The Block 2022 Master Ensuites Reveal Recap: A Lesson in How to Do Luxury

The Block 2022 master ensuites reveal had me baffled, I won’t lie. I was more confused this week than when Hughesy claimed Tori Spelling was the biggest name to have ever appeared on The Masked Singer. We all know the biggest name they’ve ever had was Toadfish from Neighbours!

And so as you’d expect from me, there’s a lot to talk through. And as you’d expect, I have a whole different order in which I would have ranked the teams this week. Below is how I feel they should have been placed, in order of most successful to least successful:

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

Scroll on to look at the full critique of The Block 2022 master ensuites and let me know what you thought in the comments section at the end.

Omar and Oz Came First

I don’t want to take too much away from Omar and Oz, because this is a great space, but there are some issues. We’ll get to those in a moment. And you know I don’t think it was a winning master ensuite. But there are understandably a number of ooh and ahh moments.

The wall tiles are the first thing to revel in. I’ve not seen this much kit kat in one space since I opened my fridge during lockdown. They are a gift from the design gods, no doubt. Paired with the aged brass hardware, it makes for a very luxe experience. 

And the floor tile, let’s discuss. See how Omar and Oz let it dominate and the other elements supported it? It’s something Ankur and Sharon failed to do in their ensuite (we’ll get to that design crime shortly) and the results were not cute. Omar and Oz though, got the proportions right.

The Shower is Worthy of Praise

There’s something so intimate about the shower behind the vanity in this master ensuite. It’s large and yet cosy at the same time. This is also a zone where a skylight works wonderfully, and you’d be bonkers not to agree that the curved bench seat is genius.

The shower area is something a buyer would find super surprising. And surprising in a good way, not surprising like when you get Kim Kardashian tattoos on your body and then she breaks up with you. This is a permanent inclusion you’d never grow tired of.

The vanity area is also lovely. You’ll hear me say it again further down, but those timber vanities have been done a lot. I’m a little ready to move past this style trend, but it does work in this ensuite. 

Now Let’s Talk About the Issues

The visual of this ensuite is everything. We’re don’t need to change a thing on the visual front. But what I take issue with is the suggestion that Omar and Oz have nailed scale and that the planning and layout is revolutionary. There are actually a few layout issues.

Love the idea of where everything is, but it’s tight. The room needed an additional metre either side to truly resolve some of the placement issues. 

When the judges walked in you could see that you almost had to step around the door to get into the room, and that the door opens right onto the vanity with little space in between them. It’s not great spatially, but also not great if you’re entering when someone is stepping out of the shower.

The Bath Shape is Also a Problem

The bath is also quite close to the vanity. If you were using the right side of the vanity, I guarantee you’d frequently step back and hit the bath. We also have sheer curtains pooling onto tiles that could easily get wet and mouldy, and they’re quite close to the bath tapware too.

I don’t understand the round shaped bath here, but that’s just me. One person can’t lay down in it. To lay down you’d have to spread eagle like the baby was crowning with your legs in the air just to get a reclining experience. 

So, all in all, we love the look, but the layout was lacking.

Ankur and Sharon Came Second

At this stage of the Block journey, you kinda have to accept that up is down and down is up. I’ve had a few Bex and a lie down, and even that hasn’t cured me of the fog of confusion that surrounds this master ensuite design.

To say it could have been pared back a bit is the world’s largest understatement. I want to make like Osher Gunsberg and the guessing panel on The Masked Singer and yell “take it off, take it off”, until a few elements are removed from this space.

It’s busy you guys. Busier than a Boxing Day sale. Busier than Tinder when lockdown lifted. Busier than Scott Morrison’s PR team. How can something this visually chaotic be describes as luxurious? There’s literally a side table taken from the set of Vikings sitting beside the bath.

Let’s Talk About Some Positives

The pendant from Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant sitting between two skylights is not one of the positive in Ankur and Sharon’s master ensuite, but that doesn’t mean some moments weren’t lovely.

Let’s start with the nice-looking vanity area. Yes, if you remove some of the older styling elements (what is that old Goonies-themed treasure chest?) and concentrate on the floating sage vanity, beautiful basins and chic mirrors, there’s actually a lot to appreciate in this area of the room.

The light switch needs to go, and the wall sconces with them, but the positioning of the toilet here is very appropriate. It’s one of the few bathrooms this week where you don’t walk in the door and see the toilet. So they do deserve some points for that. Just resolve the fireplace please.

Tom and Sarah Jane Came Third

There were some nice ideas in this ensuite from Tome and Sarah Jane, which we’ll get to, but my biggest gripe straight off the bat was the layout.

The local wildlife does not want to know if you fold or scrunch your toilet paper. A loo wedged between two doors (one leading outside into the wilderness) feels like a miss to me. And it’s the not my only placement concern.

The bath and shower would have been more successful if they were swapped around. Shaynna commented that you could be in the shower and take in the view outside.

