The Block 2022 Bedrooms and Bathrooms Reveal: What Soared and What Sank

If you’ve just watched The Block 2022 bedrooms and bathrooms reveal, you’ve come to the right place for some real talk on what worked and what didn’t from a design perspective.

Coming off of last week’s master bedrooms reveal, I can’t say I was expecting a lot. But to my utter surprise and delight, some teams did well. It was such a mixed bag though. If one team’s bedroom was great, the bathroom was dire, and vice versa.

After much deliberation, here’s how the winning order should have gone down this week:

1. Rachel and Ryan
2. Omar and Oz
3. Dylan and Jenny
4. Tom and Sarah Jane
5. Ankur and Sharon

Drop me a comment at the end of the post and let me know what you thought of The Block 2022 bedrooms and bathrooms reveal.

Tom and Sarah Jane Came First

Every room needs a focal point. We know that. Your eye needs to focus on one thing as the feature. In this space though, there are too many tabs open. An error message is about to pop up informing you that the computer is about to go into repair mode.

I’ve been on a mission to get more people to wallpaper for years, so I’m on-board with the idea of fully wrapping a bedroom in it. Wallpaper gives a room a sense of depth and warmth in a way that paint just can’t. Facts are facts.

And in this space the wallpaper is somewhat successful. It’s too glossy and reflective to create true calm, and it would punish you severely if you ever woke up with a hangover, but it’s a fair effort from Tom and Sarah Jane.

So, they get points for the shell of the room. But (and you knew it was coming) it all falls apart from there in a big way. 

So Much Isn’t Working Here

The all-brass furniture against that wallpaper is cold and jarring. The wallpaper needed fabric against it in order for the room to truly feel balanced, soft and harmonious.

A cold colour like blue on the walls, with that intense pattern, teamed with glass and metal furniture does not evoke any serenity. This scheme is about as relaxing as the Woodstock ’99 festival.

Brass bed and brass bedsides; that’s a Family Feud double-whammy. Survey says no. I’ve told you before how to match beds with different bedsides. This misses the mark for me.

That Cluster of Artworks is Also Not On

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: modern country design does not mean salvage shop. It does not mean a hodge-podge of mismatched pieces. It does not mean the pieces need to be old or weathered.

This is how you do modern country design and there’s no old-word vibe in sight.

Suggestions that this is genius and at the level of a pro designer had me a little triggered, I won’t lie.. 

In the Bathroom, Things Got Worse

Those walls tiles I sadly can’t get on-board with. They’re sending me to an old rundown nightclub bathroom. I’m having a flashback from my early twenties when a friend is asking her friend to hold her hair back. Maybe on a smaller scale they might be better.

Even on a smaller scale though, they don’t work with the grey floor tiles and they make the entire room feel really warm. There’s such a trapped claustrophobic feel in this space, which I can’t imagine would appeal to a buyer.

It also appears that we’re not doing window treatments in the bathrooms this week which I’m baffled by.

Omar and Oz Came Second

I feel the same way about Omar and Oz’s bedroom as I do about my ‘Discover Weekly’ on Spotify: there’s a lot to enjoy. Like the playlist though, there’s some underwhelming moments. Lou Bega’s ‘Mambo Number 5’… I’m looking at you!

Let’s start with the positives. It’s a nice, fresh bedroom with a sense of calm and serenity. That’s what you want in a bedroom in a home like this; a feeling of retreat. It certainly gives off that vibe.

But, it must be said… it’s a bit basic. It does remind me of a number of Block bedrooms from prior seasons. So in that regard, the room feels a little phoned-in. 

Loving the pendant lights, loving the bedding, and loving the art. It’s all rather lovely, don’t get me wrong. It just doesn’t feel new in any way.

The Bathroom Felt a Little Basic Too

This is a nice-looking bathroom. Omar and Oz have done well this week overall. It’s just that both spaces have failed to push the design very far. 

That’s why I believe Rachel and Ryan should have scored better than the boys. Both of their spaces are still contemporary but they’re pushing the design a bit further by including a nod to country style. It feels less run-of-the-mill.

The only issue I really have in this bathroom is the brass trim around the shower screen.

The whole point of an open shower design is to make the screen almost disappear; to let your eye move beyond it uninterrupted. I don’t know why they’ve forced brass trim in there to call your attention to it. Perhaps there’s a safety/stability issue at play.

Rachel and Ryan Came Third

There is a charm to Rachel and Ryan’s bedroom that I do believe a buyer will feel connected to. Not every buyer wants a country cliche just because they’re an hour outside of Melbourne.

I’ve said many times that this team’s more modern approach is a smart one, and it works in this space rather well.

The bed, bed styling, lamps and artwork above the bed are all wonderful inclusions that I cannot fault. The paint colour, carpet and sheer curtains are divine as well. There really isn’t a heap that needs to be changed here.

On a personal note, that white and green check throw is giving me life and I need to secure it for my own home ASAP if not sooner.

