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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very disappointing effort this week, so blerg! This is a gorgeous old building and to not pay homage to it with some real luxe is a sin! Not much to crow about at all teams
I too thought that Carla and bianca had the best room this week. I am lusting after that quirky long-arm lamp. Divine.
I actually liked Jess and Norm’s way of styling the bed with all the cushions and layering 🙂
The grey bedroom was way too grey for me!
I loved the art work in hans and Courtney’s room I would love to have that art work in my bedroom, it’s all about personal taste. All the masters seemed a bit white and plain for me but I guess that gives the new owners room to place personal touches and own style.
Most of those rooms just didn’t feel like master rooms. Even though Bianca and Carla’s room is a little too dark for my personal style, it is still stunning and I totally agree, they just overall have that complete and well designed feel! That wall is just so impressive, just the feel of a pattern just makes a massive difference. I know why you bang on about wallpaper now haha.
I am in love with Hayden and Sara’s room though. Dark blue with white and grey and I’m won over! I adore the bench seat as a piece on its own, but I agree, too much blue. What colour bench seat would you have put? Would a grey that’s darker than the grey of the carpet look nice?
It fell flat this week, so looking forward to seeing inspiration, innovation and the wow factor but it all looked too safe. Do they need a master class from tlcinteriors?
I thought Hayden and Sara deserved the win. So much to love, bedhead, colour palette, WIR’s. Whereas I felt the girls master would polarise ( Neale’s word) viewers. It was just too dark and masculine for me and I hated the poorly finished feature wall. However, I think these girls will win as they conceive consistently glamourous, minimalistic rooms. However, In terms of personality and fair play, I want norm and Jess to win as they are hilarious and are great Aussie characters.
I am often wondering is this a reno show or a styling competition? Poor finishes, unfinished paint etc should be judged much more harshly than cushions that don’t quite hit it home.
Kerrie and Spence deliver quality reno and boring styling, which is probably going to make more money, than pretty styling and bubbling paint.
The girls are have a style and it works, I loved the moody bedroom.
I wish they would get rid of Scotty and Keith though, both those numb nuts get on my nerves. Actually can we sack all the hosts and inject some life back in?
Underwhelming!..Most look like nice teenager rooms, not penthouse masters. Sara & Hayden deserved the win (loved the bed head, although the seat was not quite right)…but Hans & Courtney could easily have won it, had they turned up “the lux”. It needed larger & more comfortable furniture (styling & rug) in their seating area. Something across the foot of the bed, like storage ottomans & maybe even a TV that automatically inclines out of the foot of the bed. It needed that added luxury that most people desire. Their room received the most “wows”, purely due to the size of it.
So after reading the beginning of this blog and hearing a bit in the media today of “how the master bedrooms fell short”, I saw the picture of Bianca and Carla’s room (which I didn’t know was theirs untill scrolling down further) and thought’ “Oh wow, I love that, it must be an ad picture…”. Nope, it was an actual room on this weeks reveals apparently, lol. How did it not win! I mean, as you say, they were the only ones that made it feel like a Master room with that wow factor wall, the mood set by the colour, the timber and linen choices for texture, the curtains are sexy, love the light (not my thing but very cool) and um, those floors! My first thought was to roll around on them too Chris. But, given it’s not the Block without drama, hearing that the couple that, “almost walked out” had won, I rolled my eyes sideways and even though their room was “nice” I felt it needed a little something else if that navy wall, was a little “safe” and completely lacked in character compared to Bianca and Carla’s. Thanks for another enjoyable read Chris. (P.S. How good is Gogglebox!)