Major Problem with The Block 2020 Living and Dining Rooms

The Block 2020 living and dining rooms have just been unveiled, and I have to say it’s revealed (another) major problem with the homes this year.

We’ll take a look at each space in a minute, but I want to address the elephant in the room; you know, the major issue with four out of five homes this season. And that is, plain and simply, tiny living and dining rooms.

As you know, I don’t watch the series throughout the week, so I’m not fully across how the teams get to choose their layout (or if the zones are decided for them). But whose idea was it to insist on enormous kitchens that could cater for an army, but then have the footprints of the living and dining so small that you can’t seat more than six people?

Considering these are million dollar homes in Brighton, I’m really baffled by these jumbo kitchens sat bedside tiny living and dining rooms. Harry and Tash are the only ones who got a property with a reasonable size living and dining space, but boy do I feel for the other teams. They’ve essentially been given zones the size of a phone booth and been asked to make them amazing.

Outside of the show itself revealing spaces that don’t really wow due to the size constraints, I’m sure a luxury Melbourne buyer wouldn’t really want a kitchen so huge, but then a living room that can’t fit anything larger than a three-seater sofa. How will these people entertain large groups (the kitchens have four ovens, for example), when there’s nowhere to seat them?

The kitchen footprint in all homes should have been reduced to allow for larger living and dining rooms. That’s my rant for the week, and now we’ll move onto each space on The Block 2020 and talk through what worked and what didn’t.

I’ll see you in the comments at the end of the post!

Harry and Tash Came First, and Deserved it

The (comparatively) large footprint of this space gave Harry and Tash a huge advantage. Essentially it was a case of you’ve got the most space, don’t mess it up. And thankfully they didn’t. It’s still a bit of an awkward-shaped zone but they made the most of it. I’ve considered how else they could have laid the furniture out given that the kitchen is already in, and this really was the best configuration.

What Worked in the Living and Dining

You do walk into the space and it does feel quite light, bright and ethereal. That’s what you want as a potential buyer, right? It just oozed this kind of luxurious ambiance and I do think it would evoke some emotion in you.

The positioning of the living and dining furniture was successful. You couldn’t really flip them around and have it work, so the footprint is a good one. The flooring colour works well against the sheers too. Seeing the kitchen, living and dining together like this makes me think Harry and Tash are climbing up the ladder in terms of a win on auction day (if they change up the master bedroom and first guest ensuite).

The colour palette was carefully considered and rather lovely. Quite moody and subdued with just a few pops in accent pieces like cushions. I’ve also used that black entry table they sat under the art in my Bentleigh project, so that was clearly a winning piece.

What Let the Spaces Down

It was under-filled, that’s for sure. I know this is a home staging show at its core, but it was too minimal for my likings. It just needed more things in it. A large plant, a large lamp (as Neale pointed out), some kind of focal point. The space gives you the feel of luxury, but then there’s no wow moment that steals the show.

It’s missing depth and layers. I feel some wallpaper, or a slightly darker paint colour in the void area could have been nice. It just feels very white and bare. Also, I disagree with Darren on the dining table; it needs to be turned around to run the other way. I need a pendant light somewhere in this space too. 

Doesn’t it feel a little bare to you?

Daniel and Jade Came Second

I have to come right out and say it: I don’t like this zone. It doesn’t feel successful for me in many ways, and we’ll of course delve into what they are. The space is larger than some of the others, so at least Daniel and Jade have that going for them. From a buyers perspective it doesn’t feel as cramped as Jimmy and Tam’s, for example, but there are still many reasons this feels disappointing. 

The Zones are Cohesive, I’ll Give Them That

If this is your vibe, then at least the living and dining rooms match the kitchen in this open-plan space. The colours and materials are all quite cohesive, so at least there’s nothing visually jarring. 

Where the furniture is positioned is good. I mean, there’s not really many options in terms of placement, so that’s nice.

Look, I’m clutching at straws here, so let’s move on to what didn’t work instead.

I Don’t Get Luxury from these Spaces

I applaud The Block this year for giving us some daring moments, and letting the contestants step outside of the usual suppliers. In years gone by everything felt a little cookie-cutter, so I love the sense of adventure this time around.

That said, the curved wall here feels like daring design just for the sake of it. Does it add anything? Does it evoke luxury? Does a buyer want a curved kitchen island and a matching curved wall? I feel this is just trying to win points from the judges.

If I spent time in this zone I think I’d take up cave painting. Honestly, that wall is giving me underground lair vibes. The treatment on it feels external, not internal. It does’t feel luxurious, and when paired with the other elements in this space the whole zone feels heavy and gloomy. I want a room to lift me up, not drag me down. It’s oppressive. 

This dark moody vibe might work in a high-end apartment building (still without the wall treatment) but I don’t get luxury family home from this space.

Sarah and George Came Third

You know I love me some Sarah and George lately. I was frothing at the mouth over their kitchen last week (still thinking about it, still have objectophilia), so I was looking forward to seeing their living and dining room.

In particular, I was keen to see how they connected the spaces stylistically. I feel like their bathrooms and kitchen speak to one another. I feel like they got things right there in terms of cohesion. But then we hit this living and dining zone and things fell apart a little. Let me explain why.

