The Block 2021 Hallway and Laundry

This is the first time during The Block 2021, that I have agreed with the judges in terms of placement – all the contestants were where they were meant to be this week.  Kirsty and Jesse's hallway, laundry and bathroom reveal was pretty much perfect.  With a score of 29.5 out of 30, the judges clearly thought so too.  Everything about their rooms this week was elegant and refined.

Ronnie and Georgia, with their trademark understated neutral sophistication, were certainly worthy of second place, just a tad behind the winners.  Following on from the richness of Kirsty and Jesse's reveal though, you begin to wonder whether their simplicity is maybe a touch boring.  They did ramp it up this week with some lovely artworks and I still love what they do, perhaps it was just the vastness of the hallway, but it lacked something.

Mark and Mitch sat well in third place.  There was nothing stunning about the hallway but the laundry leading off from their pantry, was elegant and nicely styled and finished.

I didn't know what to make of Tanya and Vito's reveal and Josh and Luke didn't finish their rooms, so I think that fourth and last place was the right order here.

The Block 2021 Hallway and Laundry reveal

Some of the contestants also included powder rooms, while Kirsty and Jesse managed to reveal a gorgeous bathroom too.  They have certainly been very busy.  I have all the rooms to show you here, together with my comments about each.  I would love to hear your feedback in the comments section below.

First Place:  Kirsty and Jesse  ||  Score 29.5 / 30  ||  Spent: $44,428

My thoughts on Kirsty and Jesse's hallway, bathroom and laundry

• If you have read my feedback on Kirsty and Jesse's kitchen, you will know that I was in raptures about every aspect of it.  I loved the colour, the brass inserts, the gorgeous Momo cabinet handles, the gingham wallpaper and the simple benchtop and splashback.  So it comes as no surprise that I love this laundry too.
• The room is well designed with plenty of tall storage, bench space and good lighting.  It has personality too.  Clients often say they don't care about the laundry, but I don't see any reason not to make it appealing and this one certainly is.
• The hallway has also been very well executed.  A long hallway is always a challenge – what do you do with such a large expanse of wall?  Gallery walls are perfect in this instance as you can meander past them, but you need a lot of artwork and photographs for a hall this length.  Decorating in a contemporary Hamptons style saved Kirsty and Jesse here as the wainscoting in the hallway broke up the length and plain wall space perfectly.  If there is ever an argument in favour of wall panelling, this is it.
• The artworks they chose were lovely and suited the style of the home.  Pretty and refreshing.
• Breaking up the hallway with a mud room nook is an inspired idea too.
• As much as I love the blue kitchen and laundry – I love a house with a theme – it was good to see that the blue didn't continue into the bathroom.  Entering here and seeing soft warm tones and grey basins was a nice antidote.  Opting for VJ panelling here instead of tiles saved them money and kept the look light and fresh.  Kirsty and Jesse's style has always bordered on the Hamptons / Coastal look, which I know will have wide appeal come auction day.

Related: How to put a gallery wall together

Second Place:  Ronnie & Georgia  ||  Score: 29 / 30  ||  Spent: $37,418

My thoughts on Ronnie and Georgia's hallway and laundry

Ronnie and Georgia have delivered another successful room reveal this week.  Their understated, elegant style has served them well again.  The rooms don't have the wow factor for me that Kirsty and Jesse's did, but then I do like some colour so I think this is just a personal reflection.

A long hallway painted in white is difficult to furnish so the introduction of some colourful artworks is a good inclusion.  I love the steel door from the living room as this brings some nice contrast and definition to the hallway.

The main hallway also benefits from the black door too.  I love the glass ceiling and the artworks here too.  The herringbone flooring is very nice with a beautiful textured runner.

I feel that the console table could have been larger and more prominent to take up more of the wall space with a different mirror, but these are minor points.

The laundry, a smaller version of their lovely kitchen, was well laid out and finished.  So really very little to fault in this reveal – I suspect this house will be very popular when it comes to Auction day.

