You would think, after bathroom week, that creating a living room would be a piece of cake, but nothing is easy on The Block Villa Wars. The contestants had a busy week with the return of "dinner wars" as well as renovating their room. At stake was the sought-after prize of a team of professional painters to paint the exterior of the winner's house. The couples scored each other's dinner experiences very fairly (with, surprisingly, no nasty scores) and that led to Cat and Jeremy taking it out. But the week was to belong to Brooke and Mitch who won two weeks in a row with their light and airy living room.
Brooke and Mitch: 1st place | 16 points
Although Brooke and Mitch have played it very safe, what they have done is created a beautiful base that could easily be added to and enhanced further. Dulux Manorburn, a cool grey-white teamed with soft grey curtains from James Dunlop are warmed up by the lovely floorboards. I would've loved to have seen the curtains taken right up to the ceiling for a more sophisticated look though.
A David Trubridge Floral light is a great feature, but I have to say that I'm a little bit underwhelmed by the rest of the decorating. It's nice, but a little 'ho hum'. As I've said in previous posts, it feels like it needs another layer of personality.
The stone fireplace is stunning and another beautiful feature. This will be a real draw card for buyers.
Cat and Jeremy: 2nd place | 14 1/2 points
With their lowest score so far, I have to agree that it's not their best room. The wall colour, Dulux Pukehina, was criticised by the judges as well as the other contestants. I do applaud Cat for stepping outside the box, but it was risky doing the main living area in a peachy tone. We have used Resene Sakura before, which is a gorgeous peach blossom pink, and has a bit more depth than Cat's choice.
The room doesn't seem to have a 'hero' piece, there is a lot going on but no strong focus, although I like the choice of cushions and the window seat, and the nesting tables.
Unfortunately the fireplace isn't as slick as Brooke and Mitch's. Let's hope these guys can get their mojo back for master bedroom and ensuite week.
Jaime and Hayden: 3rd place | 13 1/2 points
Once again Jaime and Hayden didn't quite finish their area, and failure to complete one of the basic tasks (to insulate their ceiling) lost them a point. They continued with their strong black and white theme creating a dark media room next to a light, bright living room.
A beautiful parquetry feature wall by Martin the builder is impressive. The led backlit TV is also a feature, although, to me, the TV looks a bit lost in the big space. I know if it was larger you wouldn't see as much of the parquetry, which is far nicer to look at, but it is a media room, so the television is key.
The white room is OK, but I want more! Where are the beautiful big rugs and artworks? I'm not usually a huge fan of leather sofas, but the Freedom Atlas sofa is quite cool. The dark blinds don't work for me though, there is enough contrast with the walls and the carpet, I would've kept the window treatments light, or added some colour and pattern in with roman blinds.
Sarah and Minanne: 4th place | 11 points
The judges were scathing with their comments about the girls' living areas saying they felt cold and incomplete. I think their lack of wins and money means the girls have had to spread themselves a bit thinly. I actually really like Minanne's choice of the Dahlia sofa and Wing chair from Freedom, and their artwork above the fireplace. The colour palette is quite lovely too. But their finishings let them down with shoddy paintwork, and the placement of the pendants was an odd choice. Lighting should be either task eg: next to seating for reading, or mood lighting - those lights are neither.
The second room with the leather sofas was described as a waiting room, and that is what it looks like - there is no soul or personality in there. Perhaps it would've helped if they'd styled some pieces in the recessed boxes, and the room definitely needed a large rug (much bigger than the next door room's rug) and a large piece of art on the wall.
All that said, these rooms are easily fixed, they just need finishing off. I think Sarah and Minanne were harshly scored in comparison to the other contestants for this week.
All the teams are learning and improving (on the most part), so let's hope someone does something to knock our designer socks off with their master bedroom and ensuite.
The teams on The Block Villa Wars stepped it up on bathroom week. Renovating a bathroom from scratch in one week is absolutely crazy, but that's The Block! Knowing how much work, and how many trades go into a bathroom design, I'm impressed. But there was a bit of controversy as early leaders, Cat and Jeremy, scored the same as Sarah and Minanne despite not finishing their bathroom.
Brooke and Mitch: 1st place | 18.5 points
Being a plumber was a definite plus for Mitch on bathroom week. It meant he was only too aware of the process and could put his tradie skills to good use. They came away with the win producing a bright white, contemporary bathroom, and it also helped that they won $10,000 of bathroom appliances the week before.
As well as the bathroom appliances, Mitch had won an extra point in the "guess the child" challenge. But a breach in the rules, where they took work off-site to finish after tools down, meant they had the point taken off them as punishment. A further challenge saw Brooke win the point back in the "guess what's in the bucket". The couple used their point to boost the judge's scores, but it turns out they didn't need it as they won by two points.
I like Brooke and Mitch's tile choices with some lovely texture in the Tessere Bianco tiles from Tile Space, in contrast to the large matt Blendstone Grey tiles on the floor and opposite walls. Brooke's styling is improving too, don't you think?
