The Block 2023 Living Dining Room Reveals: Shock Wins, Design Sins and Function Faux Pas

It must be said: The Block 2023 living dining room reveals were a little underwhelming. It’s the one week where I didn’t really feel a connection to any room. Dare I say it, this Sunday reveal was the most disappointing so far.

Because there were no standouts, it was really quite hard to decide who should have come out on top. But after much thought, meditation and a few Bex, I’ve decided on this order, which might surprise you:

1. Kyle & Leslie tie with Steph & Gian for first (hear me out)
2. Eliza & Liberty tie with Kristy & Brett for second (fair)
3. Leah & Ash come last (for reasons obvious to everyone)

Have a read of The Block 2023 living dining room critiques below and let me know who you think should have won.

Leah and Ash Came First

At this point we’re being messed with season after season and yet we keep coming back for more. I think we’re the problem, you guys. The call is coming from inside the house.

Of course, you and I both know that this living dining room is about as successful as Holey Moley Australia. It’s fundamentally flawed for so many reasons and the fact that it won is sending me.

I do want to applaud the attempt to do something bold. I really do. But this sort of design style is a tricky one to get right. And Leah and Ash got so many elements wrong that it feels more criminal than Bill Cosby that these weren’t touched on. So, allow me.

Style and Scale Issues Aplenty

This room reels heavily inspired by Fenton & Fenton. That’s my first issue. Outside of that, we have a dining table that’s too small, a dining room that needs a sideboard in it to ground that questionable artwork, and tiling on steps that are more polarising than pineapple on pizza (and honestly do not work in the room).

In the living room, we have at least three different design styles going on that don’t feel remotely harmonious. Cheap-looking art that’s too small and hung too low. A coffee table that makes no sense in the scheme. A sofa shape that doesn’t suit the room. And a pink wall that even Barbie would say feels a bit extra.

The list of issues here is longer than Oppenheimer. Sorry gang, but I really don’t like it when glaringly obvious design blunders are glossed over in favour of praising a room for having a table lamp in it. I also don’t see a lot of cohesion in the rooms Leah and Ash are producing this year. It feels a bit all over the place.

Eliza and Liberty Came Second

Let’s start with the dining room, which is surprisingly successful and one that actually wowed me when the images hit my inbox. The artwork is the star of the show, there’s no doubt about it. But the dining chairs and table also win for best supporting actors.

Would I have chosen a different pendant light? Yes. Would I have added sheer curtains over the windows? Uh-huh. And would I have included some large plants to break up all those warm tones, sure. But overall this is quite a delicious room.

The scale and proportions here are right. This is what Leah and Ash missed the mark on, amongst other things. Everything fits appropriately and we have one focal point (the artwork) with the other pieces secondary in nature. Tick, tick, tick.

The Living Room Was Less Successful

Just when I thought I had processed last year’s fireplace in the middle of the room trauma with my therapist, it’s back. And so is the metal drinks trolley.

Unfortunately, this is another fireplace that doesn’t look appealing in the middle of the space. It also leaves you with very few options in terms of how you lay furniture out the room. It, like a dermoid cyst on Doctor Pimple Popper, needs to be extracted immediately.

Eliza and Liberty had the advantage of a large living room but diced it up into two smaller zones. The TV should have been installed on the wall where the Brent Rosenberg artwork sits, then the sofa turned in orientation so it doesn’t have its back to the room. Such a missed opportunity in what could have been a winning room.

Kristy and Brett Tied for Third

I’ve been enjoying what Kristy and Brett have been delivering this season, but it pains me to admit that I’m not feeling this living room. It’s quite sterile, a little where is the love? There’s something soulless about it. A bit empty, a bit underdone.

The fireplace jutting out of the room like that feels in the way, like a couple at IKEA arguing over armchairs (always go to IKEA alone, people, so there’s nobody there to tell you no!). I have to agree with Darren that it would make more sense under the TV.

All of the pieces in the room are nice, of course. The sofa and rug and armchairs are all quite beautiful in their own right, they just feel plonked into a space that’s missing layers. And there’s also another critical flaw at play here.

The Room Doesn’t Tell You Its Purpose

A room needs to tell you its intentions. It needs to say to you, “this is what you’ll use me for”. But Kristy and Brett’s living room doesn’t do that. It’s confused, and a buyer is going to feel much the same.

If it’s a formal sitting room, which is how the furniture is oriented, then the TV doesn’t need to be there. If it’s a room for watching TV, then the furniture needs to be oriented toward it. And in that case, the fireplace positioning is even weirder as it would be sitting behind a sofa.

It feels like in trying to please everyone, they’ve in fact pleased no-one. We’re dumb as potential buyers; you need to spell it out for us. The room needs to have one distinct purpose. You can’t be vague. Like one of Kylie’s most underrated early releases, you’ve Got to Be Certain.

Steph and Gian Tied for Third

Steph and Gian have been faves of mine the past few weeks. But like Kristy and Brett, things fell apart during living dining room week. The biggest issue really is a permanent one; the decision to have the half-wall between the dining room where the kitchen was going to go.

I’m all for teams changing the floor plan, so it’s not that. It’s more that when you’re sitting in the living room trying to watch TV, your eye is more over-stimulated than a client at Velvet Hands.

For the size of the living room, the TV is quite small. And there is so much going on around and behind it, that it doesn’t feel relaxing. For a home that’s meant to be calming and Japandi in style, both space feel anything but.

Changes Need to Be Made to Resolve the Rooms

I don’t think they can rip out the wall they’ve installed the TV and fireplace on. So a big declutter is in order to help introduce some serenity.

In the dining room, strip it back. One pendant instead of three, take the black lamps off the wall either side of the window, and remove the armchairs. Everything that’s on top of the wall between the rooms should be removed too.

In the living room, it’s mainly the outdoor chairs that have to go, in favour of some low and comfy swivel chairs. The black coffee table feels a little heavy too.

Kyle and Leslie Came Last

Kyle and Leslie’s living dining room is cute, but small. It’s a teacup piglet when it needs to be a Red Wattle Hog. A baby shetland instead of the full Clydesdale. A shaker salad when you really want the family feast (popcorn chicken, wicked wings and dipping sauces included because you’re worth it and diets can only start on a Monday).

It’s really quite unfortunate, because the small size of these two rooms aside, the vibe is pretty delicious. There’s not a bad product in the bunch. The sofa is beautiful, the rug is gorgeous, the coffee table is a stunner and the $22,000 dining table is a dream I’ll never afford.

The arch between the two zones is also well executed. It further adds to the soft feel, as do the sheer curtains, which make the entire zone feel quite ethereal. There’s really quite a lot to admire here.

I Do Take Issue With The Lighting Plan

Or should I say, the lack of lighting plan. What is going on with the lighting? We have no downlights in favour of surface-mounted cylindrical ones. It makes no sense. Not only do they look odd, but I can’t see how they serve much function where they’ve been installed either.

The living room lighting is especially strange (as you can see above) where we have wall mounted lights facing up, and then surface-mounted ceiling lights pointing down.

The thing is, overall I still feel this is a stronger room visually than many of the others, which is why I place it equal first. Re-do room week should see them make it larger, but nothing apart from that and the lighting needs to be addressed.

What did you make of The Block 2023 living dining room reveal? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts.

Images by David Cook Photography, courtesy of The Block Shop. For more info on The Block 2023 living dining room reveal, check out NineNow.