Known as Hell week on The Block, the completion of the hallway, stairs, laundry and WC is an overwhelming week for the contestants. Linking the original section of the house to the more contemporary space at the rear is a design challenge which this week saw Jimmy and Tam take out first place, but only as they played their Gnome. Luke and Jasmin delivered the standout best reveal, in my opinion, but I am fans of Jimmy and Tam for their courage in following the original brief so I was not unhappy to see them the victors.
See all the images below of The Block hallway, stairs, laundry and WC together with the judges' feedback and my own comments. Browse through and see who you think should have won.
The Block Hallway, Stairs, Laundry & WC
Jimmy and Tam | Hell Week – Hallway, Stairs, Laundry & WC 28 +1 29/30
The judges' views
The married Queenslanders have some stunning individual pieces in their 1950s home on The Block, no more so than the incredible vintage chandelier now on display in their foyer. It was the centrepiece of another very successful week for Jimmy and Tam with the judges. They loved the terrazzo flooring as you enter House No.5, and the paneled door into the laundry. The colour scheme got another tick from Shaynna, with the same mint green used as their much-loved kitchen. Add in the MyPlace home automation system, and it was practically a perfect week for Jimmy and Tam. They are besties with Luke and Jasmin in House No.4, but that didn’t stop them from using the gnome and taking out the win.
My views
I have always liked the way that Jimmy and Tam have endeavoured each week to meet the brief of decorating their home with a Retro 1950s vibe. Sometimes it has been hit and miss but what I have enjoyed seeing is their development each week to reveal spaces that are more refined than they were at the beginning of the show. The Retro vibe is definitely there but it is more subtle and the design and finishes of their spaces is very good. I too like the Terrazzo flooring which ties in with other rooms in the house. I was a fan of their mint green kitchen and therefore love that this has been followed through into the laundry. The colour works very well with the pale timber they have selected throughout the home.
The artworks of Palm Springs are perfect for the era and mood of the home. They have achieved a 1950s Retro vibe in the powder room without using lots of colour which indicates they have grown up! Overall their mix of terrazzo, crisp white, pale timber and gorgeous touches like the artworks and chandelier suit the home and the era perfectly. The design touches that I like too are the low lighting up the stairs and the stone shelf in the laundry. Well done to Jimmy and Tam.
Luke and Jasmin | Hell Week – Hallway, Stairs, Laundry & WC 28 ½ /30
The chevron timber flooring had immediate impact for the judges as they walked in through the beautifully restored door in House No.4. Then the judges saw the beautiful artwork on both sides of the hallway, and they were sold. After struggling at the beginning to nail the brief of the 1910s house, Luke and Jasmin have come back very strong. In the powder room the beautiful Grafico wallpaper was a standout as was the gold tapware. The sheer size of the laundry is a huge value add to the house. Every week Jasmin researches her styling choices meticulously, and it is paying off.
My views
I was sold too at the entrance to this home. I love the front door painted in black, the chevron flooring, the soft white palette, the gorgeous standout black metal doors which link the original house to the rear and the lovely console table in the hallway. Extremely elegant and a house for today's buyers but with a nod to the Arts and Crafts era of the 1910s. I felt that the concealed doorway to the understairs cupboard was a little too similar to Jimmy and Tam – did they both have the same idea? It does of course lead into their kitchen which Luke and Jasmin designed first – I liked it there but feel it might be too much of a good thing. I did like the way though that they continued the black accents in the stair balustrades.
The dreamy powder room is delightful and so on brief for their era. I absolutely love it. The laundry room is well laid out, clean and crisp with tiling that suits the rest of the house and really can't be faulted. I really like the home that Luke and Jasmin have delivered, I just wish on reflection that they had designed the stairway wall/storage differently.
Related: What colour should I paint the inside of my front door?
Harry and Tash | Hell Week – Hallway, Stairs, Laundry & WC 25/30
The judges entered House No.1 using the facial recognition technology that Harry hopes will appeal to the security conscious Brighton buyer. It was a dramatic impact almost immediately as they noted more Velux skylights. In total, Harry and Tash have 24 of them in the house. Harry was furious this week as House No.1 was the only house not to get a new door and they had to restore the old one. But Neale was impressed with their restoration efforts, he loved the Viridian glass on the restored door. Overall though while the judges liked the spaces, they didn’t love them. The laundry could have been more functional and they could have made better artwork choices. Harry and Tash left Scotty’s HQ a bit deflated, is this a sign of things to come?
My views
Harry and Tash certainly have a lovely light, bright and airy house with their extensive use of skylights. Older houses can be a little dark but this one certainly isn't, which makes it very appealing. The house however is really not on brief for a 1920s Art Deco home. The hallway console table is completely wrong and this is a small piece that in an elegant Art Deco style could have made a big impact. The artwork and lighting are too modern and the timber vanity in the bathroom is uninspired on so many levels.
The appeal with this house is the use of natural light and the airy feel to the home, which hopefully buyers will be in love with.
Sarah and George | Hell Week – Hallway, Stairs, Laundry & WC 25/30
Sarah and George’s arch steel door that they purchased as part of their Suncorp game changer which connects the old and the new house, was simply stunning. Walking into the house the judges loved the two vintage posters that fitted the 1940s era brief perfectly. For once Sarah and George had quite a bit of colour in their spaces but it didn’t pay off, Darren would have liked it to be paired back. The powder room was whimsical, with the Grafico wallpaper once again a standout. The biggest issue the judges had was the spaces didn’t all connect, they could have been from different houses.
My views
I love Sarah and George's use of colour in their artworks which suit the 1940s vibe with movie stars of the era and gorgeous vintage posters. The use of arches throughout the hallway is perfect and the lighting is great too. I do feel that the flooring choices could have blended better between the two sections of the house and I feel that switching to such a light oak for the stairs was a mistake. It certainly doesn't match with the darker and more glamorous feel of the entrance and the living room and kitchen. I like the powder room, although not on the scale that I loved Luke and Jasmin's.
Adding a Mud Room section to the laundry is inspired and is well designed with lovely touches of colour. The house does feel a little disjointed though and I can see where the judge's are coming from with this. However I do feel that this week's room reveals should have received a higher score than Harry and Tash
Daniel and Jade | Hell Week – Hallway, Stairs, Laundry & WC 25 /30
Vanilla. It’s not a word you want to hear on The Block, and Daniel and Jade certainly didn’t agree with Shaynna’s use of the word when describing their rooms. They loved their Hell Week spaces delivered this week. While Neale and Shaynna thought the spaces were too simple, Darren was the objector, and was full of praise. He thought the fact the rooms were so simple was in fact a good thing, appealing to the Brighton buyer with the auction just a few weeks away.
My views
The warmer whites and neutrals are back on trend and work beautifully with this light and airy home. The wall colour prevents the house from looking sterile and cold which must be a plus for the Melbourne buyer. A house should make you feel welcome and at ease when you enter, which this one certainly does. I feel the look is sophisticated and simple. I absolutely love the hall runner and the pendant lighting which suits the 1930s era.
The laundry could have been a little more inspiring, but it is perfectly nice with heaps of valuable storage. Perhaps a small runner here could inject a little more personality. The feature wallpaper is a stand out though and does lift the space. Overall, a nice simple scheme but not one that has the wow factor.
Many of the gorgeous items here can be purchased through The Block Shop and you can find out lots more background about the contestants at Nine Now.
All photography is by David Cook Photography.
I have all the reveals from The Block 2020 on my site. If you haven't seen them all yet, you should start with The Block Kitchen Reveal.
