas and New Year in hospital. There were tears and I miss her so much already but how amazing to have had all that time together as adults. Such a rare treat and would never have happened without having been through something so challenging. Silver linings and all that. So many other friends have also been incredibly thoughtful and kind. There aren't many times I'd say this without cringing but I am 100% blessed!

I still cannot believe we have been friends since we were 12! 12! Are you still close with your childhood besties?
The renovation of this 80s beach shack @camillo_ho The renovation of this 80s beach shack @camillo_house is a work of art and while almost every surface was updated, the decision to keep the original slate floor was genius if you ask us. 

Owner @clarehillier__ says: "With its purple, pink, red and brown tones, the slate was the starting point for our interior palette."

Come and check out the before and afters via link in bio now and read the reno story. It's a real beauty.

And you can book it for your next holiday too!

Blair Smith Architecture @kateshanasy

#slatefloor #slatefloors #80shouse #80sbeauty #camillohouse #interiorsblog #interiorsblogger #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #realreno #holidayhousesofinstagram #morningtonpeninsulahomes #morningtonpeninsula #morningtonpeninsulasmallbusiness #blairgowrie #blairgowriebeach #airbnbstyle
Me and my boys ๐Ÿ’— Me and my boys ๐Ÿ’—
Just a couple of dorks who've been friends for thr Just a couple of dorks who've been friends for three decades going out for a child-free dinner ๐Ÿ’“๐Ÿ˜
Excuse me while I die of a cute attack ๐Ÿฅฐ @damia Excuse me while I die of a cute attack ๐Ÿฅฐ @damianfrancis 

This doesn't happen often these days!
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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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