The Block 2023 Work From Home Room Reveal Recap: Case of the Missing Workspaces

The Block 2023 work from home room reveals just happened. And the question must be asked: have the teams worked from home before? We barely had desks you could work at and so much space dedicated to sofas.

Maybe I need to, as Pettifleur from The Real Housewives of Melbourne would say, ‘switch the bitch’ and not be so harsh on the teams. From what I hear it was a rough weather week on-site. The work from home spaces were really underwhelming though. And the scores were nuttier than Kanye West.

This is how I would have ranked the teams this week:

Have a read of the full Block 2023 work from home room reveal critique below and let me know what you thought at the end of the post.

Steph and Gian Came First

You know I always keep it 100 with you guys, and so I must declare: this work from home space is not successful. It doesn’t feel like they thought about the potential buyer and how people actually work from home.

If I’m working from home I don’t want to be shoved into a corner, at a narrow desk with no cable hole or powerpoint up top, sitting on an uncomfortable chair wondering why so much of my area is dominated by a TV cabinet. Why is so much space dedicated to the TV?

The room is a large one that would have accommodated two sizeable desks with plenty of storage space. And drawers! Why don’t I have a drawer? I’m dropping millions on a home and I don’t even have somewhere to put my pen. Won’t somebody please think of the pens?

The Sofa Zone Is Also Undercooked

The room feels quite bare overall. They should have mounted the TV on the wall where the pinboards were and then placed some artwork on the wall behind the sofa.

When we design offices for clients we always take into consideration what will be behind them when they’re on a zoom call. Here, it’s just a black wall with a sofa in front of it and a twig-in-vase arrangement that could take an eye out.

I agree a sofa bed in here would have been better. We’ve showcased divine designer sofa beds on the blog before that’d work quite well here. The ceiling beams I’m fine with. I don’t know why there’s so much talk about beams.

Kyle and Leslie Came Second

The judges said that this work from home space is selling the dream. But for me there’s not enough going on in the space for a dream to form. Two armchairs, and ottoman, and some shelving pushed up against the wall is not delivering on the dream-front for me.

I’m always thinking about a potential buyer when I judge these spaces. And I’m all for mass appeal. But for me (and it was the same in their studio last week), the aesthetic is so white and pared back that its as if no design has even taken place.

The Block 2023 is fast becoming the year where each room is so empty you can use it for whatever purpose you like. It’s one of those ‘Choose your own adventure’ books I read as a kid. And the ending I’m choosing is the one where this work from home space actually resembles a work from home space.

You Wouldn’t Work from this Room

The desk in this zone is not something you’d want to sit at and work all day from. And considering their studio last week had a bed zone and a pilates studio in it, this is the only room you have to work from. Sadly, it’s grossly undercooked.

Why 20 percent of the room has been given to a desk while the other 80 is dedicated to watching TV is baffling. This is such a wonderful, light-filled room, and would be a gorgeous zone to work from. They just needed to have a desk in the middle of it with some custom joinery shelving behind.

PS sitting on that desk chair (as nice as it is) for anything more than a few hours would have my thighs more scored than a Christmas ham.

Kristy and Brett Came Third – And Were Robbed!

I’m going to come right out and say it: Kristy and Brett should have come first. There are a tonne of reasons for this, and they didn’t deserve the harsh criticisms.

Firstly, we have designed offices for clients who work from home and who have their own clients visit them at home for appointments. Our clients have requested two chairs in front of their desk the way Kristy and Brett have staged it. It’s not as bonkers as you might think.

To have the study at the front of the property, so clients aren’t walking through your home, is another bonus for whoever purchases this place. And if I was working from home, I can tell you that overlooking a pool would be dreamier than a Chris Hemsworth workout DVD.

It’s Not Perfect Visually, But It Addresses Function

This work from home space does have a calming feel about it. It’s contemporary, it’s clean, it’s going to appeal to a lot of people. There are way too many panels applied to the walls, but I can put that aside because the design really addresses function in a way the others rooms don’t.

There’s a sizeable desk with a powerpoint in the floor beneath it. Shelving galore. A huge storage cupboard to the side. Comfortable seating. And an artwork behind the desk so when you’re on a Zoom there’s something appealing in the background.

Can someone please explain to me why Kristy and Brett came third? Make it make sense!

Eliza and Liberty Tied for Last Place

A work from home space this is not. Unless you’re filming content for your OnlyFans account, in which case I feel a tripod with a ring light attached was missing from beside the bed.

Eliza and Liberty chose to make this space a guest bedroom, so they could market the home as a five bedder. That is nice in theory, but the workspace they presented in their studio last week does not function as an actual space you could do work from long-term.

So we have an issue here, in that the buyer of this home needs to design and build their own home office. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if I’m dropping millions on a property I want all the inclusions. I don’t drop that much cash to sit and work at a desk beside a microwave. But onto the design…

There’s Not a Lot to Love In This Room

I have to say it; the colour palette here is dated. It’s more dated than Leonardo DiCaprio is by women under 25. Joking aside, the taste level isn’t elevated enough for the amount of money they’re expecting people to pay for this home.

There’s no sense of calm or serenity here. There’s no sense of harmony. The wall the feature bed is on feels quite dominant with the dark blue wallpaper and artwork on top. The art needed to be two square pieces in a set, with white tones in it to lessen the intensity of the deep blue.

To then pair that dark blue with round marble & brass side tables acting as bedsides, and to deck the bed out with an apricot quilt cover, illustrates my point further; it lacks a professional touch. I understand these two are rookies, but sadly it shows.

Leah and Ask Tied for Last

Even though I personally don’t love the colour palette for a modern Melbourne home, I can put that aside to address the room regardless. Because I’m all for people wanting to lean into a moody or bold direction. But it has to be executed successfully.

I must say it feels quite cold. The stone, which is lovely, is doing some of the work to cool the room down. But then the paint colour on all walls is really kicking the frost into overdrive.

A similar colour on the walls, but in a cloth wallpaper with some texture to it could have been a chef’s kiss moment. It would have warmed the space up. As it stands it doesn’t feel at all inviting, it doesn’t draw you in. The brass accents only make it feel more sterile.

There Are Some Great Products in Here

It’s not all doom and gloom in this work from home room. At least it committed to being an office which I have to commend them for. There are some great products here too, that give you insight into where they design could have been taken.

The rug is beautiful, the swivel armchairs are divine, and the desk is a stunner. The section that sits in the middle of the room looks quite nice (even if you can’t plug your computer in easily). It’s the shell around it that’s letting the room down.

Am I right in saying there’s a section of room behind the curtain but in front of the window with nothing in it? You can see it ever so slightly in the image above. Let me know what’s going on there as it seems quite odd.

What did you make of The Block 2023 work from home room reveals? Drop me a comment below and share your thoughts.

Images by David Cook Photography, courtesy of The Block Shop. For more info on The Block 2023 work from home reveals check out NineNow.