We've finished the second week of The Block 2021 and it's been interesting to see the development of the house schemes with the Guest Ensuite reveal. There is certainly a theme developing. Ronnie & Georgia are continuing with their very tasteful scheme of warm neutrals, demonstrating that simplicity and a pared back approach is a consistent favourite with the judges. With first place last week and second place this week, their plan of keeping it simple but elegant is clearly working.
Mark & Mitch have jumped from last place to first place, still sticking with their pink theme – will this go throughout the house? All the Block 2021 guest ensuite reveals are below with my thoughts on each room and as usual, I would love to hear your comments below.
First place: Mark & Mitch || Score 28/30 || Spent: $20,833
My thoughts about Mark & Mitch's guest ensuite
- As we know there are very few new trends, just recycled ones with a twist and this colour palette of pink, grey and white took me straight back to the 1980s. This is not a colour scheme that I am drawn to and certainly not one that I would use in a bathroom, but I have to admit that the look is clean and fresh and it did make me smile.
- I absolutely love the vanity unit. The playfulness of the design works beautifully with the pattern of the tiles and the aged brass tapware and accessories complement it well.
- I am a succour for matt finishes – I always have been and I love to see this in basins and baths. Used in this bathroom, it tones down the glitzy effect and brings some understated elegance to the room.
- The placement of the toilet suite is excellent. This should always be out of the way if possible, and tucked behind the central door, is perfect planning.
- Spending just $20,833, this is a great result for this investment.
Second place: Ronnie & Georgia || Score 26.5 / 30 || Spent: $24,500
My thoughts about Ronnie & Georgia's guest ensuite
- Simple and elegant are the best words to sum up this guest ensuite. If you are renovating a house to sell, then this is the look you should opt for as it would have wide appeal.
- I am a big fan of Kit Kat tiles as I love their texture and the slightly darker grout used between the white tiles. It's this texture that prevents the look from being too simple.
- The addition of the marble effect slab behind the bath is inspired. Without this, even with the texture of the tiles and the warmth of the timber, the room would have been too plain. It also introduces a handy shelf next to the bath.
- The brass fittings also introduce some warmth and partnered with the guest bedroom and it's lovely warm neutrals, this is a great bathroom for a reasonable investment of $24,500.
Third Place: Tanya & Vito || Score: 24.5 / 30 || Spent: $35,237
My thoughts on Tanya & Vito's guest ensuite
- Wow! I thought that perhaps I had been transported to Morocco. I have to say that I know this will not be everyone's choice, in fact I think it will be quite polarising, but I love it!
- Handmade Moroccan Zellige tiles have been all the rage since 2019 and are fast becoming a big trend. They actually date back to 10th Century Morocco, made from clay in a very laborious manner, this is in fact a dying art and these tiles are highly prized and very expensive. Of course, with anything, you can get handmade look square tiles, but the true Moroccan Zellige tiles are an art in themselves.
- I love this gorgeous blend of terracotta, dusty pinks and pale purples and I like the way that this has been used on just a couple of walls. Again, this is my adage of less is more.
- The Terrazzo floor complements it nicely. All of these finishes don't come cheap though with a price tag of $35,237. This didn't even include a toilet suite, which I think was a mistake. If they could have designed the layout to include this, then I think this should have achieved first place in the Block 2021 guest ensuite reveal.
Related: My Guide to Moroccan Style
Fourth place: Kirsty & Jesse || Score 24/30 || Spent: $19,022
My thoughts on Kirsty & Jesse's guest ensuite
- The layout of Kirsty & Jesse's guest bedroom and their inclusion of a walk in wardrobe, left them with a much smaller space for their guest ensuite. It is a perfectly acceptable size though and they were able to deliver a room that is neat, compact and well appointed.
- The room ticks all the boxes but it just didn't inspire me greatly. I'm not a lover of lots of blue in a bathroom as I think it can be too cold and the design of the tiles left me feeling a bit flat.
- On the upside, I really like their vanity unit. Why haven't we been designing vanity units for years with these gorgeous rounded edges? They look great and there are no harsh edges to catch yourself on. I like the V groove panelling and although not a fan of blue bathrooms, the basin works well. I do like to partner cool metal tones with pale blues and feel that good quality nickel tapware and accessories would have suited the colour scheme better.
- With a spend though of just $19,022 this really is a good quality guest ensuite with heaps of lovely natural light.
Last Place: Josh & Luke || Score 20.5 / 30 || Spent: $25,356
My thoughts on Josh & Luke's Guest Ensuite
- This guest ensuite didn't appeal to the judges and they found certain aspects fairly polarising, but I thought they were a little harshly judged.
- The room is large enough to cope with these dark colour choices and the feel is one of luxury and opulence to suit the tone of their guest bedroom delivered last week.
- I like a bathroom to feel like a room and therefore really like the addition of the floor rug and artwork and the finish of the tapware suits the colour scheme perfectly.
- I'm not a big fan of dark colours in a bathroom but the addition of the large timber vanity warms up the space well and the fresh white walls and plantation shutter prevent the room from being overly oppressive.
- Josh and Luke spent $25,356, which is pretty good for a room of this size.
My favourite pieces from the show this week are:
More information about The Block 2021 can be found on the Channel Nine site. Do you love what you see here? Many of the accessories can be purchased through The Block Shop.
Photography by David Cook Photography.
You can see the guest bedroom reveals from last week here.
The guest ensuite reveals from The Block 2020 can be viewed here too.
If you are building or renovating or even just undertaking a weekend decorating project, you should check out my Free Resource Library where I have comprehensive checklists and e-books which are all FREE to download.
