The Block 2023 Redo Rooms & Upstairs Bathrooms Reveal: Did Things Get Better?

The Block 2023 redo rooms reveal was an interesting one. Did the teams redo the spaces I thought they would, or thought they should have? Not entirely. When it came to some of the spaces, as the wise poet Kylie Minogue once said, I Wouldn’t Change a Thing.

And then of course there were the upstairs bathrooms, which were a combo of divine and dire. And in a mind-boggling twist, some of the dire spaces came out on top. The scoreboard clearly should have gone a little something like this if you ask me (which I know you are):

1. Steph and Gian for First
2. Kyle and Leslie for Second (we must right this wrong!)
3. Eliza and Liberty tie with Leah and Ash for Third
4. Kristy and Brett for Last

Scroll on as we examine The Block 2023 redo rooms and upstairs bathrooms, and let me know in the comments at the end of the post how you would have scored the teams after this reveal.

Eliza and Liberty Came First

Eliza and Liberty chose to redo their studio, which certainly needed a revamp, but we all remember the master bedroom in this home, right? I would have focussed my attention there (or on the bathroom with the Ron Moss wall), but let’s judge what we have in front of us.

The new incarnation is of course better than the original. But it’s not mind-blowing. They were right to pare it back and make it more mass-appeal, but this is a studio beside a pool, so the sofa with its back to the doors outside seems an odd choice. You want to be facing the action.

They’ve packed in a lot of functions into one room. The home office should be elsewhere. This is clearly a cabana you party in, not work in. And as such, those white sheer curtains are going to be messier than a Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan joint birthday party in no time.

The naked floor is a design crime I need some arrest warrants issued for too. Rug it up ladies! All in all a nice makeover but not deserving of first place I’m afraid.

The Bathroom Was Not Giving Me Life

I feel less enthusiastic about this upstairs bathroom than the TV judges. The biggest issue, as I keep saying, is lack of cohesion. If you placed photos of all of their spaces side by side they’d look as connected as Will Smith and Jada Pinkett soon-to-be-not-a-Smith.

As for the room itself, the layout is successful but I’m not feeling many of the material choices. The glossy wall tiles are a Wentworth-teal that have me fearful Boomer is going to attack me in the shower. It’s not a bad product, it’s just competing with the floor. There are two heroes and we only need one.

I would not have guessed this was their bathroom either. It feels more at home in Leah and Ash’s house. Eliza and Liberty now have bright orange, royal blue, brass, teal, green and black as accent colours in their property. There are probably more. It’s very random.

Leah and Ash Came Second

I feel a little gutted Leah and Ash chose this as their redo room. It was an office space that worked rather well. I take the judges point about the extra bedroom bringing in extra money on auction day, but why did they have to lose the moodiness that was in the space?

The beauty of the fireplace surround is completely lost now. Against the deep teal wall it really commanded attention. Now it’s just a pretty white thing against a boring white thing. It’s the design version of any Bachelor couple. I wish they’d have kept the darker wall and styled around it.

What is there now, feels a little thrown together. I reckon a real estate agent would come through and undress a lot of this room. It’s busy with a lot of visual noise going on. I want to put on an Enya track and calm the whole space down.

I’m sad, you guys, I’m sad. Just like with the reboot of The Real Housewives of New York, I want the old version back.

The Upstairs Bathroom Was Much Better

Leah and Ash’s upstairs bathroom was pretty delicious, and way better than any of the other bathrooms they’ve delivered this season. That’s not saying a lot considering the studio one looked like a toilet under a train station, but we must give credit where credit is due.

I’ll go so far as to say that this is the best room they’ve delivered on The Block 2023, and there’s not a lot I can get down on it about. Except for the basins, which don’t come out far enough from the wall. Gorgeous look, but I’m not sure about the practicality.

I also have to ask, are we doing ramekin bathtubs now? Is this a thing? Sure, I’ve joked about wanting to dive into a creme brûlée and swim around in its creamy goodness, but this really is taking the concept a step too far.

Those two things aside, I did love everything else.

Steph and Gian Came Third

I know, I know; we don’t love mirrors against windows. I heard your feedback on this loud and clear. And I do agree. But I still don’t think this room needed reworking. It was fine as it was. But, we have to admit the new version is truly remarkable. So it went from good to great.

