The Block 2022 tree change season is officially back, decorating junkies, and with it comes my honest Block recaps: the only place on the internet you’ll get a real-deal design critique!
Let the other sites give you the judges comments and scores. Here we’re delivering something different; discussing what soared and sunk on the design front from an interior designer (that’s me) who works in the industry every single day.
Each reveal I’ll talk you through the wins, the sins, and what the teams could have done better. And as long-time readers will know, I don’t always agree with the judges.
So let’s look at the rooms from The Block 2022 house decider challenge. And drop me a comment at the end of the post to let me know what you thought.
Tom and Sarah-Jane Came First
I can’t say I feel the same enthusiasm as the judges did for Tom and Sarah-Jane’s bedroom reveal.
Upon first glance, I had the urge for plum pudding, too many champagnes and an argument with an older family member. What I mean to say is, the palette here is pretty festive.
The room is very ‘Christmas Day’ in its red-green-gold colour story. That’s not to say this trio of colours can’t work, but tone is so important. And the tone here isn’t quite right. It’s very vivid, and a little overbearing.
The brass wall sconces are actually very beautiful, but I see them in a white Hamptons-style hallway, not here. I also don’t see a connection to them anywhere else in the room, so they don’t make sense.
If you have brass on the wall, let’s see some more of it in a mirror frame or pendant light to achieve a little cohesion in the room.
Where My Storage At?
Storage, or lack of it, is something I thought my girl Shaynna would have mentioned. Perhaps it didn’t make the final edit. But what guest wants to stay in a room with no wardrobe and bedside tables without drawers?
I’ll also point out here, and probably again another four times as we explore the other rooms, but what’s with the window treatments? I can only imagine the show’s sheer curtain supplier pulled into the Gisborne Peak Winery and lost track of time.
I know this is the first week, so we should be encouraging. But there are some basic elements missing here that, if they were included, could have made this room more of a worthy winner.
The ceiling rose and wainscoting were the better inclusions in this space, and gave the room some charm. I just can’t take the roller blinds.
Dylan and Jenny Came Second
At first glance, this room gets the green tones right in a way that Tom and Sarah-Jane didn’t. It’s calmer, it’s earthier, it reads as more ‘sanctuary’. It’s the feeling you want in a guest room in any area, but especially in the country.
The unfortunate thing is, they didn’t go far enough with it. They reserved the colour just for one section of wall, as though the paint was lettuce and in short supply. Taking it further would have resolved the icy, sterile feeling the other half of the room evokes.
The inclusion of plants in this zone was successful. When Jenny said “I just did it for style” with reference to the olive tree being staged inside, I felt like she was my sister from another mister. Girl, the amount of times I’ve said the same thing! I see you.
And besides, there are some amazing fake trees out there; don’t knock ‘em before you try ‘em. I use fakies all the time in projects and they’re a roaring success.
That’s Where the Praise Ends
There are a number of issues, and the first one is very much aligned with what Neale was getting at; the room feels very, very modern.
It’s a little Adairs showroom in look and feel. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Adairs, but it’s too cookie-cutter and en masse.
The room reads as very city-living, with the inclusion of the rattan mirror and rope plant holder. The brass door handle also feels very out of place in this almost all-white room.
There’s a ledge behind the bed, which I love, but nothing on it apart from a teeny-tiny vase. If there was a huge landscape painting above the bed in gorgeous green and brown tones it would have done wonders for this space.
Ankur and Sharon Came Third
Beam me up, Scotty! I have to admit, I quite like this room. Not everything works, I know, but there is a lot to appreciate. And the first thing is those ceiling beams.
They give the room some much-needed character and help the space feel charming. It feels like a room that’s been around for years, unlike Dylan and Jenny’s. I also really enjoy the rustic bed styling. It’s one of the better bedding moments from the week.
That said, the beams and bedding get a little lost because of the green walls and rustic headboard.
Less Would Have Been More Here
Had the room been a warmer white instead of green, the beams would have shone. Even the rustic headboard would have looked more successful.
I feel for The Block 2022 teams this year. They have a tough gig ahead of them. The feedback is to do country, but not too country. Go rustic, but make it Australian rustic. Don’t go contemporary, but don’t be cliched. There’s a lot of messages coming at them that probably feel confusing.
Ankur and Sharon look to have a good eye for design though. This space only needs a few tweaks. If this was re-do room week, I would paint the walls neutral, replace the bedside tables and dress the windows with a textured sheer or roman blind, and the zone would be complete.
Joel and Elle Came Fourth
This is the room that’s going to start conversations, so let’s have it gang!
The Block 2022 is in the country this season. Like nether-regions in the seventies, they’ve gone full bush. The question we have to ask ourselves is whether a potential buyer is going to find contemporary moments off-putting and instead want the full country fantasy. I’m not so sure.
The judges didn’t praise anything about Joel and Elle’s room. Instead, they brought up a valid point about the lack of heritage features. I hear that. I don’t deny that the room could have done with a few more.
That said, I don’t want every home this season to be packed with design that’s so on-the-nose it looks like the set of A Country Practice (RIP Fatso the Wombat).
Modern Can Work in the Country
The location of these homes is one hour outside Melbourne. It’s not like we’re driving five hours into the wilderness to stay at a country lodge. I would appreciate at least one of these homes taking a more modern approach to see how they compare at the end.