Third Place:  Mark and Mitch  ||  Score:  26.5 / 30  ||  Spent: $25,092

My thoughts on Mark and Mitch's hallway and laundry

• Hallway and laundry week was much more successful for Mark and Mitch than the living and dining reveal.  In particular, I really liked their laundry with the side by side washing machine and dryer placed at an elevated level.  This is very good design.  The finishes of the joinery and benchtop were good, as they were for their kitchen too.   The laundry followed through well into their good sized pantry.
• I did feel that the benchtop space could have been a little larger so that washing could be sorted, but generally I thought this was a good laundry space.
• One small point about their hallway runner – it was too long.  As you have a border along the long edge, you also need this at either end of the runner so that it doesn't go straight to the wall.
• With mudroom storage leading directly to the garage, this is a good use of space.

Fourth Place:  Tanya and Vito  ||  Score:  25 / 30  ||  Spent:  $34,138

My thoughts on Tanya and Vito's hallway, powder room and laundry

• I run hot and cold on Tanya and Vito's room reveals and I have to say this was not one of my favourites.  Remember, I stood up for them with their orange/brown tiles?  And I always applaud the use of colour, but I wasn't in love this time.
• The laundry is fine.  Let's face it, if you don't like pink cabinetry, this house is not going to be at the top of your list, so using it here brings continuity.  Partnered with some white cabinetry, the look is pretty and the layout is good.  I do love their Terrazzo floor choice that has been used in their other wet areas.
• I think the area that I couldn't come to terms with is the home office nook.  It was messy and completely impractical.  The shelving wasn't attractive and would only ever hold an ornament or two.  The rug came from their children's room fit out and will be useless here – the chair will catch it every time you move.  The three little artworks are like something from a teenagers room.  I'm sorry, but it wouldn't matter what else they did, this area looks ridiculous.
• I couldn't see past the mirror in the powder room.  Again, a teenage girl would love it, but this house, in the area that it is, will sell at a huge premium and this is not a grown up house.

Last Place:  Josh and Luke  ||  Score: 18.5 / 30  ||  Spent:  $29,504

My thoughts on Josh and Luke's hallway, powder room and laundry

• This house has gone from a gorgeous lux look to one that is getting a bit dark and gloomy.  I loved Josh and Luke's first guest bedroom and their master suite with fabulous walk in robe and stunning ensuite.  I even gave them some latitude with an outdoor bath in Melbourne.  I loved what they were trying to achieve.
• I wasn't a great fan of their kitchen though and the laundry is just so cold and gloomy, it would be awful to work in.
• They were the only contestants though to design a laundry with some decent bench space.  You really could sort a family's laundry here, which is something that would be a big challenge in the other laundries this week.  They deserve extra points for that.  With heaps of storage, open hanging space and side by side washing machine and dryer, this is certainly the best laid out laundry this week.
• I do like black cabinetry but I do think that laundries need to be a bit lighter and brighter.  Perhaps the black could have been used as an accent in here to link it to the theme of their kitchen.  A word of caution too with black cabinets, they mark very easily.  They are difficult to clean and show fingerprints, almost by looking at them.  It is imperative that if you are considering black cabinets, that you use a product that is fingerprint proof, or at the very least, you use handles.
• I have to ask why these guys installed a black toilet suite, tapware and mirror in their powder room?  Their other two bathrooms have white toilet suites with gorgeous tapware and mirrors.  In fact, I have to say, I really like both of their bathrooms until now.  They have become obsessed with black.  I have to say at this point that I love black.  I also like black tapware, but not in this setting.  Do you see what I mean about the house starting off in a fabulous lux style and becoming more gloomy?  And surely the powder blue basin is a complete aberration? They should have kept with their winning formula from their master ensuite.  There really is no need to keep reinventing the wheel.

You can compare this year's rooms with the contestants from last year here.

Related: How to use black for kitchen cabinets

My favourite pieces from the show this week

Two of my favourite pieces this week were the gorgeous artwork above in Ronnie and Georgia's hallway and I loved the textured runner.

The magnolias from Kirsty and Jesse's hallway were also lovely.

More information about the show and the contestants can be found at Nine Now.  Many of the gorgeous pieces shown here can be sourced through The Block Shop.

Photography by David Cook Photography

I would love to hear your comments in the space below.  Which room was your favourite this week?

Related: 10 things to include in a laundry room and 7 tips for the perfect welcoming hallway

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