The Scale In This Room Is Off Though

There are scale issues at play, this we can’t deny. The bedside tables do feel a bit small in a room that could take larger ones.

And the tallboy across from the bed looks so little and lonely. It needs a buddy. Stay tuned for the next season of Old People’s Home for Misused Tallboys. It needs to be replaced with a longer sideboard and bigger armchair.

Always do less pieces in a room but make each piece larger. That’s the key to resolving a room spatially. Here there are just too many trinkets thrown against a large wall. It cheapens the overall design (which I actually love).

The Bathroom Was Quite Successful

Rachel and Ryan’s bathroom has a lot going for it. From the vanity to the tub, arched mirror to floor tiles; it’s all pretty delicious. There’s also a great sense of mood here. It’s dark but not depressing, earthy but still sophisticated.

The only elements I would change are, once again, the black trim on the shower screen. We don’t need to call attention to the screen when so many other elements are vying for your eyeballs.

I also don’t love the basin, but I’m putting that down to personal preference. It’s not bad from a design perspective. I’m just not sure it was needed here.

The tile combo I have fears for too. I’m on the fence as to whether the kit kat tiles near the bath work alongside the larger ones. But I’m willing to let that one go. No window treatments though… that I can’t let go.

The Major Downer…

All the positives aside, What I will say about this bathroom is that is doesn’t feel at all connected to the bedroom we just saw. They’re polar opposites in terms of look and feel.

In fact, there’s not a lot of Rachel and Ryan’s rooms, if any, that feel aligned to the look and feel of this bathroom. It’s a great space, of course, but it’s out of place in the overall home aesthetic. 

I’m hoping they make choices in their kitchen, living and dining room that feel in-sync with the look above. Otherwise it’s just a nice room that doesn’t belong.

Dylan and Jenny Came Fourth

Dylan and Jenny’s bedroom design is quite beautiful. It is giving me a little of what Omar and Oz’s did though, in that we’ve seen it before, but they pushed the look further.

Almost everything works in this space. The bed styling is lovely, the wall treatment is divine, and the artwork above the bed gives you a gorgeous focal point to look at. Yes, just one focal point. Tom and Sarah Jane, please take note.

The main issues for me, and they’re small, are the wall sconces and bedside table styling. The sconces, while beautiful, are too close in look and feel to the panelling behind the bed. Pendant lights would have looked better here.

The bedside table styling is underwhelming too. A lot of little trinkets thrown on. Again, less is more. Less items, but make them bigger. It’s the key to getting bedside table styling right. 

The Lilac Basins Are a No Go

While Dylan and Jenny’s bedroom was a roaring success, the love didn’t last as we entered the bathroom.

To be fair though, the major issue was the lilac basins. And there aint nothing wrong with a lilac basin. It has its place, for sure. But that place is not this bathroom.

I’m not sure what they were thinking with this colour choice. Nothing about lilac works with terracotta and brass. It’s about as well-matched as James Packer and Mariah Carey. And we all know how that turned out.

Thankfully we have a shower screen without a trim on it here which I’m very happy about. The layout works well too.

And look, I don’t mind the bath placement. I don’t see it as an issue that would put a buyer off. You know, like glossy mustard tiles or blue check wallpaper.

Ankur and Sharon Came Last

The question must be asked: Why is there a communal seating area in a bedroom? The only answer that makes sense is that this is the host room for this year’s Macedon Ranges swingers weekend. Put your keys in the bowl and assume the position. 

But no, really, why can you seat seven people in a bedroom? It makes no sense functionally. And that’s just the first of many style choices here that are truly baffling.

I’m confused by a few things. Like the two pendant lights installed in the middle of a skylight. I don’t understand mustard velvet as a colour and material chosen for the bed frame either.  And the drinks trolley? I don’t know why there’s a drinks trolley in a bedroom.

The colour palette in this room is nice but it doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the rooms revealed so far.

This Home is So Disjointed

I don’t understand these two rooms in this home. Though I’ve not thought many of their prior rooms successful, at least there seemed to be a consistent look and feel going on.

You get to this bedroom and bathroom and they’re completely out of place with every other room in the home. The bedroom is contemporary luxe, with some odd country moments thrown in. And the bathroom was just as contrasting.

The potential buyers walking through this home are going to be so confused. 

The Bathroom Is Actually Quite Lovely

The floating vanity, basins, tapware and mirror are all gorgeous style choices in this bathroom. True story: that zone looks amazing.

I can even give them the wacky tile choices. Bright, yes. Bold, sure. But I do think they all work together. It’s actually a really nice bathroom.

But in this home? No. A home needs cohesion throughout and I fear this home is missing the mark on that front.

What did you make of The Block 2022 bedrooms and bathrooms reveal. Drop a comment below and share your thoughts.

Images for this post were supplied by The Block Shop. Check out Nine Now for more of The Block 2022 bedrooms and bathrooms reveal.