It’s Actually Nice, it Really is

There’s a lot to love when the space is viewed from the kitchen. The furniture is divine. Those leather armchairs are delicious and I want them for my apartment. The coffee table is chic and I want it for my apartment too. Even the dining table is stellar and ready to be delivered to my apartment.

Do you see where I’m going here? It’s a masculine apartment vibe in a luxury Brighton family home. There’s a bit of a disconnect with the style they executed throughout the living and dining room. Every single piece is nice, and I want it all, but when you view it from the living room with the kitchen behind it, it doesn’t quite work. 

The orange accents are an odd choice too. They did pink tiles in their bathroom against a black and white foundation. The kitchen has this very chic black and white foundation too. Harry and Tash’s vibe could be lifted from their place and put into Sarah and George’s and it would be perfect.

It’s Just Not Refined Enough

That’s really the major issue. All of the furniture and decor is quite relaxed and moody. It doesn’t feel curated and refined enough to tie in with the kitchen.

The white brickwork was also a very random choice. It’s completely at odds with the vibe of the entire home. It gives the living room this retro vibe it doesn’t want or need. There are also two big blank walls beside the fireplace stack that need something (and not a leaning dog artwork).

Some wallpaper would have been nice here. Or, actually hang two really impactful chic artworks that could bring elements in from the kitchen. Or marble. The kitchen has this beautiful stone and the living and dining has none of it. There were so many options here to carry across that marvellous kitchen vibe, and none of them were executed.

Luke and Jasmin Came Fourth

I’ve made no secret of the fact that my Block 2020 favourites are Luke and Jasmin. The cohesion of every space they create is brilliant. The fact that they keep the market that they’re selling to in mind is very smart. So they usually get it right.

Here though, there were a few issues. One major and a few minor. One that should be changed and won’t, and then a few easy tweaks to take the space next level.

Let’s Discuss that Bonkers Fireplace

I was sat at my computer earlier in the week watching the reveal episode and the first thing I thought when the judges walked into the room was WTF is with the fireplace in the corner???

I’m so glad Neale brought it up as a dealbreaker for a buyer, because it is. Truthfully, it’s not the first time I’ve been into a home and thought this. I’ve gone into new-build homes where the fireplace is off-centre toward one side of the room and it continues to baffle me.

If your fireplace is in the corner, it’s useless. If you can’t gather around it, it’s useless. If it’s in a position where one person gets a tan and is hotter than the sun but everyone else can’t enjoy it, it’s useless.

It’s also completely OK not to include a fireplace altogether. These are luxury Melbourne homes. I would assume they’d have heating throughout already. You’re better off having no fireplace than on in the corner like this. The fact they don’t plan on correcting it is also an issue.

The Overall Vibe was Almost There

It’s Luke and Jasmin’s vibe all over, so I don’t fault them for taking the design in the direction they did. The sofa was delicious, the two armchairs were divine, and the coffee table is everything. Looking at the kitchen from inside the living room, the two spaces are connected perfectly. So there’s plenty to appreciate.

There’s not a lot to change outside of the fireplace, because most of their furniture and decor choices were good.

The only things I’d replace is the art (odd colour choice), the chairs at the dining table (too much of the one material here) and I’d add in some more pattern to elevate it a bit and give the space some interest. Oh, and that halo light. Please nobody ever install a halo light. They have them in casinos. It’s not a good look for your home.

Luke and Jasmin, I love your guts so this comes from a good place: I beg you to rethink the fireplace.

Jimmy and Tam Came Last, and it Felt Right

I mean, what can I say that the judges haven’t already said about this living and dining room? Actually, a few things. My gurl Shaynna Blaze was the MVP this week for calling Jimmy and Tam out on that ridiculous campfire scene they tried to create by the fireplace. It was just one of the many problems in this space, and honestly there’s very little I can say about it that’s positive.

The Space is Tiny, I Get it

It looks like Jimmy and Tam have the smallest space of the lot, which is really unfortunate. It goes back to what I was saying at the start of the post about the kitchens being jumbo and not leaving room for much else in this open-plan zone.

But there’s always a solution, and sometimes you have to compromise. Clever planning could have saved this space.

Take a look at the image above. If they cut that island in half and removed the end on the left hand side, they could have had a dining table in that area. Sure it makes your kitchen a bit smaller, but overall you have a zone that will fit three functions in it.

They could have still had a lip on their kitchen island and sat a few stools at it, and then had that entire living and dining zone to use purely for living room furniture.

The Furniture was All Wrong

In a cosy space like this, they broke so many of my small living room design rules; chunky sofa, square coffee table, two rugs that are exactly the same, and too much visual chaos.

In a space this small I wouldn’t have installed a fireplace. It just backs you into a corner in terms of where you can position furniture in the room. Is a luxury buyer going to walk into this room and ask “Where’s the fireplace?”, or are they more likely to ask “Where does the dining table go?”.

Even if you put a dining table where the current campsite is, one person is going to get third degree burns while the rest of the table doesn’t get to experience the warmth. It’s just unnecessary to include it at all. 

The Block 2020 Living and Dining Rooms: What’s Your Take?

I’ve had my rant and rave, now it’s over to you. I always love to hear what you think about the space on The Block each week, so let me know which living and dining room was your fave in the comments below, as well as which space you thought had room for improvement.

Looking forward to what the Blockheads do next week upstairs. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot to talk about.

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