It’s time to discuss The Block 2018 master bedroom reveals. Isn’t this just the best part of your week? I love nothing more than seeing all of the photos hit my inbox as I wonder which teams came out on top.
The other thing I wondered when I heard it was master bed week was ‘how will they make these grander than the guest rooms?’. And upon seeing the images I’ve gotta confess that many of the teams fell short. Simply having a larger space doesn’t make a master room a master room. There are many elements that make for a sense of grandeur, and size is only one of them.
I think it’s best we crack out the fine-tooth comb and go through each of the rooms. And don’t forget to scroll to the end of this post to enter to WIN a $100 Block Shop voucher.
Hans and Courtney went a Step too Far
Like Ray Liota’s plastic surgery, Hans and Courtney’s master bedroom went a step too far. I mean, it didn’t go the full Jocelyn Wildenstein, but they could have been far more conservative with the overall scheme in the space.
I do enjoy a white, pink and charcoal colour palette. It’s quite a dreamy, romantic combination. But the pink tones need to be the accent, not the main attraction in the room. For example, that divine upholstered headboard is a star in its own right. But in a space with an equally rich and punchy set of occasional chairs, both lose their impact.
To add insult to injury, the bedscape then featured blush, burgundy and mustard cushions. It was a visual feast I wasn’t quite ready to consume. The remedy here is to take out some of the pink (I’d have made the bed a soft grey or chalky blue) and give the walls some wallpaper. I know, I say this every week. But honestly…
Where is the wallpaper?
The wall that the head of the bed sits against would have benefited greatly from a wallpaper in a subtle pattern. Because if you take a look at the room again, it’s absolutely void of pattern. And that’s another reason it feels overwhelming and yet kinda flat at the same time. Too much colour, not enough pattern. There’s no journey for the eye to go on. No detail. No interest. Just big, bold splotches of colour that don’t really do anything positive for the space.
It’s a shame, because I do see potential here. The round mirror is gorgeous, the pendants are lovely. Those bedsides are luscious but feel a bit small for the room. In fact, I like every piece of furniture and decor in this space. They just haven’t been used thoughtfully.
Prediction: Bianca and Carla will Clean up at Auction
I need to say this about Bianca and Carla: they’ll likely rake in the most cash this season and they deserve every penny. These girls have a very distinct and recognisable aesthetic and it’s consistent across the entire home. I knew the moment I saw the images of their master bedroom that it was their master bedroom. This is how you win The Block, dear contestants. You go in with a clear direction and you have the guts to follow through with it.
What I also find so impressive is that they’re bold enough to try big moments in a room. They did it in the master bathroom (which is also going to help them clean up come auction day), and they did it again here. The feature wall behind the bed in this master bedroom made me very happy. While every other team plonked furniture against a blank white canvas, Bianca and Carla delivered something quite unique.
The colour palette here is moody and masculine, but still varied enough to not overwhelm. The flooring is a design moment in itself and I will be rolling around on it when I walk through the space. The bedding is beautiful, the headboard is divine, the side tables are absolute perfection and I love the wacky, unexpected and yet chic-as-hell light that extends right over the bed.
Their aesthetic is probably quite divisive (you either love it or hate it), but these girls are delivering the only magazine-worthy design moments of the season. This master bedroom is inspirational for so many reasons and in my humble opinion it deserved the win!
Jess and Norm Tied with Bianca and Carla?
Riddle me this dear reader: why did Jess and Norm tie with Bianca and Carla this week? Did I miss something these photos don’t capture? Did Bianca and Carla fail in an area that Jess and Norm shone in? I mean not to insult Jess and Norm personally, of course, but their master bedroom design has nothing on B&C’s space.
This is an example of what I was saying above: teams just plonking a bed on top of a blank canvas and calling it a day. That doesn’t make for a master bedroom. It’s an all-white space with a bed in it. I don’t see a lot of design here and I don’t think it feels grand or impressive. In case you weren’t picking up on the vibes I’m throwing out here, let me clarify: this was the worst room of the week for me.
This is The Block 2018 master bedrooms. The moment to pull out the big guns. And I feel this bedroom just doesn’t cut it. The palette feels rather juvenile (teenage boys room) and those pendant lights, while I am gushing over them because they’re absolutely amazing, don’t work in this space. They feel quite crammed in on such a small wall.
There’s also no rug under the bed, there’s no mood in the space, the quilt cover feels rather sad, and the scale of the headboard looks odd. The list really goes on and on. This is the first time I’ve said this since the House Rules reveals, but I think I need a Bex and a good lie down. Am I wrong?
Kerrie and Spence felt a bit Norm and Jess to me
I hate sounding so neggo during a Block recap but you come here for the honesty and so I must dish it out. This master bedroom from Kerrie and Spence features all of the same issues as Norm and Jess’ room did. I’m a bit baffled by the scoring, but perhaps it has a lot to do with the robes? That’s all I can put it down to because the room itself is quite bland.
