The Block 2021 Home Cinema and Steam Room Reveal Recap: Case of the Missing Fridges

The Block 2021 contestants revealed their home cinemas (and steam room) this week, and I’ve gotta say it made me feel a bit nostalgic.

Remember cinemas; those places you could visit when you were able to leave the house for reasons apart from stocking up on Aldi wine (honestly don’t knock the $12 Prosecco until you’ve tried it). I can’t remember the last time I sat in the dark with strangers wishing death upon the person in front of me who won’t stop rustling the packet of Smith’s Cheese & Onion. Those were the days.

It was a really mixed bag this week, where I didn’t agree with the judges and was left fuming over fridges. Or should I say, a lack of them. Let’s get stuck into the recap as I unveil my thoughts, and of course welcome you to share your own in the comments section at the end of the post.

Kirsty and Jesse Came First

When it comes to a home cinema, I want it to be as close to a real cinema experience as possible. I want the leather chairs, I want them to recline, and I want a cup holder.

I want a pimply teenager to come in and shine the torch at me to ensure I’m not making out with someone in the back row. I also want to pay $650 for the large popcorn combo, which I can upsize to the mega popcorn combo for an additional $45. 

So, from a look and feel perspective Kirsty and Jesse nailed it. The ceiling in their home cinema is divine, the panelled walls are stunning, and I enjoy the heavy black curtains. It’s delivering almost everything you want in a home cinema room. 

I agree that the styling in this space is great as well. The retro feel is a smart one and makes Kirsty and Jesse stand out from the crowd. I like the vintage artworks, and the glass jars at the front of the room. The projector is a nice touch too. It’s cute, it’s quaint, and it does feel on-par with where this team is looking to take their home stylistically.

Where My Fridge At?

I have to point out the one major issue here. It’s the issue that the judges didn’t bring up in any of the cinemas, but one that is lacking, much-needed, and insane not to have included: a fridge. Where is my fridge!? Can I get a fridge? Gimme an F, gimme an R. You get the idea. Fridge. Please, won’t somebody think about the fridge?

Did I mention it was missing a fridge?

This is a home cinema in a multi-million dollar home, and I as the buyer am expected to walk up to the kitchen mid-film to get some more Coke (insert joke about Nadia Bartel here)? This is a huge miss that was completely overlooked.

Also, given the size of the room, I feel a pair of chairs against the outer walls with a walkway down the middle would have been a smarter layout, to get eight chairs into the space instead of six. But overall, a great job by Kirsty and Jesse and worthy of the win. 

Ronnie and Georgia Tied for Second Place

Sorry to The Blaze, N-Dubz and D-Patz, but I don’t want to watch a movie on sofas you’d have in a living room. And I especially don’t want to watch a movie in the dark, with food, on white sofas. That, my friends, is a recipe for choccy smears from hell.

Nobody wants the lights to come on at the end of the screening having to explain what the brown marks are all over the sofa. I’ve been that person who consumed potato wedges during a Gold Class experience who emerged covered in sweet chilli sauce at the end. Not a good look.

I also find the larger sofas at the back of the room, with nowhere to put your feet up, completely inadequate for a home cinema. I’m not dropping all that cash on a home to not be able to put my feet up while stuffing my face with popcorn.

I am getting a bit too obsessed with the furniture though. The reality is, the furniture does not come with the home. So Ronnie and Georgia do get points for the space itself. 

The essential thing I don’t see here which I desperately want, is once again, a bar fridge. I’m not walking to the kitchen to get my (third) piccolo of Prosecco. What would that look like!?

There Are Some Delish Moments Though

The colour palette of the room overall is lovely, of course. I enjoy the sense of calm and serenity. It is classic Ronnie and Georgia and this room does feel cohesive alongside the other rooms they’ve delivered on The Block so far this season. 

The padded walls are a nice touch at the back of the space, the curtains are lovely, and the carpet is plush and delicious. The lighting on the ceiling is a wonderful touch too. So, yes, there are indeed some positives to call out in this home cinema.

There’s just such an impracticality to those sofas. 

