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It was a whirlwind of creativity, whimsy, and bold designs last week on The Block as the contestants took on the exciting challenge of renovating two kids' bedrooms. One couple emerged as the clear standout, securing a perfect score and earning three 10s from the judges (plus an extra $40,000 toward their home!).
Final Scores:
1st - House 4: Steph and Gian with 30 points
2nd - House 2: Leah and Ash with 28 points
3rd - House 3: Kristy and Brett with 27.5 points
4th - House 5: Eliza and Liberty with 26.5 points
5th - House 1: Kyle and Leslie with 24
THE BLOCK KIDS' BEDROOM WINNERS – STEPH & GIAN
It was a rocky start to the week for childhood sweethearts, Steph & Gian. After their disastrous attempt at renovating a kid’s bedroom in Week 1 for the House Decider Challenge, Steph was feeling shaken at being given not one, but TWO kids’ rooms to tackle this week. So, she enlisted the help of some “experts” – Charlie and Max, the children of The Block’s executive producer. The siblings stopped by House 4 to offer their sage advice, which included two must-haves: teddys and colour – strictly "no beige". A challenge for Steph and her usually neutral colour palette!
Spending $25,580 across both rooms, Steph & Gian had the largest budget this week, boy, that paid off!
In their tween girl’s room, they continued their signature Japandi style with paper lanterns and beams on the ceiling but introduced earthy tones in the wallpaper and soft furnishings. The couple chose a wallpaper design that featured natural waves and continued the shape with their curved bedhead and a scalloped Skyler Console Table from Provincial Home Living. Tactile elements, including a woven hanging chair and a large paper flower, provided the perfect, textural finishing touches.
"You can just see the thought that's been put into this, can't you?" commented Marty Fox upon entering the room. "Diamonds are made under pressure, this is one shimmering diamond," Darren Palmer agreed. "This is probably the most sophisticated kids' bedroom we've seen thus far," he continued. "It is absolutely chic as heck."
Moving into the second room – inspired by younger twin boys - Marty thought there was no way Steph & Gain could deliver another room to such a high standard, but he was proven wrong. "They've done it again," he marvelled.
The couple continued their signature beams and paper lanterns in this room but introduced colour with a green velvet bedhead that spanned both beds, and echoed the colours in the rug, and throws on the bed ends.
The decals on the wall behind the beds caught Darren Palmer’s eye. "The amount of time and effort that's gone into designing this, choosing every single thing, getting all the right pieces and assembling them so beautifully, then having the time to do this? Man, I love this room so much."
"It's beautiful," Shaynna agreed moving over to the beds, dressed in our beautiful Celine Bed Linen. "And I'm just looking at the bed, even the simple thought process that we've got the same doona cover in criss-cross, one's black and one's grey, and then swapping the pillow..."
Marty couldn't decide which of the two rooms he liked better, but as Shaynna pointed out, "You don't have to because when you buy the house, you get both!"
Shop Steph & Gian's Look
LEAH & ASH
Mum and Dad duo Leah & Ash pulled inspiration for their kids’ rooms from their own children this week. The pair had big plans to use the rounded corners in each room to create a feature space - a rock climbing wall in their boy’s room, and a stage in the girl’s.
Their budget of $21,912 was one of the larger spends this week, but the rooms certainly made an impact! Marty took his own children through all the rooms before judging, and the kids chose their favourite – Leah & Ash’s rock climbing room - securing the couple a well-timed secret gnome!
"This is really cool,” commented Shaynna as she entered their first bedroom. “The colours, that sense of joy and fun and energy and the thing is it could be a room for any gender." "This is one of those rooms that a lot of kids will love," Marty agreed. Leah & Ash’s signature bold, bright, and (some would say!) divisive design aesthetic was present once again with colourful geometric wall decals behind the rock climbing wall, bright accessories and vibrant soft furnishings.
Moving on to Leah and Ash's second room, Shaynna couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Featuring a bold, joyful, and very pink aesthetic, the room held a curtained performance space in the rounded corner. "It's another great use of a curve which is architecturally beautiful, but awkward to engage with and the fact that you can just have this little hideaway tent and pop on the disco ball…it's just good fun," Shaynna said.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing… the judges had a lengthy discussion about Leah & Ash's choice of bed in the second room – a daybed instead of a traditional bed. Marty cut to the chase and deemed the daybed "not appropriate" and thought most buyers would get rid of it straight away. Despite this setback, the couple still came away with second place.
KRISTY & BRETT
This week Kristy & Brett opted to design one of their two rooms for a younger child, and the other was aimed at a teenage girl. With a modest spend of $14,890, the couple were hoping to “wow” the judges with their bold wallpaper choices and clever layouts.