From where I’m sitting, Joel and Elle’s room was a thousand times better than Tom and Sarah-Janes and way more resolved and welcoming than Dylan and Jenny’s.
Some textured sheer curtains, a rustic bench seat at the end of the bed and art that felt more rural in look and feel would have made this room a worthy winner in my eyes.
I welcome some healthy disagreement in the comments at the end of the post if you want to weight in.
Omar and Oz Came Last
There’s nothing particularly wrong with Omar and Oz’s room. In fact, there are some really gorgeous pieces. I’ve specified that bed for a number of design clients and it’s a stunner.
The artworks are individually rather lovely. And the palette of the room is pretty soothing (actually more soothing than most of the others). And we have bedsides with storage! So all is not lost. At least guests have somewhere to store their clothes.
It is All a Little Generic Though
Neale was right to call it generic. It’s a room you could pluck from any Block season in the last five years. Nothing is really spectacular or unexpected. Nothing new has been delivered. And some of it, dare I use the word, looks a little cheap.
The palette is really nice though. White and beige and oak tones are all inherently relaxing. So I have to give them points for that. If the timbers were more rustic and there were some black elements in the room I could totally see this as an Airbnb you would want to escape to for the weekend.
This is the fifth room where the window treatments are wack. Roller blinds on their own, on the windows of a country home, are just not going to cut it. I hope the window treatment rep makes it out of the winery soon because we need sheers and romans in these rooms, stat!
Which room from The Block 2022 house decider challenge was your fave this week? I’d love to know which team you think is showing the most promise based on their first room. Sound off in the comments below.
Images for this post were supplied by The Block Shop. Check out Nine Now for more of The Block 2022 house decider challenge.
16 Responses
Have NEVER commented before. Live in a 120 y o house rural and wonder why curtains seem to be a no no. High ceilings and bumph lined to keep out the cold looks great in silk or chintz or whatever.
To me everything looked the same. Where was the oomph
Totalky agree with your comments.
Hi Chris,
I’m sooo glad you are reviewing the reveals again. I so loved reading your comments during last season of The Block.
I agree with your comments. My favourite quote of yours from this week is: “…as though the paint was lettuce and in short supply.” Hilarious.
I have yet to watch the full episode, but it’s interesting that all the rooms have done the roller blinds, I’m wondering if it’s just temporary for privacy purposes, as now they have a place to sleep? Or perhaps these rooms will have a WIR built later on?
So glad you are back !!!!!! Learn a lot from your comments – can’t wait until next week !!!
Luv reading your reviews Chris! I said the same thing to hubby when I saw the red & green winning room. Xmas room! I was underwhelmed across the board with all the rooms. I do hope they are more ‘wow’ with more time (& $) to spend on them. From the previews of judges “ooo’s & aaahhh’s” at future reveals I think there’s much better to come. Luv The Block!
He’s back! Chris is back with his treasure trove of insights and laughs. I won’t be watching the show…but I will be watching this space.
Loved the exposed beams, this is a must for me in a modern country home, and agree they always work better with plain white ceilings and walls. Keep the soft green for the soft furnishings.
I would swap that rustic bedhead though, too much rustic wood can be overpowering. I’d bring in Josh and Elle’s taupe upholstered one.
The winning room depressed me. I will never be a fan of the colour rust. Rust can stay out in the yard thanks – or naturally occurring on a vintage piece, which by the way is what is sadly lacking in ALL of these spaces. When will they go treasure hunting for eclectic pieces or do they have to source from sponsor shops? How boring.
Curtains, please. Actually blinds plus curtains. It’s the country. It gets freaking cold at night!
And I don’t think the stringy light fittings and rattan/cane mirrors are appropriate at all. They need to source mirrors with a beautiful/antique/eclectic/rustic frame.
One piece of greenery please. And in the bedroom in MUST be fake. Science 101 – plants use oxygen at night. You don’t want to compete for fresh air with your green buddies while you sleep. And one fake plant please. Two or more starts to look a bit jungle Jim, take your machete to bed.
Looks like some of the doors are upside down with handle being really high up. Kids will have hard time opening them. E.g Dylan and Jennys room
I agree with comments re: Ankur and Sharon’s room. I agree better window furnishings, warm off white on the walls, storage. I think the contestants really need to learn to embrace some softness, a large linen light shade would of looked stunner in there too. Maybe a rug under the bed that was textured. I think country is all about a layers but low maintenance and relaxed with natural fibres, beautiful, heart felt art, books and keepsakes.
Agree with your comments about Joel and Elle’s room. The bit I’m confused about is, how do they all go from rooms like this (beginner standard like I would be) to the far better designs later in the series. The small amount of feedback from judges on previous rooms would not be enough to help guide beginners to better design future rooms – they must be pointed in the direction of style coaching, do you agree?
Thank goodness for you Chris!! I hated room 1 and couldnt believe the judges picked it as the winner!! It just needed a few baubles on the little tree in the corner! I like some elements of all the other rooms, but as you said where were the beautiful sheers? Omar and Oz could have kept the original window and dressed it with a lovely window dressing. I loved Joel and Elle’s style but they have gone now so its a moot point. Looking forward to seeing more interpretations of modern country style.
I’m so glad I don’t ever have to watch the block again because I have this blog and your Instagram.
Joel and Elles is the most stylish of all, maybe add some period details like ceiling roses etc but otherwise – fab.