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The Block 2021: Living and dining reveals

October 5, 2021 1 Comment

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It was a close one last night with Tanya and Vito’s quirky sunken lounge and Ronnie and Georgia’s broad appeal grey, white and gold room tying first place. But only after Ronnie and Georgia played their gnome point to prevent their sworn enemies from winning!

It often feels like these living/dining spaces should be quite straightforward and all about furniture choices, but in reality the open plan and often vast spaces can be hard work to get right from a layout perspective. And it was certainly a mixed bag last night.

Read on for what the judges had to say, the scores and how to shop the look.

Ronnie & Georgia: joint first (after playing their gnome)

Score: 28.5/30
Spent: $47,001

“Now everything makes sense!” said Darren. The judges loved all the textures. Neale said it was classic, contemporary and luxury. Darren said it delivered, delivered and delivered! He was completely in love with the dining chairs and the way they played with the artwork. The styling was perfect and the steel framed door gave a nice acoustic barrier. Darren said they’d made it broad appeal without being generic.

Flipping the usual flow, with lounge and dining rooms before the kitchen somehow just worked for the judges, creating a dining and living area where each room supports the other and all pull towards the central space. A perfectly placed television and fireplace, bar area adjacent to the dining area with lowered ceiling for intimacy and all taking advantage of the soaring roofline of the living area combined for an area that felt spacious but still an intimate enough to be used every day.

Shop the look: Slab coffee table | Natadora Morocco Speckle sofa | Cohen dining chairs

Mark & Mitch: fourth place

Score: 24.5/30
Spent: $37,691

With striking rows of skylights flooding the huge living and dining area with natural light, this is the wow factor the judges were looking for. “What an incredible ceiling!” said Shaynna.

“It’s one of those spaces that you walk in and look up and see the light and the tree, and then when you start analysing the way the space has been used, you sort of think ‘why would you do that?’” Neale said, quickly bringing down the mood! Darren loved the table and vase in the entrance foyer but felt there was a lot of dead space around it. “There are so many things to love about it but a lot of it is wrong.”

The beautifully styled dining table got top marks: “It looks like a party about to begin!” Neale said. But he said it all felt unfinished. It was like a series of vignettes but wasn’t meshing together as a home. Darren said the TV was too high because it was above the fireplace. “I feel like I’m sitting in a waiting room. I don’t feel comfortable,” said Neale.

Shaynna said she knew Mitch and Mark gave it their all but that the space felt like two separate houses. “I’m glad I’m not in the room when Scotty gives our feedback. But they need to hear it because buyers will feel it.”

Shop the look: Bailey dining chairs | Brighton pendant light

Tanya & Vito: joint first place

Score: 29.5/30
Spent: $49,618

Perfectly matched to the overall 1950s feel of this home was Tanya and Vito’s sunken lounge – and the judges fell in love – and into the couches – immediately. “Fun, playful, cool and retro!” gushed Darren, jumping in to see how the living area fit perfectly between the original front feature window with full length sheers and newly installed double-sided fireplace. “There’s nothing more conducive to people being together,” Neale added. “It’s just been so well thought through.”

Next over was the generous dining area, just perfect for a family dinner. And over it all, the “work of art” of five round Velux skylights. “You guys have nailed it!” Shaynna said. “I absolutely would not change a thing. I am pretty much in heaven.

“It’s so bright, light and white and happy. Quirky and saleable are usually mutually exclusive but you guys have pulled it off.”

Shop the look: Frameless gas fireplace | Benjamin Ripple Oval Dining Table | Harold dining chair

Josh & Luke: last place

Score: 22.5/30
Spent: $37,367

If it’s space the judges were after, they’d come to the right place, with Josh and Luke’s huge dining and living area.

“They’ve chosen an a amazing table and an amazing artwork,” said Darren, who also said he had imagined they’d lay the space out completely differently. Shaynna said the table was so beautiful but they hadn’t made the best of it and it made her sad for Christian Cole, who was an artisan. “Even the chairs don’t complement it,” she added. And the living room rug was way too small.

“They have a huge task in front of them and it sometimes overwhelms them,” said Darren. Shaynna agreed.