Sarah and Minanne: 2nd equal place | 16.5 points
After a truly rocky start on The Block and lots of indecision, the sisters did a great job to complete their bathroom. The Frozen Garden tiles, once again, added lovely texture, and although the Marvel Pro Noir tiles were pretty cool, I would've loved some rich colours to contrast all that black - perhaps in some beautiful towels and/or accessories.
The judges criticised the simple wooden shelves, saying they took away from the glamour of the room. It's really important to nail all those smaller details as they have such an impact on the overall feel of the room.
Cat and Jeremy: 2nd equal place | 16.5 points
Cat and Jeremy's secret weapon in bathroom week was a wall of moss tiles shipped from Scandinavia and never seen in New Zealand before. It definitely added a "wow" factor and impressed the judges. Despite the fact that living green walls have been used a lot in recent Block series, I really like the look of the wall, and admire the risk. But I would be interested to know how it lasts, and if it's easy to clean and maintain.
The matt black tapware and accessories are lovely, and the subtle Cementia Grey tiles allow the moss to be the hero. With the tight deadline, and the fact that you can't install the glass shower screens onto wet tiles, Cat and Jeremy failed to finish their shower. This is what caused a wee stir when they got the same score as the girls who had managed to finish in time. What are your thoughts on this?
Jamie and Hayden: 4th place | 13 points
It was more than just the shower screen that caused Jamie and Hayden to reveal an unfinished bathroom. Their ambitious design with a suspended ceiling, floor to ceiling tiles, and plenty of custom wood details meant they also failed to finish their tiling or install their toilet before tools down.
The suspended ceiling is a great feature, and I love the hexagonal Firenze Nero tiles and the towel rail from Mico. The slatted divider is cool, but I would've liked to have seen it carry on a bit further, and I question whether the raised bath platform was a good move. I know what they were trying to achieve here, but I feel that the bath should be moved away from the window, and the platform should be larger for practicality and looks.
Remembering all of these teams are amateur designers, I think they're doing a pretty good job. I notice that a lot of people are quick to criticise on social media, and I guess if you put yourself forward for a reality TV show you have to be prepared for that. But be kind people - constructive criticism is much better than pure nastiness.
Who watched the kids' room reveal on Sunday night's episode of The Block Villa Wars? Host Mark Richardson said it was the best room reveal in The Block NZ history, which is pretty impressive for week two.
As top scorers of week 1, Cat and Jeremy, and then Brooke and Mitch were able to choose the house they wanted for the duration of The Block. Both chose to start fresh with one of the untouched villas, which put them behind the other two teams who were able to rework the previous week's rooms. The restoration of heritage details, and failed council inspections were the major setbacks, especially for Brooke and Mitch.
Cat and Jeremy: 1st place | 17.5 points
With more time to focus on the styling and details, Jamie and Hayden were expected to take this room out with their amazing built-in bunk bed and cubby house complete with a slide. But they were pipped at the post by Cat and Jeremy, who were thrilled (and a bit surprised) to take out their second room win.
While the brief was "to wow an eight year old", this room is cleverly versatile and could work as a teenager's room, a spare room, or a study, giving the new home owners lots of options. A gorgeous soft grey blue on the walls (Dulux Lake Camp) sets the scene.
I think Cat is very good with her details. I love how her custom made curtains pool ever so slightly on the floor, and how she's chosen lots of warm colours to contrast the cool blue walls. In my opinion, the reason Cat and Jeremy are winning is their attention to detail and adding that little extra layer that gives the room personality and a 'lived in' feel.
Jamie and Hayden: 2nd place | 17 points
Jamie and Hayden had the satisfying task of painting out Sarah and Minanne's awful lilac room from the previous week. They continued with their black and white theme by painting one wall entirely in black board paint (Dulux Design Chalkboard), and the others white.
The bunkbed is indeed epic! Martin the builder did an amazing job creating the bed on a mezzanine floor, a little study area underneath, a super cool slide, and the top of last week's wardrobe became a little cubby house.
The black carpet is pretty cool and works well in the room, but from experience dark carpet like this needs constant vacuuming as it shows up every little thing. I know Jamie and Hayden were hoping to win this room, and they came so close. I think they need to just take it up one more level - a large piece of art on the wall by the slide would've helped to add a bit more life and maybe a touch of colour. Also, although the room is carpeted, the addition of a fun rug would help to create zones in the large floor space. But those things can be added in, and on the whole it's a pretty great room.
Sarah and Minanne: 3rd place | 15 points
The sisters have come a long way since their disastrous first week, and they produced a cute kids' room, also with a built-in bunk bed. It's a great use of space with a desk underneath and makes the room feel huge - there's certainly enough room for a second bed if they wanted it, or a sofa/daybed would be fab.
