The Block NZ: Kitchen week offers the good, the bad and the weird

Last season of The Block NZ we wrote the kitchens were the best we had ever seen on the show. That’s not the case this year.

OK, these Orewa terrace houses on The Block NZ: Redemption are being completed to a tight budget, but there are still one or two odd things happening. Bronze-gold handles on kitchen drawers, and splashback tiles that look like they belong in the bathroom are unexpected and simply don’t work.

But we make an exception for this week’s winners Quinn and Ben, who use finger tiles again in their kitchen to great effect. In fact, they make more sense in this space, than they do upstairs in the bathrooms.

We are impressed by the storage on offer in all the kitchens. And, we love how there is a “quiet area” near the front door, which essentially opens into the kitchen. It’s a place where someone could sit with a coffee away from the main living space.

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Quinn and Ben finally win their first room reveal (ever)

These two nail it this week, with a very simple, beautiful kitchen. Not only does the sporting couple win both challenges (which gave them the minus-one card that they used to knock out Maree and James), but they subsequently win the room reveal, scoring 15 points and getting $10k from TSB for their efforts.

They have a huge advantage – a bigger townhouse and a much bigger space. They do a galley kitchen with a lovely long island that looks around 4m. Heaps of storage here.

Interestingly, judges Shelley Ferguson and Jason Bonham are impressed, but not “wowed” enough to give them more than 7.5 points each – it’s still a win. Quinn and Ben have done nothing wrong, except perhaps mixing carpet in the adjoining living area with the polished concrete flooring, which grates with both judges.

We love their white engineered stone benchtops, and they use the same fluted panelling as upstairs on one part of the island. Their finger tiles don’t look cluttered on the splashback – and these one don’t look like they should be in the bathroom. Perfect.

They also have the advantage of a double pantry with pull-outs, and double ovens. The judges note that their dishwasher is opposite their ovens, so you can’t have an oven door open at the same time as a dishwasher. Not that you would probably ever need to, but it is a fair point.

Their coffee area is a little more separate from the entry, thanks to a slatted timber screen. It may stay cleaner for a little longer, maybe. They deserve this win.

Our second favourite kitchen: Stacy and Adam

These kitchen-dining areas are long, skinny rooms, and we think the second best-looking kitchen is Stacy and Adam’s, which raises the sophistication level right up there. That’s because they chose to make the cabinetry very long and flush, and there was plenty of room to do this. They have plenty of bench space, without needing a narrow island at the side – more on that later.

They also chose a lovely, simple white composite stone benchtop that they ran up the splashback. And they have flush drawers – no-one needs handles with the modern touch technology.

But, while we like their kitchen and dining area, their entry is not so great. They have a fluffy white upholstered glory box-bench seat near the front door, which will stay looking nice for, maybe, a day? Why would you put that by the door where people kick off their dirty shoes?

They don’t create a coffee spot near the entry, as the others have done. Instead, they have another little study area, which seems a waste of space.

What do the judges say?

“First impressions, calm, beautiful, inviting,” says Ferguson. But there’s something missing – an island. Bonham feels it’s a bit of a hallway, and they’ve played it safe colourwise. But, as Stacy points out, “that’s what the market wants”.

They also don’t think the study area is the best use of the space beside the door. So they’re not going to get top marks. The judges give them 13.5 out of 20.

Chloe and Ben – not so hot

This is our least favourite kitchen, and, as it turns out, the judges agree. Chloe and Ben have chosen a very glossy, uneven, beige tile for their splashback, which just doesn’t sit well in a contemporary kitchen. They have also used the tile on the front of their very large curved peninsula – it’s bumpy, shiny and distracting.

And they have what looks like a cheap fake stone benchtop with a matt feel (it is in fact an engineered stone benchtop). It’s not a kitchen with instant appeal.

Also, it doesn’t feel practical. You couldn’t have more than one person working in there at the same time.

But what do the judges think? They feel that while it is spacious, it is very echo-y, and that’s because there’s not much in there. Again, Bonham would like to see an island, or some moveable element. (A mobile butcher’s block perhaps?)

“It feels a bit off to me,” he says. “I personally feel this is quite a badly designed kitchen.” To which Chloe replies: What does Jason know?” (Rather a lot, in fact.) He also says the layout “is never going to work” because the work space is cramped. Also it’s dark. So points off there.

Ferguson, as usual, finds the “positive”. She loves the way the glazed subway tile is wrapped around the island. And she loves the engineered stone benchtop “which is actually quite a nice representation of real stone”. (We will have to beg to differ – the look and feel is not like stone.)

To which Bonham says, as he heads for the door: “You are probably the nicest person I have ever met. But I’ve just got to get out of here.”

But despite her kind words, Ferguson gives them a five out of 10. And Bonham gives them a measly one, so they get six out of 20. Terrible.

Maree and James on a roll

This team had a three-day head start, but struggled with decision-making, as they do. This is the kitchen with the unnecessary gold/brass drawer pulls, and more glossy tiles that look like they belong in a bathroom, which may be because they are laid vertically.

But we do like the sage colour on the drawers, their white composite stone benchtops and textured plaster wall finish. And the fluting on the island looks more at home in the kitchen than the “bathroom tiles” in Chloe and Ben’s kitchen.

They have added an island at the side – but it’s not the “main event”. It’s not where the sink is, and you wouldn’t put a hero light pendant over it, so they got that right. But the pendant they put over the peninsula might have been better over the dining table – it’s just a little too big, and the judges notice this.

The judges do seem to love the kitchen, saying: “Now this is what we want to see.” Ferguson loves the stools pulled up to the peninsula, and the island prep area. “Practicality and storage-wise, it’s definitely a tick from me,” she says. And Bonham likes the corner shelving unit that lets you access the back of the cupboards.

Maree and James have added a coat cupboard near the door – “a mini mudroom”. Great idea. But, again, we wouldn’t have chosen a white upholstered chair for an area so near the kitchen. Sticky fingers anyone?

Ferguson awards them a 7.5. Everyone is still confused about “great comments, middling scores”. But it’s about the “wow factor”, or lack thereof.

Bonham adds a 7.5 and they get 15, which is knocked back to 14 when Quinn and Ben use a minus-one card. They could have tied, but it wasn’t to be.

In summary:

• Space planning wasn’t great for some teams
• Functionality needs to be more of a priority
• Flush doors and drawers help keep a kitchen uncluttered visually

The Block NZ: Redemption screens on Three at 7.30pm Monday to Wednesday and on ThreeNow