The judges then ran through exactly what they needed to do to save the space, including flipping the living and dining areas. “Get this space right and it certainly will reward you on auction day.”

Shop the look: Christian Cole American oak dining table | Scribe lounge chair

Kirsty & Jesse: third place

Score: 29/30
Spent: $47,864

“Honey I’m home,” said Neale. “It’s just so warm and welcoming.” Darren said it wasn’t a huge lounge room but the gigantic sofa made it feel generous. Shaynna said it felt like the perfect cosy, homely, family space. “I love the way it all works together,” said Neale. “It’s like a little symphony in white.”

Darren loved the dining area and its own private area with a view to the outside. “This is a really proper dining space.”

Neale said Kirsty and Jesse had got better and better with each passing week.

Shaynna loved the blue striped wallpaper nook, even though their trades had said it looked “too Greek”!.

Shop the look: Paxton Pompadour reclaimed elm dining table | Watercolour stripes wallpaper | Noosa modular sofa

The Block 2021: Kirsty and Jesse’s insanely good navy kitchen!
As always, The Block’s kitchen week was a great watch! I absolutely adored Kirsty and Jesse and Ronnie and Georgia’s, which came first and second. But Kirsty and Jesse absolutely…
The Block 2021 room reveals: guest bedroom and re-do’s
A nice bit of variety on The Block last night with guest bedrooms, kids bedrooms and the re-do rooms. Here are the scores, the judges’ comments and where to buy…

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The patient has very much bounced back! Letterbox The patient has very much bounced back!

Letterbox kinder egg deliveries from a friend, dressing changes without a flinch and refusing to nap despite all the bribes (check the face on him in pic 3!).

Thanks for all your care and messages/comments for this tired and shaken up mama! Now very relieved and grateful 🙏
Before & after It's not just the award winning de Before & after

It's not just the award winning designer houses that get us excited here. It's also the beloved family homes which are renovated and extended to make them fit for purpose so people can continue to live where they love 🤗

@inspiredspacesaus helped her clients with teenage kids transform this house in Sydney's Hills District inside and out, making it their forever home. 

Due to the nature of the block they could only extend sideways and then gave it street appeal with render, new windows and doors.

See inside on the blog now, via link in bio. It was completely overhauled!
Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into tiled steps 🤕

Oh what a night. Thankfully Hornsby Hospital were as amazing as always and we avoided stitches. All taped and glued  back together and now to keep him calm for the next few days (🤪) and watch for signs of concussion. 

Bravest little patient ever. Yes I've had a 🍷

Funny how we go into super organised mama mode in times like these. Grabbed dinosaurs, textas and scrapbook on the way out in case we had a long wait!

UPDATE: thanks for all the love! Charlie is so well this morning after a big sleep!
Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressi Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressive!

The new @studio.xox ONLY sells Australian brands. Like @nood_co coloured basins, lead-free eco brass from @faucetstrommen and @lindseywherrett's  ceramic basins made by hand in Tassie.

And as for their Sydney showroom (they also sell online): WOW.

See and read more on the blog now via link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop
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#designbywomen #homestylingtips #sydneycreatives
#homestylingsydney #interiorstyling #interiordesignsydney
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#homedesigninspo #lovemyhome #stylingdetails
#loveinteriors #homeimprovements #interiordesignaustralia
#dreamhomeinspiration #homemakeover #personaldesign
#interiordesignaus #creatingbeautifulspaces
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#interiorinspiration #myhomedesign
I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new @madeinaustshow in Sydney this August.

🦘🐨Forget every tacky association you ever had about touristy Australian made and prepare to see a showcase of the best of home, lifestyle, fashion and beauty made right here. If the pandemic has made you appreciate buying local even more, this is for you.

It's the first business to business trade event connecting retailers with Australian made products to champion our local makers🙏

Apply to exhibit or find out more at their website, via their bio, now!

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Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! 💧 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!🤗

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap 🥴) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon 😆

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!💪🏻) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too 😉

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
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
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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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Comments

  1. AvatarLucille McLaren says

    October 6, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    This is the first year since the show started I can’t bear to watch longer than a few minutes. It’s never a good idea to walk backwards and that’s what they have done having past contestants in this series.
    I don’t even like the rooms they are anemic.

    Reply

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