Once again, for me, the styling is pretty simple and lacking that something special. Sarah chose to put a 3D printer in the room, which, at about $1000, was a big ticket item. I would've preferred to have seen that money spent on some beautiful decor and accessories. But maybe the kids would disagree with me.
The wall colour this week (Dulux Elusive Blue Half) is really pretty and subtle, and I like the calmness of the overall colour scheme. A massive step up for the girls this week, let's hope it continues.
Brooke and Mitch: 4th place | 14 points
It was a particularly hard week for Brooke and Mitch, but with all their set backs they did well to finish their room. I was really happy to see them keep their heritage ceiling and spend lots of time on those details, which they failed to do in week 1.
They chose some sweet pieces and Mitch did a good job of putting up all those pink dots after very little sleep. It needed more, there's no doubt, but it is a good blank canvas for the new home owners to put their own mark on.
Top residential real estate agent, and one of The Block judges, Bernadette Morrison awarded Jamie and Hayden her top score of 9 for their kids' room. But it was Cat and Jeremy's score of 9.5 from judge Jason Bonham, founder and director of Bonham Interior, that propelled them to victory. Can they make it three out of three with The Block's first wet room? I love designing bathrooms, so will be watching this week with interest.
To see more of the kids' rooms and lots of extras, pop over to TV3.
The Block NZ is back on our screens, much to the delight of my three daughters and myself, and I'm sure a lot of you guys too. Aptly named "The Block Villa Wars" the teams were forced to get competitive within minutes of meeting, as they had to choose their favourite house. Strategic thinking back-fired for two of the couples who chose a less desirable house to try and throw the others off their scent. But alas, they were forced to create their guest bedroom in the houses they selected, meaning two couples worked in house 1, and two in house 2. Join me in the coming weeks as I run through each room reveal and give you my feedback.
Taking out the first room with a score of 16 out of 20, and also the first challenge, Taranaki couple, Cat and Jeremy look like the couple to beat at this early stage. Proving that nice guys do indeed win, they have shown some talent and great design flair in their first room.
They based their room design around a piece of art, which is a great idea. The colour palette is soft and relaxing - perfect for a guest bedroom. The cool blues and mint greens are balanced by soft pinks, mustard and lots of blonde wood.
I thought the soft grey wall colour (Dulux Godley Head) with the white trims was beautiful, and brought a modern touch while still keeping the traditional bones of the room. The furniture and light choices were great too. My only criticisms are the mirror could've been twice as big, and I have a pet hate of scrunched up throws! I would've preferred the throw laid smoothly over the end of the bed, or removed all together.
But on the whole, I thought the styling was really well done by Cat and Jeremy, and I'm excited to see what is to come from this couple.
In second place with a score of 13 out of 20 were Christchurch couple, Brooke and Mitch. These guys were keen to show their modern, contemporary style, and although I love a mix of old and new, I think they missed the mark a bit with this room.
I think they should've kept the base of the room more in keeping with the villa style - bigger skirting boards and more traditional looking doors - and then added their modern touch in the furniture and accessories. Also, the bedhead, which is lovely, gets lost against the similar coloured wall behind. A slight contrast would've made all the difference here. Finally, a long low set of drawers would've been a better fit for the shape of the room.
Now to the good stuff! Brooke and Mitch have got loads of potential. The colour palette is great, the seagrass wallpaper adds beautiful texture and is very on-trend, and their workmanship looks excellent. I'm sure we'll see lots of great things moving forward.
Close behind in third place with a score of 12 out of 20 were Auckland duo, Jamie and Hayden. I can tell this team is going to be fun to watch. They're not afraid the push the boundaries and get creative, as they proved with their dark charcoal walls (Dulux Mt Inaccessible) and wood feature wall.
I actually loved the feature wall before it was painted, but I know Hayden was wanting to create an urban feel with the contrasting black and white. What I love is the texture the wall creates. I would definitely utilise the talent of their builder, Martin (Maree and James' builder in Season 3), to the max if I was them.
Even though it's a guest bedroom, this room lacks storage. Although the freestanding wardrobe is cute, it's not quite enough, and built-in storage under the bed would've been much better then the collection of baskets that's there.
Although they styling is a bit basic, I think Jamie and Hayden will get better as they go, and I'm sure they will have plenty of surprises in store for us in future weeks.
Trailing at the back with a very low score of 5.5 out of 20 were the pint-sized sisters from Hamilton, Sarah and Minanne. It was a tough first week for the sisters who tackled the restoration of their beautiful original battened ceiling, taking a lot of their time and effort.
Unfortunately that left very little time for dressing and styling their room, which left a lot to be desired. Although they made some brave colour choices, they were a bit too jarring!
The only way is up now for Sarah and Minanne, and I really hope we see something wonderful from them in the next room, which is a kid's room - time to get really creative.
What did you think of the first rooms, and have you picked you favourite team yet? Find out more and see all of the room reveals here (as well as where to buy products used in the rooms).
