The Block 2024 Main Bathroom Reveals Recap: Chris’ Honest Critiques Return

The Block 2024 main bathroom reveals mark the return of the series and the show’s 20th season! And, of course, the return of my Honest Block Recaps. Have you missed me?

Now, you know the drill: every Sunday night after the reveal airs, you can hit the TLC Interiors blog to get my judging of each room; a critique from an interior designer who works with real clients on-the-daily here in Melbourne.

This week’s drinking game, if you wanted to get blackout drunk, was to take a shot every time you heard the word ‘Instagrammable’. Emergency rooms across the country, prepare the stomach pumps!

Enjoy the read, and as I say every year, don’t let this be a one-way street! Sound off in the comments below, or on socials, to let me know if you agree with my opinions on The Block 2024 main bathroom reveals. I love the chat.

Kristian and Mimi Came First

The Block 2024’s biggest bathroom of the lot delivered some positives on the product front. But as tends to happen sometimes, not all of the ingredients came together successfully.

One of the big issues with Kristian and Mimi’s main bathroom was the layout. In a bathroom of this size, it seems more criminal than Donald Trump not to have a double shower with waterfall heads, positioned along the back wall and with a much larger niche. 

From a usability perspective, I can’t help but call out the towel rails, which aren’t within easy reach of the shower. There’s ample room on the back wall for these, so that feels like a missed opportunity. As does the vanity not having drawers.

There Were Some Unsuccessful Choices Made

The grey tile, while gorgeous in its own right, feels overused and heavy. This is a bathroom with a tiny window and minimal light; the material choices need to do the same thing I request of my dermatologist every three to six months; lighten and lift. The opposite has occurred.

The blue tiles are lovely, the tapware is solid, and I do enjoy the curved floating vanity. All is not lost here. Those elements feel quite calm and inviting; reflective of an island environment. But the other elements, like any spray tan in the early 2000’s, were too heavily applied.

The artwork isn’t needed, the plants aren’t either, the paneling on the ceiling is overkill, and the ball lights around the mirrors feels a few too many. This bathroom was a good start, but it would benefit greatly from being pared-back a touch. I’d award them second place.

Courtney and Grant Came Second

Courtney and Grant’s main bathroom deserved first place and I won’t hear otherwise. It’s (almost) everything you would want and expect in a bathroom in a home of this location. Calm, inviting, harmonious, and with functionality to boot. I’ve not seen a total package this impressive since images of French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati hit my newsfeed. 

There’s a tactile quality to the finishes, the tiles especially. And an earthiness as well. The application of the tile is genius, actually, especially the way they move around the curved wall. It, and the stone on top of the vanity, are two of my favourite moments this week. 

I can’t fault the zoning in this bathroom, though I do take issue with the niche above the bath. The placement is too high to reach anything when you’re in the tub, so that should have been moved down a few inches (there’s another Anthony Ammirati joke in there somewhere but I’m leaving it alone).

Did This Bathroom Need Drama? It’s a No From Me

There was much debate from the judges around a lack of drama in this space, but I don’t feel a bathroom needs drama. Save that for a main bedroom or powder room. I want my bathroom calm, functional, and with a sense of exhale. This has that in spades.

In terms of improvements, I would have liked to have squeezed in a second basin, as well as a larger horizontal mirror that spanned the width of the vanity, to open up the space some more. And above the toilet, a small artwork by a local artist would be a cute touch. 

The repetition of the round vanity handles with the round lights feels a bit much, too. I’d have opted for a different light around the vanity, because the quirk of those handles (even though I don’t personally love them) is appreciated. That’s enough drama for me. This is Australia, after all; we’re a risk-averse crew! 

What a great start to The Block 2024 for Courtney and Grant.

Ricky and Haydn Came Third

In Ricky and Haydn’s bathroom, it was a case of too many things happening at once. The feature tiles, which are impressive, are a moment on their own. To then introduce VJ paneling in the space was a mistake greater than breakdancing being included as an Olympic sport.