I do have questions around using those mirrors across from a window. Surely that’s not a joyful experience when you’re doing your makeup. You’ll notice during the reveal and in the photos above that the Roman blinds are half-down. Cheeky move there, Steph and Gian. Show us what full-blown daylight looks like!

My only negative critique here is the runner they placed in front of the vanity. It’s a bit too rough for the vibe they’ve created. Everything is quite soft and calm and then there’s an abrasive rug thrown down. But in the scheme of things, they should have won.

The Upstairs Bathroom Was Beyond Beautiful

Steph and Gian’s redo bathroom went from good to great. And in their upstairs bathroom – nestled between the two kids rooms – it’s beyond great. It’s everything. It’s the sun, the moon, and the stars. To quote another great poet, Belinda Carlisle, Heaven is a place on Earth.

I’d say I have ‘no notes’, to drop a term I hear the kids say sometimes (but one that’s probably already daggy and outdated by the end of this sentence). But I do indeed have some notes. Just a few small tweaks please.

As with the other bathroom, the runner needs to go. I don’t want this coarse material in my bathroom. The same goes for the wall art, which I can only imagine is titled Fire Waiting to Happen. Light one candle in this space and bath time will be accompanied by a visit from emergency services.

Steph and Gian were robbed of a win though. Nobody will change my mind on this.

Kyle and Leslie Came Fourth

To ask a question pondered by yet another classic poet, YD, in his song featuring Drake, Why You Always Hatin’? Truly, why are Kyle and Leslie always marked so harshly? Outside of Steph and Gian they have the most cohesive, sellable house of the five. This week, they rocked it.

Their redo room was the living and dining, which we all knew needed work. It was just too small to begin with. Now, it’s the sort of room you’d walk into, kiss the real estate agent and then firmly slap him across the face for not showing it to you sooner. Then the direct deposit is sorted and you ask when settlement is.

Truly, I can’t fault this space. It was beautiful to begin with and it’s even better now that the footprint has increased. I really think they deserved second place this week, and only by a hair. Don’t worry, Kyle and Leslie, something tells me you’ll clean up on auction day.

The Bathroom Was Successful Too

I said it before and I’ll say it again, toilets aren’t hideous things that should be buried under three trap doors, in a dark cave where Sloth from Goonies sleeps. The focus on toilets being such eyesores baffles me. And it baffled me here. So you open the door and see the loo. OK!?

Outside of the basin sitting oddly to the left in the vanity, this bathroom from Kyle and Leslie was a stunner. Cohesive with the other rooms in the home? Yes. A feature tile allowed to stand alone as the hero in the room? Yes. All boxes ticked functionally? Yes. So what’s the beef?

This and the redo room should have placed them way higher in the scoring this week. I’m keen to know if you think these guys were getting a raw deal with the scoring.

Kristy and Brett Came Last

I thought the original bathroom from Kristy and Brett was pretty divine. It wasn’t without some fault, but it’s not the zone I would have chosen to redo. I thought their living room was pretty stock standard and needed more pizazz. But this bathroom was fine.

They clearly didn’t get to finish it, so it’s hard to imagine what the overall end result was going to be, but suffice to say they focussed on the wrong room to change. There was a prettiness about it before. And now it just feels kind of ordinary.

I suppose if we’re sticking to my rules of cohesion, at least now with the black hardware it sits more seamlessly alongside the other bathrooms in their property, even if it’s a bit boring.

The Final Bathroom Was Pretty Good

Kristy and Brett delivered a good upstairs bathroom this week. I was concerned about lack of baths in some of their other spaces, but they included one here so my fears were unwarranted. I do have a small concern with it though.

Their other bathrooms felt warmer than this one, more organic. The choice to do a black vanity and grey tiles in this space is throwing me a little. I don’t think ‘dark and moody’ when I think of Kristy and Brett’s property. Their arguments, sure; they’re definitely dark and moody. But the aesthetic, no.

So that would be the downside for me with this space. Lovely and all, just a little bit removed stylistically from the rest of the home. Last place was warranted this week.

What did you make of The Block 2023 redo rooms and upstairs bathrooms reveal? Drop me a comment below and share your thoughts on how you’d score each room.

Images by David Cook Photography, courtesy of The Block Shop. For more info on The Block 2023 redo rooms and upstairs bathrooms reveal, check out NineNow.