Now, is it just me (have I watched too many scary movies?), or does standing in the shower with John Jarrett from Wolf Creek watching in the distance outside not seem like a cute idea? At least in the bath you’re covered with bubbles and can lay down to watch him watch you.

Outside of layout, there’s a few style issues going on…

There’s a Bit of a Clash Going On Here

It must be said, most of the individual pieces here are quite delightful. It’s rare I find a design product I don’t like, but it’s how you bring them together that’s crucial. And here I feel like too many people were invited to the party. It’s not giving off a calm or inviting vibe.

And maybe it’s not meant to be calm. Maybe it’s meant to be dramatic. But drama doesn’t come from throwing everything at a design. Drama comes from an elaborate pattern being allowed to shine. It comes from a bold colour being the focal point. It comes from an interesting shape drawing your eye. 

It doesn’t come from all of those things happening at the same time.

Amazing Choices, But Too Many Heroes

That’s the major piece of feedback I would have for this team. These guys just need to pull back with all the bells and whistles. Less is so much more. Take a few elements away and it would be a thousand times better.

The floor tiles: divine. But they’re overwhelmed by the emerald wall tile. Speaking of wall tiles: also nice. But the brass is overwhelming them. The timber vanity: gorgeous. But you don’t even appreciate it because the claw feet and wainscoting and pendant are screaming for your attention.

The shower zone here is the most beautiful element. The tiles, the tapware, the towel rail, the styling; I can’t fault it. I would have liked to see that vibe play out in the rest of Tom and Sarah Jane’s ensuite.

Jenny and Dylan Tied for Fourth

A couple of silicon joints and some less-than-perfect grouting landing this room in last place? Please give me a moment while I play some Enya and try to meditate away my inner rage. This, dear friends, is the winning room. I won’t be convinced otherwise, so don’t even try.

There’s something truly magical about this master ensuite. From the colour palette to the material choices, shower placement to styling, it’s working for me like Ben Affleck works for Jennifer Lopez. Let’s not let a few minor issues, that could be corrected later, get us down.

The vanity area, which you can see in detail below, is everything. A perfect blend of modern and sort-of-country influences. It’s charming, it’s sophisticated, but it’s not blingy like Tom and Sarah Jane’s, or over-the-top like Ankur and Sharon’s.

Sure, the styling could be pulled back, but all in all… I want to get wifi connected and install a bar fridge stocked with Savvy B so I never have to leave this space. It’s everything.

The Shower Alone Should Have Secured the Win

I mean, come on. You can’t tell me this shower zone isn’t winning material in and of itself. It has a soothing and calm dayspa vibe that wasn’t really present in any of the other master ensuites. And the symmetry with the window in the middle and tapware either side is just *chefs kiss*.

It photographs beautifully, for sure, but being in there with 15 of your closest friends would also be amazing. OK, more confronting than amazing, but the shower is monstrous!

It’s delivering grandeur and sophistication (the very thing Ankur and Sharon’s was lacking) without even trying. The skylight here actually works in the space, and feels considered rather than forced in.

I’d have installed a whisper/silhouette shade as opposed to a roller blind, but that aside it’s just breathtaking. #JusticeforDylanandJenny

Rachel and Ryan Tied for Fourth

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this ensuite. And it has nothing to do with the contemporary direction Rachel and Ryan and intent on sticking to this season. I’m actually all for that approach, but something feels quite replicated about this design.

Having recapped The Block for years now, this ensuite could easily slip into a past series unnoticed. I think it’s the blue tiles used in the shower; they’re so reminiscent of Mitch and Mark’s steam room or Kirsty and Jesse’s guest bath. Not the same, I know, but it’s taking me there.

It’s a lovely palette, for sure, and the overall vibe feels calm and soothing. But when Shaynna said taking the tile only halfway up the wall would have made a massive difference, I thought yes, that’s it! It’s the dominance of the grey tile that’s not working in this ensuite.

A Number of Successful Elements, No Doubt

The vanity is my favourite part of this master ensuite. The timber is giving me country (albeit a little overdone), the tapware and basins are delicious, and the tiles are a nice pop of colour without taking it as far and as jarring as a splash of Emerald green.

The styling is also quite pretty and how I would advise teams to do it in a space like a bathroom; keep the permanent fixtures timeless and more subtle and ramp up the ‘country’ in things like towels and vanity vignettes.

I also really like the idea of the double shower, but I have to agree that it’s too small. You can clearly see in the image above that there was room to extend it toward the window but they neglected to do this. Nobody wants a small shower in a space this big.

So, not a terrible week for Rachel and Ryan. But there’s room fore improvement. 

What did you make of The Block 2022 master ensuites reveal? Drop me a comment below and let me know if you’d have scored the teams the same way I have.

Images for this post were supplied by The Block Shop. Check out Nine Now for more of The Block 2022 master ensuites reveal.