With the Redbacks’ (Jess and Ayden) furniture delivery truck broken down with only an hour to go, it looked like the Blue Tongues (Carly and Leighton) had it in the bag. But, in an incredible act of sportsmanship, the Blue Tongues left their house to help the Redbacks in a mad dash to the finish line. And both houses were finished!
In just 48 hours the teams had to renovate a master bedroom and a second bedroom each (they’ll renovate the rest of their houses over the coming days), so what did judges Darren Palmer and Romy Alwill think?
Blue Tongues
Master Bedroom — 17/20
Nailing the brief of contemporary Australian, the bedroom was fresh, upbeat and young. The judges loved the sanded floors and the colour palette of cool colours juxtaposed against blonde timbers and neon pops. Darren liked the art and hanging dots on the wall and Romy was equally impressed with the bedside pendants (though thought five pendants in the one room was way too many!). However, the judges thought there should have been more storage and that it was a huge miss not to have it across the whole wall.
Our pick to buy: Myne by Prudence Caroline Station 30 Artwork
Guest Bedroom — 16.5/20
“I immediately like this room more,” said Darren upon entry. Loving the colour palette, the bedside pendants, the restored fireplace and rug, he did criticise Carly and Leighton for replacing their original oversized ceiling rose with a smaller version. Romy as a whole wasn’t a huge fan of the bedroom, believing it felt “murky” while the other room felt fresh. Darren disagreed wholeheartedly.
Our pick to buy: Kooper Pendant in Copper
Redbacks
Master Bedroom — 19/20
While their brief was tricky, classic contemporary with a twist of plantation, both judges thought the bedroom was bang on brief. Very elegant, the judges were astonished by how brilliantly the period features had been restored, especially the skirting boards which had been stripped back and painted. Darren loved the bed and plantation shutters and Romy liked the contrast between the sanded floor, dark timbers and white walls. The room had great character, with the only misses being the rug and artwork.
Our pick to buy: Marina Table Lamp in Antique Brass
Guest Bedroom — 13.5/20
While there were elements of classic contemporary and plantation, both judges agreed the room didn’t mesh. “It feels like Jekyll and Hyde in here,” said Romy. The judges like the storage solution and many of the furniture pieces individually, however felt the rug and lamp were particularly off brief and everything else just felt thrown together.
Our pick to buy: ‘Pori’ designed by Sarah Brooke
In the end the Blue Tongues took out the reveal by just one point! Meaning Carly and Leighton go into part two of the grand finale with a small yet substantial lead (past weeks have seen teams win by just half a point!). With a whole house each to complete in just a few days, in a happy twist Scotty Cam brought out eliminated couples Kyal and Kara and Ben and Jemma to help the Redbacks and Blue Tongues respectively. I’m thinking they’re going to need all the help they can get! May the best team win.