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: a bed plonked against a blank canvas does not make for a master bedroom. Where is the mood and the colour on the walls? Where is the wallpaper?
Seriously, why has no team used wallpaper? No team. We’ve done two lots of bedrooms and no wallpaper. Most teams also seem afraid of any paint colour that’s not white. As I’ve said in weeks gone by, we viewers look to The Block for wow moments, for inspiration. Lead us into new design territory, teams! Bianca and Carla are the only ones close to showcasing anything new and interesting.
In terms of the positives, I can actually enjoy the bed in this room. It’s lovely. The shutters are also a nice choice in this room. And I do like the artwork. But it’s just not going far enough. This feels like a new-build home you’ve just moved into and you ran out of money to finish it off.
The sheers are also too dark for this room. Not sure what happened there. And lastly, those pendants feel quite interesting but the way they’ve placed them over the bed makes them look like shower heads.
Hayden and Sara Deserved the Praise
I found myself getting sucked into the drama of The Block this week thanks to seeing snippets of it on Gogglebox. I swear I said I’d never watch a show about people watching shows, and yet there I am every week glued to Gogglebox!
But drama aside (to remain completely design-focussed and unbias), I have to say that Hayden and Sara delivered a wonderful master bedroom this week. The colour palette was lovely, the styling was top notch, there was a wonderful sense of mood and ambience in the space, and get this: THEY PAINTED A WALL BLUE! It’s not quite wallpaper, but it’s the next best thing. Praise the Lord.
I really like the headboard. It gives the space the sense of grandeur a master bedroom needs. The bedsides are equally impressive and I do enjoy the lamps as well. I mean, I would have preferred pendants to elevate the zone more, but we can’t have everything. The styling on the bedside table was lovely, the bedding was styled quite well, and the artwork on the wall was also a stunner.
I would have changed the colour of the bench seat at the end of the bed because it all feels a bit too blue. And installed pendants. But apart from that, this room is a winner. I still think Bianca and Carla are the true winners here, but Hayden and Sara came in a very close second for me!
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I thought Norm and jess bedroom pendant lights were not suited for a master bedroom. I personally wouldn’t be able to sleep in that bed from the fear one of those lights would fall and poke my eyes out
But, I’m still waiting for the ‘wow’ and ‘I need to buy that’ moments in the block this season.
Yes! My first thought on Jess and Norm was teenagers room too! Obsessing over their pendants though. Complete heart eyes when i saw those.
Honestly what is with the height of the bed heads in most of these rooms?? They really need to be higher. Sad there were no ‘WOW’ moments this week, expectations were high being master bedroom week. Bring back the flowers from the girls bathroom last week, they have been my biggest wow moment so far 🙂
I didn’t love any of the rooms this week. I did really like B+C’s vibe, but I really don’t like their use of black sheer curtains – they look cheap. Beautiful soft white curtains would look amazing, and soften the room a bit. I do feel like most of the headboards were really low though (except S+H)? Is that just me? They needed artwork about them. The pelmet on N+J’s bed is appalling!
Honestly, you expect dull rooms for the first few rooms, but by now we should be getting more wow factor moments, no?
Have these contestants been given a secret design brief to PLAY IT SAFE? To create blank canvases? Because if that is the case, I love that the girls are ignoring it…
And Chris, you are very good to be able to separate the drama from the style, but I am not as good a person. Hayden and Sarah were okay. A blue wall does not a winning room make. Especially after one on one time with Shayna.
I love the direction of the girl’s room. They are the only apartment with a cohesive style and with a buyer in mind. And I don’t think their wall was too masculine at all. Perhaps a more pale grey may have worked? But at least they are giving us a bit of excitement in a sea of otherwise white rooms and poorly picked artwork.
Absolutely agree that Bianca &Carla are on the money. They’re the only couple showing some design inspiration that is unique – everyone else, as you say, is too safe – boring
I completely agree that none of the teams except Bianca and Carla are taking risks. The bedrooms all seem awefully pedestrian and not cutting edge in any design elements at all. I loved B&C’s room purely because it was different to the rest, and it is consistent with their overall apartment. I also agree with you about Jess and Norm’s bed colour and styling. When Darren was going on about how much he loved it I thought my TV was broken!
I would love to see The Block venture out of Melbourne so teams can experiment away from this ‘high end luxe’ design brief they are all too scared to vary from.
I hadn’t thought of wallpaper but even I was wondering “Why don’t they use something on the wall with texture? Or a mirror? I definitely think Bianca and Carla are going to win, and they deserve it. They have an interesting style and even though I would’ve changed a couple of things about their room tonight I still loved it!
WHYISNTANYONEUSINGWALLPAPER
Maybe they’ve been scared off wallpaper after House Rules