Add to that the choice of paint colour on the paneling, as well as on the door, and you have a bathroom that feels rather amateur in its approach. It’s lacking sophistication, polish or refinement. All of the elements are competing for your attention, instead of evoking calm.

The niches jutting out from the corners of the room are a choice I can’t get on-board with. And don’t think I haven’t clocked the black shower hardware with chrome showcased everywhere else in the space. Like Katy Perry choosing to work with Dr. Luke, that’s a bad decision no matter which way you look at it.

The Style Was Lacking, But the Layout Was Good

It was a swing and a miss on the style front, though I can’t really fault the layout. For a small space, Ricky and Haydn did well to squeeze all of the components in. 

I can’t help but notice that the bath feels a bit tight in the corner though, leaving little room for you to lay back and rest your head while you’re in the tub. They’d have been wise to borrow some space from the neighbouring shower to make the bath feel less cramped.

The toilet behind the door was a good idea too, however it does irk me that it’s not centered between the wall and the shower. My OCD eye is twitching a little in that respect.

I do enjoy the timber stool beside the bath. It adds some warmth to the zone. Here’s our roundup of stools for bedside the bath if you need one for your space. Loving that vibe.

Kylie and Brad Came Fourth

The Block usually deems me in need of a Bex and a good lie down a number of weeks into the series. But we’re only in week one and I already feel the urge to be horizontal with someone stroking my forehead, assuring me it’s all going to be OK.

This bathroom is disastrous. There’s simply no other way to say it. It doesn’t feel appropriate for the market, it’s not nice to look at, and it doesn’t feel like a style you can or should execute across the home. And don’t get me wrong, I love a black wall, but not in here and not like this.

Worst of all, it’s dated. Really dated. More dated women under 25 are by Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp. Between the white tile choice and layout, industrial pendant lights and neon decor, there’s nothing current about it. I can’t even bring myself to discuss the stuck-on timber panels above the vanity. 

The Layout Was Also Baffling

So much room and yet so little was done with it. Why do we not have double basins in the vanity? Why is the mirror so small? If the bath wasn’t going to fit, was there not a smaller option available? 

There’s absolutely room in here to fit a bath if they changed the layout. I’m assuming this happened too late in the week and they had no choice but to abandon the bath altogether. But what they’ve ended up with is a re-do room on week one.

I do have to say, the art is actually nice. We can’t throw the artwork under the bus because it was used in the wrong context. That and the towels are probably the only nice things in this space. 

Jesse and Paige Came Last

A feature tile is no longer a feature tile if it’s used almost everywhere. That’s the big lesson from Jesse and Paige’s main bathroom reveal this week. Stunning product, but used way too much. It’s like the cast of FBoy Island; I’d like to see less of them in general. 

Those feature tiles paired with the brushed chrome hardware is a beautiful marriage. They work rather well together. It makes for a calming combination. It just came down to the quantity of the tile being overkill. Less would have been so much more.

I do take issue with the profile of the tapware. I’d prefer if it was cleaner and more contemporary. The traditional look of it feels out of place in this otherwise modern bathroom. See how there’s a traditional profile in the basin, but they stopped shy of doing it with the bath? It doesn’t quite work. 

The Bath Needs to Be Released

The bath is in a hostage situation. It’s wedged into the corner just begging to be free. Someone get Britney’s lawyer on the phone; it does not deserve to be in this hold.

There’s no room at either end of the bath to rest your head, so that removes the element of relaxation and luxury for me. Space is always a luxury item, but in that corner, things are so tight. It feels like a compromise. And what’s with the wacky placement of the tapware? It’s to the left, to the left.

I still can’t put Jesse and Paige’s main bathroom in last place though. We all know which space deserves that honour. 

What did you make of The Block 2024 main bathroom reveals? Drop me a comment below and share your thoughts. And see you next week for the guest bedroom reveals!

Images by David Cook Photography, courtesy of The Block Shop. For more info on The Block 2024 main bathroom reveals, check out NineNow.