Pantry, laundry, garage and more, The Blockheads had their work cut out for them this week, taking on 25 spaces in total to finish their “back of house” areas.
It was a week that stretched their teams, budgets and patience, but for those who got everything done, it was possibly the most satisfying week of the Block. Because this, as Scotty Cam put it, meant the completion of the homes! On the inside at least, he hastily added.
For some it was a chore to tick off their list, functional spaces that just needed to be done, while others went theatrical with rooms guaranteed to be remembered.
So, who put in the best performance?
Brit & Taz (First place)
Bench space, shelf space, the perfect layout and appliances all combined to make this a clear winner for butlers and pantry, the judges agreed, but what else did Britt & Taz have, they wondered?
The answer was a lot, they found, with a laundry Darren was moved to call “sexy” thanks to commercial-grade washer and dryer, a mudroom with space to hang coats and store shoes and a showstopper powder room.
And then there was the garage. Or was it doubling as a gallery, Darren wondered as he took in the gold walls, Bromley originals and a lighting plan to show it all off. Throw in the custom dirt and grease-resistant flooring panels and it was a winner!
Get the look with these David Bromley Car Series prints and DiamondFlex Pro floor tiles
Han & Can (Second place)
Following the curved features from the kitchen to the butlers, past the bold touches of the mudroom, powder room and laundry, the Judges loved what they found in Han & Can’s back rooms.
Feature benchtops dominated, bringing a “delicious” sophistication to the party, softened by the Bodhi Living Moroccan Kora vase, Darren said. For Shaynna it was the whimsical David Bowie artwork and a laundry that “just worked and the doorway to the outside, a plan change that truly worked, she said. Into the garage and “Wow!” Marty said.
The Grafico mural, ample bench space, and “epic” hexagonal lighting system brought huge smiles… and some plans. “I didn’t even know I wanted hexagon lighting on my ceiling,” Darren said, “but I do.” It all adds up, Marty said, to a home any buyer would find hard to forget.
Get the look with Hexagon LED lights
Sonny & Alicia (Third place)
From the garage straight into the kitchen was different, Marty said… and different good! Especially when it also led straight to a mudroom (with Martini Furniture custom dogbed), laundry and butler’s pantry featuring shelf space galore, a second fridge and styling touches including the al.ive Lemon Myrtle and Honeydew Kitchen Trio and B Twomey Hayride artwork.
The drama-filled powder room was “simply stunning” Darren said. Amazing stone, tiles, wallpaper and fittings: “It’s so high end it’s kind of ridiculous,” he said. Into the garage and the Grafico mural of the hills outside the house stunned, along with the garage floor. Functional, they all agreed, but was it stylish enough?
Get the look with the Daylesford Sunrise wallpaper from the garage
Robby & Mat (Fourth place)
With less bench and shelf space than the others, Robby & Mat’s Euro laundry didn’t exactly win the judges, but the expansive – and beautifully-styled – butlers brought them back. “Bigger than some people’s kitchens,” Marty said, with fridge, freezer and dishwasher, a true Butlers.
The tropical theme mud and powder rooms were fun, the judges agreed… and the garage was car-nut Marty’s favourite thanks to the built in detailing station, but it all came back to the laundry. In a house of this size and price range, they all agreed, bigger really is better.
Emma & Ben (Fifth place)
A face-level washer and dryer in the laundry, ample pantry, beautiful tiles, basin and tapware in the mudroom and WC should have pointed to a high-score from the judges, but the layout let Ben & Emma down, they said.
Get the look with the kitkat grape emboss tile
No fridge in the butlers (despite a coffee station) led to it feeling like an extra laundry, Shaynna said. The poor paintwork in the powder and mudrooms were a rare miss, Marty added and despite the Darren Palmer Collection Midnight Rectangle Brown Cushion there really wasn’t anywhere to comfortably sit and pull on boots in the mudroom.
The garage was functional with a historic Daylesford Grafico mural, but fell short with bench space, the judges felt. It was after all, just a place to park the car.