Mitch and Mark Tied for Second Place

I have to agree with Darren’s initial comment about the grey tiles in Mitch and Mark’s steam room; they are wonderful. They do evoke an organic day spa feel, which I think is a rather beautiful thing. It’s what they placed over the top of those tiles that I have an issue with. 

But first, let’s talk about cohesion and continuity. Mitch and Mark’s guest bathroom from a few weeks back was truly divine. It worked with the guest bedroom, and it works with the master bedroom they unveiled last week too. We had a really good style story going on and I loved where they were headed.

This steam room though, is a step in some other direction. The other spaces are blush beauties, and this is blue lagoon. So from a continuity perspective I don’t understand the design decisions.

A Few Other Issues to Note

Outside of continuity, the other issue for me is that it reminds me too much of Jimmy and Tam’s guest ensuite from last season. Their tiles were more turquoise, but apart from that the rooms feel quite similar.

The brass in this bathroom really takes me out of the day spa vibe the judges commented on when they first walked in. The blue tiles aren’t helping, but all that bling is the real issue. If they used chrome accents instead of brass, at least the tiles could have been the focal point, and it would have been quite visually calm overall.

To say that this space doesn’t look messy or busy… I can’t wrap my head around that one. This room desperately needs paring back. But I do commend them for not going down the same path as everyone else with the home cinema. At least they’ll stand out from the crowd.

Tanya and Vito Came Third

The three caramel recliner chairs in Tanya and Vito’s cinema room are by far the stars of the show. When I find out where they’re from I’ll be adding them to my roundup of good-looking recliner chairs. Let’s face it, most recliners are more tragic than Mariah Carey in Glitter. But the ones in this room are *chef’s kiss*.

I feel the same way about the large white sofas as I do about the ones in Ronnie and Georgia’s space: don’t want. And again with the white. These ones aren’t even slip cover, so as time goes on you’ll be forced to embrace the inevitable choc top stains.

Outside of bad fabric choices, this is another cinema room without a fridge. That decision, like Geri’s to leave the Spice Girls, is unforgivable (20 years on the pain never goes away!). I want to be able to commando roll from my chair, in the dark, to get more snacks and drinks. I want my poor food choices to be made with some level of privacy, thanks very much.

It’s these functional elements Tanya and Vito forgot about. But their room is large, which I love. And they did some some good furniture choices, which I appreciate. I’m with D-Patz re the curtains as well. We’re all a little over velvet, aren’t we?

Josh and Luke Came Last

I’ve gotta give the boys one thing (and no, its not the Iron Man statue): the storage in here is epic. This is what you want in a cinema room. Space for DVDs, space for chips and lollies and other snacks. You have a spot for blankets and you’ve got a fridge (hallelujah!). You even have a popcorn machine.

I agree with Shaynna about the colour of the cabinetry and the fact that the fridge light would be annoying, but good Lord is this a welcome change considering what the other teams delivered (or didn’t). And it could be easily improved. In fact, you could just install some more cabinetry with doors on the front to house the fridge and popcorn machine so you didn’t see them when you were watching the movie.

A few easy fixes would take this room next-level. It really is the most functional home cinema in terms of giving you the things you need to truly sit down and enjoy a film. Except for the sit down part…

The Judges Were a Bit Hard on Them

The lounge suite is a little budget, and something you’d see in a regular home living room. It doesn’t give you luxury home cinema vibes at all. Shaynna was also actually quite generous to call that lump of fabric tossed on the sofa ‘styling’.

That glass of lollies is also hilarious; it’d see me through the first 15 minutes of a film and then I’d need a refill. Certainly not styling by any means, but I feel it was a bit harsh to call this room ‘crap’.

Honestly, sometimes simple is all you need. Just give me better individual leather recliners in here and I would take this space other the others. The buyer will bring in their own furniture. That’s easy. What’s not so easy to install is your own fridge and joinery, which is what this space has over the others.

What did you think of the 2021 Blockheads cinema rooms and steam room? Drop me a comment below and let me know your take. You know I love to read what you made of the spaces.

See more from The Block 2021 over at The Block Shop and nine now.