REVIEW: It’s master suite week on The Block NZ: Redemption, and there’s something we need to get off our chest right away, and that’s the big question: “What’s the deal with all the curved mirrors?”
Every bathroom, and some bedrooms and wardrobes have almost identical mirrors, and quite frankly, they look prissy, especially when teamed with gold tapware and handles. This is a look that is really going to date these bathrooms.
Yes, we know curves are “in”, but why not bring that look in with the furniture, as some teams are doing?
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This is Maree and James’s master bedroom, which features light-grey walls and a mix throws and cushions in tan and deep neutral tones.
The other thing that has us a little awed is Quinn and Ben’s orange terracotta-tiled bathroom floor. It feels a little soon to be stepping straight back into the early ‘90s when everyone was bringing a touch of Italy into their homes. Some of us have only just got rid of it, and others are wishing we could. Quinn and Ben probably chose the tiles because terracotta as a colour is in vogue, but it may have been better to leave it in the accessories.
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Let’s see what the judges think.
Maree and James – judge’s comments don’t match the score
First impressions for this suite are extremely favourable –judge Jason Bonham loves the fact the walls aren’t white. And Shelley Ferguson feels it is very soft and calming, which it is. She also loves the little makeup nook in the walk-in wardrobe.
We agree, the bedroom, especially, is wonderful. We love the reading corner with the curvaceous chair and reading lamp beside the window. It’s a little place to escape, but the judges don’t comment on that.
There are lovely side tables, but Bonham would have preferred drawer storage. Also, his comment about needing colour on the bed is weird, because they do have colour on the bed with a throw and cushions. It’s enough.
Maree and James have nailed the hotel-style bathroom, which the judges describe as “beautiful”. And gold handles and mirrors aside, we would agree. The large shower box with built-in shelf is luxurious. Everything flows visually, and there are visual links with the family bathroom.
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All the gold tapware, pulls and accessories are a bit much in Maree and James’s bathroom, but we love the size of the shower.
James even looks a little tearful (it’s exhausting getting these three rooms ready in a week).
But despite all the “raving” and clapping by Ferguson, she scores them just eight out of 10, which feels like an insult, and not something we have come to expect from this judge. We were expecting at least a nine, if not more. (Is she getting tougher?)
Stacy and Adam go for a classic look
These two had health issues this week, and Stacy still hasn’t found her voice. But they did get a tie for their living room last week (with Chloe and Ben), by using a minus one card to reduce the favourites’ higher score.
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Stacy and Adam’s upholstered bed seems a little undressed from this angle, but they get big ticks for the wallpaper and pendant reading lights.
The judges love their master bedroom with its dramatic black and white bed linen, and the fact they have chosen not to have a duvet. They like the drawer storage beside the bed, and the pendant lights for reading.
Ferguson says it’s “beautiful and elegant”, and it is attractive. Bonham feels it’s perhaps a bit neutral, but Stacy and Adam butter him up with some French champagne, which works.
However, the judges are not as impressed with the wardrobe, which doesn’t have a lot of hanging space. Also, they say it’s not attractive enough to want to keep the door open (what wardobe is?). But, actually, they have styled it well, and it looks fine.
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The judges weren’t sure that the walk-in wardrobe would look good with the door open, but we think it is styled very well.
And the bathroom? That gets ticks, too. They have laid the subway tiles in squares at right angles, which is clever. And they don’t lose points for having a single vanity. Interesting that Ferguson, also, is enjoying “the brushed stainless” tapware and handles throughout the house (as opposed to gold).
“I’m excited about their style, which is a bit of a nod towards classic, because it really sets them apart from other teams, and I really want them to keep going on this trajectory,” she says. And she scores them 8.5.
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Stacy and Adam’s ensuite is similar to Maree and James’s, but with brushed stainless steel instead of gold tapware, and an in-wall toilet cistern. Not all walls are tiled, which helps keep the emphasis on the wet areas.
Chloe and Ben deliver ‘a big fail’
We know Chloe and Ben can’t possibly get a 10, because their artwork is lying broken on the floor of the bathroom after falling off the wall (they used “hanging strips” in a wet area).
But, actually, it’s worse than that. “It’s very boring. I just feel like we’ve seen this room three times now,” says Bonham. “This is a big fail for me. We’re back to the whole feature wall-white wall thing.”
He doesn’t like the fact they haven’t really dressed the windows, and there’s a little timber bench under the window that looks “quite hard for the space”. Also, there’s no bedside lighting. These are all relevant criticisms.
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Chloe and Ben’s bedroom was panned by the judges, who wanted to see a little more drama. It looks incomplete without bedside lights.
The wardrobe is criticised also – they didn’t have time to mount the mirror on the wall.
And the bathroom? “This is where the cash has gone this week,” Ferguson says. “How beautiful.”
The tiles in the bathroom look very like those we have seen in other bathrooms – they are all very similar and all very neutral. The similarity extends to the mirrors and wall-mounted vanities.
But they have two doors meeting in a corner, which clash. Points off there. And Bonham doesn’t like the curved wall. He says it seems “pinched” and clutters the entrance. But Ferguson likes it.
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Chloe and Ben moved things around in their bathroom, introducing a curved wall to the shower, similar to what they did in their family bathroom.
She scores them 7.5. And that seems weird, when the judge so loved Maree and James’s master suite, yet she only gave them half a point more.
Quinn and Ben – another shock score from Shelley Ferguson
This couple are quietly optimistic: “I’m not going to let the judges’ comments disturb my inner peace,” says Quinn, who is channelling a zen vibe.
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This is Quinn and Ben’s lovely bedroom. The bench seat at the end of the bed is a great touch, along with the headboard that runs the length of the wall.
They clean up the challenges this week, pocketing an extra $10k for the “poetry slam”, plus a $2k “steal” card, and a minus-one card they can use whenever. But will they clean up with their master suite? First impressions would suggest this is indeed possible. It’s a fabulous bedroom – the best. They have the advantage of full-length windows, and a bigger space to work with.
They have colour on the bed (terracotta and olive green), pendant reading lamps, and light grey walls. Bonham loves it: “I’m really pleased with them this week,” he says.
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And this is Quinn and Ben’s bathroom with the terracotta floor tiles.
The walls of their spacious wardrobe are papered, which is a good look. And the bathroom with its small terracotta floor tiles? It seems a little busy with all the finger tiles on the walls, which Ferguson notes, and the terracotta floor tiles don’t work, visually. But Bonham likes it a lot, and the fact it looks good from the bedroom, with the vanity framed in the doorway.
Ferguson praises it all, then scores them a low 7.5. What? Even presenter Mark Richardson looks shocked.
With only one point between the top and bottom marks, game changers are going to be played. This could be anyone’s win? Maree and James play a +1, so they go up to nine.
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Quinn and Ben’s walk-in wardrobe offers plenty of storage.
And we have to wait till next week to see how Bonham voted, and to see who wins the $10k – and what they might lose if they have been forced to buy Quinn and Ben’s minus-one card that’s on offer.
The Block NZ: Redemption screens on Three and ThreeNow at 7.30pm, Monday – Wednesday.
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