Their younger child’s room was painted a bright, leafy green and featured jungle-themed wallpaper covering the built-in wardrobe. A clever, curved nook was backed with colour-in wallpaper featuring The Block judges’ faces! "That's crazy!" Darren said, laughing.
The wooden, A-frame bed was the highlight for Shaynna - "We've just come from a house where we were questioning the beds – but look at this. Look at how cute this is." It also got a tick of approval from Marty's kids - it was their favourite bed of the day!
Despite the positive feedback on their styling, the judges did notice some mistakes with the finishing of the room. "You look over there and it needs another coat – paintwork all around needs a little... but other than that paint execution there's nothing to fault," said Shaynna.
Moving into Kristy & Brett’s teen girl’s room, the judges were stopped in their tracks. The couple decided to run a large floral printed wallpaper from behind the four-poster bed, up onto the ceiling of the room. "Woah. This is completely different! I think it's great," Shaynna said. "As someone who doesn't like wallpaper, I really like this!" Marty added. "It's like I just got punched in the face,” Darren commented. “It's a lot!" Then the judges noticed a mismatched join in the wallpaper print right above the bed, meaning you would be looking at it every night when falling asleep.
Next week, with a little extra attention to finishes, Kristy & Brett could be on the way to their second win of the season.
ELIZA & LIBERTY
The sisters from Melbourne made the choice to renovate a toddler’s room and one created for an older child this week. With the lowest budget of $13,217, the sisters were worried their spaces would feel quite "boring" in comparison to some of the other teams’ wild and whacky bedrooms.
Their older child’s room featured a sepia-toned, tropical print wallpaper, and earthy coloured cabinetry with carved wooden handles. In the small desk nook, Darren spotted a gorgeous note from a Block fan, Novalie, a nine-year-old artist battling leukaemia who created a custom-made piece of art for the sisters. Darren became visibly emotional and loved the gorgeous "Bee Kind" artwork she'd created. "A room with heart," Shaynna concluded.
Eliza & Liberty’s toddler’s room had a younger feel with a colour palette of soft yellows and creams. The sisters chose a whimsical watercolour artwork to wallpaper the built-in wardrobe and to adorn a reading nook in the corner of the room. To add to the fairytale theme, the sisters chose a lampshade that would create pretty, shadow effects on the walls. Darren was impressed that the girls had created such an expensive-feeling space, without breaking the bank. "I just think it's really clever that they've been able to save money but still deliver something that feels expensive," he said.
KYLE & LESLIE
Like Leah & Ash, Kyle & Leslie decided to use their own children as inspiration for the kids’ bedrooms this week. The couple from Perth decided to create a basketball-themed room for a teenage boy and another, softer room for a tween girl. Spending $16,734 across both bedrooms, Kyle & Leslie sat firmly in the middle of the pack in terms of budget.
Their teenage boy’s room featured a colour palette of navy blues, whites, neutrals, and a pop of red. The couple chose a large sneaker decal to adorn the wall above the double-bed. Walking into the first room, the judges immediately noticed the theme. "Someone likes basketball," Marty commented. "What makes you say that?" Darren joked while Shaynna let out a "wow".
Marty was less than impressed with Kyle & Leslie’s deviation from their usual design aesthetic this week. "We've said that they've been so tonal, I don't feel like I'm actually in House 1. There's no arches, there's no palette that we've seen... we've just walked into this room and it does feel totally separate from everything else."
And the criticisms didn’t stop there - "If we're going to do this theme, do it to that high-end finish," Shaynna critiqued. "I'd probably take the posters stuck on the wall off. I would put them in a frame." "You need to appeal to the vast market,” Marty added. “There's nothing offensive in here, but it is pigeonholed."
Moving into their second bedroom, inspired by a tween girl, Shaynna was impressed by how "light and bright" everything felt. A colour palette of sage, cream, and neutral set the tone for the calming space. A soft floral wallpaper decorated the wall above the double bed, and the generous built-in wardrobes also showcased the couple’s signature curves that have appeared throughout the rest of their home. "Love the arches," Marty said. "They've brought it into this room. This feels like House 1." "I like the style, I like the colour palette – the neutral palette, plus the green is non-gender specific which I think is super smart in all respects," Darren added.
The judges did have concerns, however, and they went back to Master Bedroom Week. "We know that space says luxury and all that's going through my mind is how cramped the master bedroom feels when you walk in," said Shaynna. According to the judges, Kyle & Leslie need to get their connecting spaces working well, to convince them of their layout – and the amount of space they have attributed to each room.
So, with one perfect score under their belt, will Step & Gain take out the win again next week? We can’t wait to watch as the teams complete their final indoor spaces – the remaining bathroom and complete their redo rooms.
Photography by David Cook. All products available through The Block Shop.
